Because gelatin comes from animals, vegetarians and vegans do not eat or use products that have gelatin added. Some religious or cultural groups also do not eat gelatin because of the animals used to make it. For example, people that keep kosher or halal will not eat gelatin because it is often made from cows. Alternatives to gelatin are products like agar or carrageenan which comes from seaweed or pectin which comes from plants. 