Rav Moshe Feinstein - Do You Become Fleishig From Fleishig Vitamins?
Rav Moshe Feinstein discusses (Igros Moshe YD 2:26) whether a person becomes Fleishig, and must wait before eating dairy, after ingesting a vitamin that contains meat ingredients inside.
Rav Moshe answers that he does not become fleishig. The Achronim bring two reasons why a person must wait to eat dairy after eating meat. One reason is that the taste stays with him for six hours. The other reason is that meat can get stuck in his teeth. Since neither of these reasons apply here, there is no reason wto wait before eating milchig.
One may ask that we find that even if the reason doesn't apply, the Chachomim still forbid it so as not to differentiate from one case to another (Lo Ploog). Along these lines we find by basar v'chalav the Chachomim assur even if the fleishig food was not solid but just liquid cooked with meat, even though the reasons to wait do not apply. However Rav Moshe says that this case is different because the person swallowed the vitamin and it is not even considered eating.
Furthermore Rav Moshe adds that even if the person were to chew the vitamin he would still not become fleishig.
Important Note: We bring this tshuvah as a starting point for discussion and not to convey any halacha. We try to convey the Tshuva to the best of our ability. We admit that our understanding may not be accurate. One should learn the tshuva to verify the accuracy of our interpretation. Please understand that this Tshuva may not be the final word on this topic. One should consult a Rav before drawing any conclusions.
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