Should all kosher certified foods be labeled as such, clearly, and in English?

Question

Currently, the vast majority of food products sold in American grocery stores have been examined by kosher certifiers. Those that pass can print an obscure symbol, such as a U in a circle or simply the letter "K" on the label. Those who do not recognize these symbols, or read hebrew, are unaware that the product is kosher.

Since less than 2% of the US poplation keeps kosher, the costs of this process are passed on to unwitting non-kosher consumers. Kosher activists love to trot out a tired 1975 article from the NY Times in which an unnamed source claims that the cost per unit for certification is "6.5 millionths of a cent", but this is ludicrous. At that rate the rabbis would only collect one dollar for every 6.5 BILLION units sold.

So, in all fairness, should non-kosher consumers continue to be forced to subsidize a system that in no way improves the quality of our food supply?

So far only one of you, Kai, bothered to answer the question. If kosher certification is good for business, why not simply stamp the label "kosher:" and be done with the arcane symbols? They do it for pickles and salt, why not the other ten thousand products?

Also, kosher certification is a religious and not a nutritional process. The FDA is in charge of regulating the safety of the food supply, not the rabbis. In fact, kosher butchers are exempt from FDA rules for slaughtering livestock.

And finally, the tired old "anti-semitic" canard is meaningless. Whether you like it or not, it's okay to ask legitmate questions about jews and israel, so get over it. Otherwise it looks like you've got something to hide.

Daniel, you avoided the question too. Should kosher certified food be clearly labeled as such, and in plain English? That's all.

Yes or no?

Answer 1

You are right - let people who need to know whther food is kosher or not do their own research - don't make the 98% pay for these 2% to get info that nobody else wants, that is not democratic. Rather, put a healthiness rating of 1-10 from a scientific, neutral body on all products. Now that is useful.

Answer 2

There are a number of symbols that are used to indicate kasruth. And they are symbols, not necessarily letters. Symbols are or can be internationally recognized. And many other languages use the same alphabet as is used in English.

Most products that are kosher are not prepared specifically to be kosher, but prepared for the general population. They happen to also be kosher. But they are no more nor less expensive than are similar products that aren't kosher. Just check all of the varieties, for example, of canned tomatoes on your grocery store shelf for proof of that. Most consumers don't even notice the symbol and if they do, they know that it doesn't matter to them, and it doesn't matter to their pocketbooks, either.

There are products that are specifically manufactured as kosher, and most of them taste far worse than those that aren't but are still kosher. Yes, they also cost more. But which ones are bought are up to the individual consumer.

If you can still make your so-called claim after examining the evidence that I have presented here, then I will know that your question nothing to do with kasruth or economics, but is simply a thinly-veiled anti-semitic attack. That's called racism, and called a hate crime.

Answer 3

Nobody is forcing anyone to subsidize anything. In most cases, keeping kosher doesn't cost anything extra. Only meat, which has to have all the blood removed, costs significantly more when it's kosher. Most products, which have no blood work involved, would only be non-kosher if made on Shabbat, the Jewish sabbath. So as long as the company isn't running a line on Saturday, their stuff can be certified kosher without doing anything extra. Therefore, no extra expense is involved.

Answer 4

Yes, only 2% of us keep kosher. However, the cost doesn't appear to be any more for the kosher variety of the product than for the unkosher variety. Take for example the many varieties of Bush's Baked Beans. There are at least 6 varieties for sale at my local supermarket and they all cost the same amount at the store whether on special or not. But only the Vegetarian variety is marked with the OU. If your theory was correct then the Vegetarian variety would always cost more than the other types.

The reason it doesn't cost more is because it opens that one product variety up to a much wider market share than the other varieties of the same product. To those of us who keep kosher, it is important for us to know that the Vegetarian beans were not run on the same equipment that the bacon variety was run on. Kosher Certification doesn't just cause the product to appeal to those of us who keep kosher. It also makes the product of interest to certain other groups as well. For example, without the kosher mark, many Muslims would think perhaps the product had been run on the same line as the bacon version of the product and thus would not buy it. But with the kosher mark it is the only Bush's Beans product that Muslims will buy. Likewise there are others who don't actually keep kosher but look at the OU seal as being like the UL (Underwriter's Lab) seal on electronic products. They see an OU product as somehow being "safer" or "healthier".

I'm not sure how this 1 variety of Bush's beans out of so many would constitute "the vast majority". In this case it is only 1 variety of product out of 6 carrying a kosher mark. Since we are on the topic of beans let's look at some others. S&W brand and Kuner's brand do not have any kosher marks on any of their products (I've looked and haven't found any). Safeway's house brand of beans does carry a kosher mark on some varieties, but not on all. (Triangle CRC) Kroger's house brand does not carry a kosher mark on any variety of canned beans. (I therefore tend to shop at Kroger's instead.) Obviously Van de Kamp's "Pork n Beans" does not carry a Kosher mark. In fact, if you were really checking kosher marks you would find that there are only a very limited number that are marked as being kosher. Yes, many brands of ketchup are kosher, but relatively few varieties of pickles are. Many varieties of breakfast cereal are not kosher even though there is nothing in the ingrediant list that would be obviously unkosher. So, next time you make up your grocery list, trying going to the store and actually finding kosher marks on the products that you want to buy. When you go to buy your lunchmeat see how many of those you find any kosher marks on! (Good luck!)

For more on OU Kosher certification see their website at
http://oukosher.org/

The simple K on a product does not indicate that it is certified as kosher by anyone. It just means that the manufacturer *thinks* it is kosher. They have not paid anyone to inspect their operation so no money has changed hands. But if the K is in a circle then it has been properly supervised. And obviously when you see an R in a circle it has nothing to do Rabbis, rather that is a Registered Trademark sign. For a list of valid Kosher symbols see this list:
http://www.kosherquest.org/html/Reliable_Kosher_Symbols.htm

The idea that kosher marks are a secret Jewish tax is an idea that is being promoted by La Voz de Aztlan. They are an organization which promotes illegal immigrants taking over America and turning the American Southwest into a provience of Mexico. This urban legend that they have been passing along has been debunked here:
http://www.snopes.com/racial/business/kosher.htm

Answer 5

I am not a Jew, but I knew about the symbol. I see no evidence that the current system is not working. Only products that want, it have it. Many products would qualify, but if the people who package the product don't put it on, they do not have too. It is pure marketing strategy.

Products that have it, may cost more, but can be of better quality. Given a choice, I buy products with the symbol.

Answer 6

It has not something to do with the known of the nutrients grant, and each thing to do with merchandising and marketing. people who're searching for Kosher products comprehend what the symbols are that they could seek for. a enterprise can % to stamp KOSHER in purple ink throughout their programs, in the event that they so choose. it is a loose corporation. i think of that all of the money that's spent on merchandising is wasted, by way of fact the commercials safeguard a equipment that never improves the known of our nutrients grant. If a enterprise desires to be qualified as kosher, with a view to entice that 2% of the U. S. inhabitants who save kosher, then it is their corporation. no person is forcing them to attempt to advance their sales. the cost of certification is probable decrease, and lots greater useful than a merchandising and marketing campaign besides.

Answer 7

I am not Jewish, but I would buy kosher if given the choice.
The food is usually cleaner (i.e. no rat hairs or cockroach parts) and has had better processing with higher quality ingredients than non-Kosher food.