[Avodah] Ein Mevatlin issur lechatchilah offlist

[Mike Miller]

2009/3/9 Zev Sero <zev at sero.name>:
> This is a major difference between the hechsher industry in the USA and
> elsewhere.  In the USA the manufacturers pay for hechsherim, and put the
> symbol on their products, expecting that it will increase their sales.
> Overseas the manufacturer does the heechsher a favour by letting it inspect
> the premises, and in return for a listing in the kosher list it agrees to
> notify the hechsher of any change in recipe.  The tiny percentage of Jews
> who will buy the product is very low on the manufacturer's mind, and not
> a factor in his calculations.

Overseas != E"Y, of course :)

On a more serious note; does anyone know why this is? Even in the US,
it's well known that consumers of kosher products include Jews, many
Muslims, people who believe it's somehow healthier, and those with
allergies who know that they can rely on a kosher symbol as proof that
there will be know problematic ingredients (although in certain cases
people with very severe allergies will react to things that al pi
halacha are treated as they do not exist).

Do these groups not exist overseas? I can't imagine that European
Muslims are less "frum" than their American bretheren; do they have
their own hallal lists that they use? Is there such a chashash of
anti-semitism that having a symbol suggesting to the wackos that there
was a payment of an extortionist "kosher tax" that manufacturers don't
want to do it?

-- Mike Miller
Ramat Bet Shemesh