[Avodah] Ein Mevatlin issur lechatchilah offlist

[Zev Sero]

Mike Miller wrote:
> 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 :)

In EY the manufacturers are mostly Jewish themselves, so the whole
question doesn't apply.  They certainly can't be allowed to deliberately
add small amounts of issur to their products.

 
> 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

But Jews are the most important component of that number.  And the goyim
who prefer kosher are mostly Xians with various notions about kashrut
being a diet with Hashem's endorsement, etc.   In most other countries
there is a shortage both of Jews and of Xians, so there's no real market
in kashrut.  The Moslems far outnumber the Jews and have their own
arrangements; they tend to be relatively mekil on such questions as
relying on ingredient lists.



-- 
Zev Sero                      The trouble with socialism is that you
zev at sero.name                 eventually run out of other people’s money
                                                     - Margaret Thatcher