[Avodah] kosher lists

[Arie Folger]

I wrote:
> DIFFERENT SUBTOPIC:
> Regarding London Beth Din's kosher list, I happen to personally know
> some of teh people involved, and they do indeed check quite a lot of
> facts about the products they certify.

There is a "thinko" in the above statement of mine. Quite obviously,
the LBD puts in considerable work in what it *certifies*. In fact, no
one questioned that. I wanted to point out that there is a lot of fact
checking that goes into *listing* products on the kosher list.

And whoever pointed out that a hekhsher on everything is an American
innovation is right. However, I disagree with his implied claim that
it isn't necessary in Israel. Mitzvot hateluyot baaretz mean that in
Israel, a lot more products need to be certified.

And I should point out that when I wrote that whether or not one may
consume certain products without a hekhsher, for instance, canned
vegetables, is actually dependent on the local market, I ought to add
that this is even true for products under the same brand, even from
the same factory. This information is based on conversations with,
among others, London Beth Din and the OK. Some factories will process
the products for one market on one line, and those for another market
on another line. Although one line is kosher, the other one may not
be. Identical product, the one on sale in, say, the UK, France and
Turkey is kosher, while the same product on sale in Belgium,
Switzerland and Denmark is not kosher.

So, no, not everything needs a hekhsher, but yes, one needs a certain
amount of expertise to figure out what can be relied upon and what
not. Consult your local kashrut experts.
-- 
Arie Folger,
Latest blog posts on http://ariefolger.wordpress.com/
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