[Avodah] Believing companies - kashrus

[Dov Kaiser]

It seems, then, that KOF-K does not follow R. Moshe Feinstein’s ruling in YD1:55 that a factory may be believed when it tells us that it has used vegetable oil.  The teshuva is available online at http://www.hebrewbooks.org/pdfpager.aspx?req=917&st=&pgnum=92. 
 
R. Moshe mentions at the beginning of his teshuva that one of his questioner's reasons to permit reliance on the manufacturer’s information was that it was responding to a person who was ill (which might have enhanced the reliability of their response).  However, it does not appear from R. Moshe’s subsequent lomdus or his conclusion at the end of the teshuva that this was relevant to his permissive ruling.  
 
That being the case, on whom does KOF-K rely to be machmir on this question? 
 
Kol tuv
Dov Kaiser
 
 
R. Y. Levine wrote: 
 
Some time ago I had a long back and forth via email with
 
>Rabbi Moishe Dovid Lebovits
>Author of Halachically Speaking
>Rabbinical Administrator - KOF-K Kosher Supervision
>Recorder of KOF- K policy
 
It was about the kashrus of mouthwash, particularly Scope and Listerine. In one of the issues of Halachically Speaking he had written essentially one should use only use mouthwash that has supervision, because of the glycerin in the "regular" mouthwashes. This he based on the psak of Rav Belsky.
 
I wrote to him that Listerine has no glycerin in it. I also told him that I had contacted Scope, and they told me that the glycerin they use is of animal origin. Eventually he wrote back the following. 
 
"After giving some thought to our conversation today I want to add the following:
Although the non-Jew said they use vegetable ingredients there is no one making sure this is always done and non-vegetable glycerin is cheaper than vegetable. therefore, if they are not a kosher company there is no reason why they should use vegetable glycerin. Why are we believing a non-Jew to tell us about kosher. The one answering the phone has limited knowledge regarding the items in a product. Even if it is made on the same equipment as animal glycerin we do not rely on bitul. My opinion still stands that I have no way to guarantee that only vegetable glycerin is ALWAYS used."
 
This response not only relates to the use of sugar or corn syrup in coke, but also has wide implications for the discussion about following lists in other countries that has taking place on Avodah. If one cannot rely on what a non-Jew (I assume this applies to a non-religious Jew also) tells you, then how can one follow lists?>>
  		 	   		  
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