[Avodah] Are Raw Apples not so Kosher?

[Prof. L. Levine]

>From https://vosizneias.com/2020/11/18/are-raw-apples-not-so-kosher/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+vin+%28Vos+Iz+Neias%29

Recently, a family member purchased apples from Costco.  The label on it states in small lettering that there is a coating on it which may very well be halachically problematic.


After apples are picked off the trees, growers often wash them to remove bugs, dirt and leaf litter. Most of the apple’s natural wax is washed away dulling the apple’s appearance.  A coat of edible synthetic wax is used to replace it to make up for it. Mostly, this is either shellac or carnauba wax.  They help to both seal in the moisture and extend the shelf life of the fruit.

But where does shellac come from?  It comes from a beetle known as Kerria Lacca.

<snip>


The issue is not a new issue. What is new is that a growing number of organizations and people are taking the more stringent view. Why this has happened is another issue. But few can deny that the matter is of growing concern.

THREE-WAY DEBATE

The debate seems to be a three-way debate between Rav Moshe Feinstein zt”l, Rav Elyashiv zt”l, and Dayan Weiss zt”l. It concerns the Kashrus of confectioner’s glaze and other food resins that are used on hundreds of food products, including apples and candy, and come from beetles.

<Snip>

So far, no kashrus agency has extended effort to research which apples are kosher and which ones apply the questionable coating.  Until that happens, one can either choose to rely on the lenient Poskim or employ one of the following four methods of shellac removal.

See the above URL for much more.

YL
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