[Avodah] OU Mini Seedless Cucumbers

[Zev Sero]

On 16/8/21 8:33 am, Prof. L. Levine via Avodah wrote:
> This morning while preparing my breakfast I noted that the label a 
> package of Paterson Pickle Company's Mini Seedless Cucumbers has an OU 
> on it. I was surprised to see an OU on cucumbers.

The presence of a hechsher is not an indication that it was needed. The 
OU will put its hechsher on anything that the manufacturer wants to pay 
it for, whether it's needed or not.  Why shouldn't it?  Why turn down 
business for no reason?  But if it does put its hechsher there, it will 
first investigate the product and make sure it's actually kosher, rather 
than rely on rules that say it doesn't have to
.  And the same OU will readily tell you that you may buy the same 
product without a hechsher.


> However, the label also says, "No Wax Added" and "All Natural".  Is
> the OU guaranteeing that that there is no wax added?  And even if wax
> were added, is this a halachic problem?
Probably not, but if the OU puts its name on it, it checks it out and 
makes sure it's kosher.

A few years ago I asked the OU about raw cashews (which are not actually 
raw; the shells are steamed open.   They told me about two possible 
concerns that exist with raw cashews, that al pi halacha I needn't worry 
about either of these concerns when buying cashews without a hechsher, 
but that if they do have an OU then the OU has specifically investigated 
these two concerns and made sure they don't exist for that product.


-- 
Zev Sero            Wishing everyone a healthy summer
zev at sero.name