Jerusalem – According to a mythological Bnei Brak fable, the city’s Chief Rabbi Moshe Yehuda Leib Landa is one of the few people in the entire world who have been exposed to Coca Cola’s secret recipe. Otherwise, he would not have been able to grant a kosher seal of approval to the popular drink produced in the city of Torah and Hasidism.
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A new book published ahead of the Passover holiday does not reveal the secret formula worth millions, but its authors – who are experts in the field of kashrut – definitely reveal a number of dark secrets about the food industry.
One of the most sensational discoveries made in the book – published by the Rabbinical Centre of Europe and edited by Rabbi Asher Gold – is provided by Rabbi Mordechai Sofer, head of Rabbi Landa’s kashrut system.
As part of the halachic discussions, one of Rabbi Sofer’s revelations is that most soft drinks claiming to have “pieces of fruit” do not really contain them. The “deceit” is made possible by mixing stabilizing substances which cause the absorption of particles from the drink and adopt its color – a problematic process requiring special kashrut supervision, which is discussed in detail in the book.
Rabbi Sofer also reveals that many companies color white beans in additional layer of white for a fresher look, and there are those who cover apples with wax in order to make their color look “livelier”.
As a rule, the rabbi says, one should not rely on the list of components provided with each product in order to determine whether it’s kosher or not, as general definitions like “flavorings” and “stabilizing materials” often conceal components which are “completely unfit for eating” according to Jewish Law.
Fruit juice defined as “100% natural” is not necessarily kosher as well, although the fruit itself is fit for eating, as the filters separating the juice from the fiber and seeds are used many times to filter non-kosher foods, and the residue blends into it. The book also claims that many companies add water to these juices, so that in any event it is not “100% natural”.
Is a kosher seal of approval needed for bacteria? Definitely. According to the book, in the United States there is a “bank” with 80,000 germs for food production, used mainly as a culture for different products such as cheese. Most are not kosher as they are stored inside the blood of cows which have not been slaughtered according to Jewish religious laws. The solution: In Indonesia there is a wide production of bacteria preserved in different, kosher conditions.
Rabbi Aryeh Goldberg, deputy director of the Rabbinical Centre of Europe, notes that the book is unique as it is appeals to the entire public and not just to the small community of people involved and specializing in kashrut issues.
“If in the past kashrut issues were reserved to experts and elected people, today we ding a public interest on the past of a large public seeking to get involved and be updated on kashrut issues.”
“Is a kosher seal of approval needed for bacteria? Definitely. According to the book, in the United States there is a “bank” with 80,000 germs for food production, used mainly as a culture for different products such as cheese. Most are not kosher as they are stored inside the blood of cows which have not been slaughtered according to Jewish religious laws. The solution: In Indonesia there is a wide production of bacteria preserved in different, kosher conditions”
I don’t know where they are getting their halachos from. The gedolim of the past would have laughed if you told them something like this. These rabbis are not mainstream. The London Beis Din does not accept their viewpoint and does not regard the things they point to as being rauy leachilah, and in any event, even if they were they would be batel.
This book is full of chumra on top of chumra that avosenu hakedoshim never heard of or cared about.
Any educated consumer should be aware of these issues – the OU publishes these things regularly, as the the CRC of Chicago. While I have no knowledge or interest of internal politics (politics being the Gematria of Amalek), this looks like part on an attempt by an organization, which formed in 2000 to be a Chabad alternative to the central Rabbinical organization in Europe, to gain standing in the Kashrus World (hence their meeting of Kashrus supervisors several months back).
In matters of kashruth we need to sometimes accept a hashgacha on “blind faith” since the ingredients are proprietary and the mashgiach is sworn to secrecy. Fortunately, most chassideshe hashgachot can be trusted by all yidden without any questions and they will have fully researched all the ingredients.
The YNET translator who produced this piece of $%^& deserves a medal of some kind. It could almost have been done by translate.google.com
What’s new in this book? Nothing in this article is surprising if you have an interest in kashrus and food manufacturing. What’s really needed is for the big kashrus agencies to settle on a standard level of Kashrus in each country/region so we all know what a hashgocha means.
How does adding water to juice make it not “100% natural”? I didn’t know that they have finally come up with artificial water.
Do you want to know the secret of coca cola? Its high fructose corn syrup, phosphoric acid, and carmel color.
There are really two issues here: one is that ingredient listing in the U.S. allows for a great deal of vagueness (100% juice doesn’t have to 100%juice and “non-dairy” creamer can have dairy sourced ingredients) and the “standard of identity” which limits the ingredients to a predetermined recipe to be called “mayonnaise” or “ketchup,” that lists tomatoes as a “vegetable,” it is a fruit.
Then the enormous amount of chemicals used in food ‘manufacture” each having a potential kashrus problem.
As I’ve said here before, 1. grow your own food, 2. eat mostly fresh vegetables and fruits, organically grown if possible. 3. Don’t buy prepared, canned or “fancy” packaged foods, they are the least healthy, most expensive, and present the most problematic kosher issues. You will feel better and save money.
the cheese cultures are also made and stored in the pancreas of chazeirim as was discovered several years ago by the ok laborotories and b”h caught timely by their masgichim
Bacteria is not ochel!!! that means it is no concern of ours. This is basic kashrut halacha. You can’t even see a bacteria!! There is a lot of amaratzus on the comments on this site
Only food can be a davar hamaamid, bacteria is not food
Whats going on here? The olam has no parnussa, jobs are being lost by so many heimish people, and all these so called rabbis have in mind is being busy with more chumros?
It is interesting that these so called “new” issues, have in large part been dealt with by American Poskim , the OU, Rabbi Blumenkrantz. etc. (every fourth grader knows they put wax on apples!!).
However the issue is certainly poingnant around Pesach. It is a Holiday that by its very essence evokes feeling of traditions and past customs. And while its noble that people don’t want to mix with each other , or eat ‘Gebrochts”, or tomato peels. It is virtually impossible, in a convenience driven society, to prepare and arrange for everything by hand.
The other issue is the fact that people of the current Generation don’t venerate the minhagim and traditions of the previous generations, so they attempt to reinvent the wheel. Bacteria is forbidden? Lox is Forbidden?
Sheitel : Avodah Zara?
Filtered water?
Who ever heard of such a thing, wells and rivers are full of bacteria and microorganisms, anywhere in Chaz’al does it state that you cannot drink from a river or well because of microscopic organisms?? what filetr did they use in europe or during the time of the Beis Hamikdash. (was Nisuch Hamayim filtered water??)
Well, you may not be aware of it, there two collection agencies who store ALL bacterias, fungis,etc. in the US, both edible and not edible; even the notorious ANTHRAX bacteria is stored there. One belongs to the US government and is a TOP secret and very fortified building. If I’m not mistaken it’s part of the Defense Dept.
Then there’s a private company which stores ALL bacterias & fungis. The Government one has a much greater variety then the private one.
This book is indeed correct in that most if not all are stored in cows BLOOD for the very simple reason. It hold up long term, FOREVER, in vials of blood. They are tiny glasses, 1/4-1/2 long and sealed. It’s kept in deep freezers, minus 50-100.
The cultures in dairy products are privately developed and are not stored in BLOOD. They are stored in ……………MILK! All dairy cultures as well as wine and baking cultures are stored on either sugar or Milk based carriers. In this point I think the book is a bit mistaking.
To the best of my knowlege, Kosher Cholov Yisroel Cultures nowadays are stored on Kosher Cholov Yisroel milk exclusively.
We are living in a time when so many Yidden have lost their livelihoodS, or have been placed on reduced hours of pay.
Thousands of families are now dependent on a full range of Chesed groups which do a magnificent job.
Pesach is a time of great stress for many who do not have enough money for Matzos, Wines and all the other ( expensive) needs of the Yom Tov
It is commendable they so many are following the concept of Hiddur Mitzvoh in our generation.
Each according to their family and or community Mesorah.
However, has the time come to return to the future and become more Ehrlich especially in our dealing in business and communal life.
We have the zechus of living in a Medinah Shel Chesed, we need to act in a way that our non -Jewish neighbors will say ” those Jews are honest G-d fearing people”.
There has been to much Chilul HaShem recently.
Let us be as careful with what comes out of our mouths as what enters our stomachs.
A kosher un Freilichen Pesach
May we merit the Messianic Redemption before we sit down to the Seder.
Rav Landa does not know the secret formula for Coca Cola. He may know a list of ingredients which may or may not be mixed into the drink, but he surely does not know the quantaties, and he does not know which ones do not go into the drink.
The bacteria may not be ro’o l’achilo, but it is normaly the ‘ma’amod’ in products.
re #1 It is a known fact that London Beth Din Rabbonim do not eat 95% of the products with their own hechsher!
I just love it aleh mavinim and poskim who post coments here have any of you ever dealt in hasgacha or even cracked open a Halacha Sefer in your life time pashut a gelechter oh and to the tipesh who claims Moshe finkle was a chusid what planet do u reside on he davend in a yekishe Shul adas yeshurun and had a yekishe haskucho rav breslouer who is the yekishe rav of monsey