Producing food items in 2022 is more complex than it has ever been. Kashrus experts attest to this fact, explaining that manufacturing and producing food is incredibly multifaceted and complicated, and the application of halacha in this day and age is therefore also more difficult than it’s ever been.
At the same time, whether due to Covid or other circumstances, there has been a proliferation of home-based businesses serving the frum community. This recent phenomenon has led people to approach leading rabbonim with concerns and troubling first-hand accounts relating to the kashrus of these home-based businesses, most of which are not supervised by any kashrus agency.
After studying this matter extensively and discussing the details with other poskim and leaders in the kashrus industry, these gedolei rabbonim felt that it is imperative that we implement a system that is consistent with prior practice of requiring all food businesses to have a reliable hashgacha. The gedolei rabbonim have thus released this kol koreh, making their feelings known that food produced for profit should not be bought unless it bears a reputable hashgacha or a respected rov gives his personal hashgacha on the operation.
The rabbonim were and are very sensitive to the plights of the owners of these home-based businesses, aware of the fact that they rely on their businesses to earn a parnassah. The rabbonim considered this carefully before releasing this statement.
The fact, however, is that most people don’t realize how many items they are consuming on a regular basis that do not have a hechsher altogether. When something is served to them, people should be trained to ask: Does this come from a store or business that has a hechsher?
When food is produced to be sold, oversight is needed. Allowing the current situation to continue unaddressed will unfortunately jeopardize the kashrus standards in our communities, as the rabbonim write in the kol koreh.
Questions or concerns related to this kol koreh may be addressed to kashrusconcerns@gmail.com.
i was making a simcha months, and a common custom dessert was ordered- and after i had my wife call to verify the hashgacha- to which there was none and we canceled the order. This item is by many simchas and shaloch manos
ReplyDeleteOK
ReplyDeletemassive scandal in Manalapan what is the answer?
Make all the home based business have a hech$her? make $en$e to me nice change the subject.
One has nothing to do with the other. However there is a collateral effect. There are/were many businesses operating in Lakewood with no hechsher and no oversight, including cakes, popsicles, catering, jerky and the list goes on. If store with a hashgacha have issues, you can only imagine what issues home based store without a hashgacha can and do have.
DeleteI would rather eat from a home based business of someone I know than any hechsher
Deleteagree
DeleteToo many stories of homemade cakes containing red #4 וכדומה
DeleteWhat difference does it make if they have a hechsher if there is no oversite?
DeleteDid you ever ask your son or daughter yeshiva or bais yaakov who gives the hashgocha on their kitchen . You will be shocked to hear that most yeshivas and bais yaakov that serve their own food from their own kitchen have no hashgocha
ReplyDeleteMy kids yeshiva has a mashgiach temidi. An advantage to a school having a hall, is theres some oversight on the kitchen.
DeleteDon't tell me that it's ok (no pun intended) and what could happen they order food from other places (we hope). Did you know that last year there was non kosher yes 100% non kosher treif food was served in a local school. THERE IS NO EXCUSE ANY MORE CALL YOUR SCHOOL AND DEMAND A HASHGOACHA AND MASHGIACH TEMIDI. YES MISTAKES OR THE LACK OF SUPERVISION CAUSES ISSUES
ReplyDeleteNot sure what the Kol Korei is about. If you are ma Lois on eating kosher food with a hechsher then you probably aren’t eating from Malky’s Home Baked Delights because it doesn’t have a hechsher. And if you don’t trust the friendly people/coworkers,etc that invites you for a Shabbos meal, then you’ll refuse the invite.
ReplyDeleteAs someone in the food industry , I think if we need to make a tikkun this is a excellent geder, ppl without hasgocha over look so many basic halochas without even knowing …the story in manaplpan was a person looking to cheat the system , unfortunately even by “ unza” we are not immune for that et. I doubt this has anything to do with money
ReplyDeletePeople don't know kashrus basics anymore
DeleteA bigger issue is the party planners who cater events without any hashgacha they bring whatever looks nice or fits with the theme. That industry needs oversight
ReplyDeleteParty planners .....
DeleteMost halls with a hechsher allow the Baal Simcha to do their own deserts
Some allow outside food, provided it's from an approved source.
DeleteMost shuls in Lakewood dont have any hechsher and allow anyone to come in.
Deletethe issue is not party planners or home based businessesi knew a numberofpeople who did not eat outside their home unless they personally checked the kitchen or knew the mashgiach. what is a kashrus organization doing giving a hechser to a restaurant owned by a goy? some of the kashrus organizations are so big that you can not gurantee the quallity of their mashgichim.
ReplyDeleteWhy? Because hashgachos do a great job?? So all the hashgachos had a meeting and the biggest issue they discovered is - the ones that aren't using them!!
ReplyDeleteThere's room for improvement everywhere
ReplyDeleteWHAT ABOUT sleep away camps? Any mashgiach there? or whoever saves them a nickel gets the business?
ReplyDeleteAlmost all camps have a real rov on grounds who's responsible for the kitchen
DeleteWho arranged this beautiful letter to be signed by these Rabonim??
ReplyDeleteWill OK comes forward and be honest with the public as to what took place? How do we know the same isn't going at other places? OK was very fast to put out "improvements" when an establishment not under their supervision was cought with tarfus, why the silence now?
ReplyDeletewho killed RJJ
ReplyDeleteReb Moshe Feinstein and his son Reb Dovid have explicitly and publicly said that a hashgocha is not needed and the rule of the Torah that Eid Echad Neeman bi'issurm applies when a frum yid says that an item is kosher. Ask Reb Reuvain and he says the same.
ReplyDeleteAid echad does not apply on commercial selling plus if there is much chiluki shitosi n the kashrus industry with many kulos we do not say aid echad
Deletethe rule of the Torah that Eid Echad Neeman bi'issurm applies when a frum yid says that an item is kosher...
ReplyDeleteThe Mashgiach in this particular store also said it was kosher thus the Eid Echad rule applies here as well.
A big Kashrus problem these days are the party planners. Many of the don’t have a hechsher and the bring food from private people which can be very questionable. Also the kelim and props can be a problem.
ReplyDeleteParty planners use props that are factory coated with food grade animals oils, and don't realize
ReplyDeleteThe main issue these days is, ppl couldn't care less about hashgochos. Once upon a time a Ben Torah would never eat at a place where he doesn't know who is supervising. Very sad
ReplyDelete