It has become de rigueur for groceries to “brand” their meats and candies by repackaging them nicely with a store-branded label. Beware! Don’t judge only by the label. Check the label for a hechsher. Even if has a hechsher, be sure the store is displaying a Kashrus Certification taking responsibility for those labels. Yes, even when buying those ready-to-go Mishloach Manos from a store you trust. Because when you buy without a Kashrus Certificate displaying in the supermarket, you are opening a can of worms in the Jewish community at large. And here is why:
Imagine you are on a business trip in a remote area of China. Suddenly you encounter a massive 10-mile Kosher supermarket. Pleasantly surprised (and hungry) you walk in and find every delicacy, from sushi to rib steaks, all repackaged by the store. The store-printed labels claim to be under a reputable hechsher. But you wonder, who is responsible? In walks Chaim the store owner, the only Jew in a 100-mile radius, and takes responsibility. Will you trust him without knowing him well?
Chaim shows you the hechsher printed on each package. Yeah, a generic label. No kashrus logo. And even if it has a logo, how much is it worth? You can print those by the millions, especially in China. He tells you the name of a Rabbi that supervises. Oh, but how do you know that’s true? He calls up the Mashgiach (supervisor) and hands you the phone. Haha, that’s funny. If you don’t know him or trust him, how can you trust he is calling the right person?
Let’s pretend this same Chaim decides that business is slow in China (no kidding) and moves his store to Brooklyn. He has no Mashgiach (he never did). What will happen? In all likelihood, most people will buy! If the store is Jewish, there’s “a Yarmulka on the store”, then it’s good for you and for me. Few people in our community ask the question: “Who is responsible for the repackaging?” It’s HABITUAL. What everyone does.
The habit of buying store repackaged food has become so ingrained that any Joe Shmoe can take advantage of the lax attitude and chas v’shalom sell treif. To be clear, I am NOT suggesting that this is happening, however, we need to remind ourselves that it can happen. This invokes the infamous kosher scandal in Monsey when a butcher was caught selling non-kosher as kosher. Nearly 10 years later, I still quake about it. In that debacle there were Holocaust survivors that had risked their life during WWII not to eat non-kosher, yet, in the comfort of their home, they were deceived into eating treif.
Many Jewish supermarkets actually do have a mashgiach temidi (permanent supervisor). The store owners are wonderful G-d fearing Jews. You would eat in their homes and trust them more than some Mashgichim. That’s great. However, let’s face it. We are no longer a close-knit community where each consumer knows the cook and the baker. Most consumers are not properly informed in each store as to WHO is responsible for the repackaging. Yet, they still buy because there’s “a Yarmulka on the store”. This is a lax attitude which creates a dangerous habit that spreads across the cities and towns of America. When you patronize this faulty system it can wreak havoc elsewhere. It is fertile ground for an unscrupulous store owner to heaven forbid attempt to sell non-kosher.
And we can prevent it from happening. Yes, we the consumers, more than the Rabbis, can do something. Just ask your store owner to kindly display a Kashrus Certification. The certification should include ALL repackaged items in the entire store including candies and Mishloach Manos. It should also state if there is a mashgiach temidi which should be a requirement for every meat department. The mashgiach should be able to verify every repackaged item on the shelves.
I entered a popular supermarket in Lakewood and asked for the Kashrus Certificate. The manager searched his office but did not find it. He said I’m the first person that ever asked for it. Hear this: If more people will ask to see the certificate, a certificate will soon be on the wall for all to see. That’s what we consumers can do. In this particular Lakewood store the kashrus logo was printed on the labels. That’s an upgrade since a logo may not be used without permission. However, given the generic nature of these labels, it will be an added security to have a Kashrus Certificate on site as well.
If an organization sells repackaged items in Mishloach Manos as a fundraiser, I suggest they include a letter that specifies which individual took responsibility for the kashrus. It will also be nice to mention which hechsher was used for the ingredients. This will make the recipients not only admire the beautiful arrangement but feel comfortable to eat it as well.
So my brothers, beware! Don’t buy ready-made Mishloach Manos without a repackaging hechsher, even if it’s perfect for your Purim theme. Don’t just check the theme, check the Kashrus. Supermarket hashgacha usually does not cover Mishloach Manos unless otherwise stated on the Kashrus Certificate. The problem is, many stores do not even display the certificate. We the consumers deserve more disclosure. Just ask, you’ll get it.
(TLS welcomes your letters by submitting them to [email protected])
Good reminder. Don’t forget to always check restaraunts even in lakewood.
I called a restaurant in deal asked for the rabbi (mashgiach) and they put him on the phone and he knew everything thats used in the restaurant to the last detail (i knew him from before) then I called a Lakewood restaurant and asked for the rabbi the person on the other side didn’t know what I wanted the she said a name I asked whi is that she said the owner so I asked her are there any other rabbis or Jewish guys that work there or come by she said no hes the only one.
Then she offerd to leave him a message to call me 5 min later he did. I asked about the products in the restaurant and he couldn’t answer straight I asked what chicken he said he has to check what meat has to check. SOMETHING IS WRONG NO MASHGIACH GOOD LAKEWOOD HECHSHER AND NOT SURE WHAT CHICKEN OR MEAT???? it’s because WE DON’T CARE