Jewish Scene
Rabbinate: Palestinian Coke not kosher
Itzchak Tessler
Published: 29.05.13, 13:08
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42 Talkbacks for this article
1. Kosher = Rabbinate Extortion Racket
World Citizen ,   the world   (05.29.13)
2. #1 what?
(05.29.13)
Anyone can buy a product without the Kosher certification, so there is no real problem. What's funny is that paying a Kosher supervisor is a lot cheaper than paying a celebrity to advertise a product. By the way, have you eaten any horse meat lasagna recently?
3. Any comment from the tooth fairy ?
Haim ,   TA   (05.29.13)
Thanks for the warning i was up all night worrying about that.
4. Couldn't get a cut
carl   (05.29.13)
Right--They haven't paid their money to the rabbis yet. What exactly can be unkosher about Coke?
5. what 1 said! true dat!
(05.29.13)
6. Saw some of that Arabic cola
Yonatan ,   Safed israel   (05.29.13)
I saw some of tat Arabian cola last week, was told it comes from Jordan, but it said Made in Gaza so I don't know what the deal is, didn't drink it though
7. Kosher Coke another example of how Jews try to control World
Steve Benassi ,   Silver Bay, MN USA   (05.29.13)
8. Sorry Haim #3
Dovid ,   Haifa   (05.29.13)
that you lost sleep. If you were actually Jewish you might understand the article better.
9. #1 - Didn't think it would happen
Ben ,   Chutzlaaretz   (05.29.13)
But there it is! You finally wrote something I agree with! Wow! Proves, even a broken click is correct twice a day.
10. It's a free country...
Reb Yid ,   New York   (05.29.13)
let them get a hechsher like everyone else.
11. silly stuff
iselin ,   Oslo, Norway   (05.29.13)
Do the grease the factory machinery with lard? Sounds like the rabbis want to lead their brethren around by their noses. Are they really all sheep, unable to think on their own? Sounds like it.
12. Pretty simple to the haters here
Joshua ,   Tel Aviv Israel   (05.29.13)
without supervision, there is no way of knowing what goes on in that factory. For example, cola, which is parve could be bottled after a milk product has been bottled. Then there would be good chance the cola is no longer parve. Supervision isn't free, so it costs something. I imagine that the Pals couldn't care less, as we couldn't care less about them. This is about Jews who want to follow kashrut understanding what products contain what. No reason to hate, mock, deride, or in any way diminish the practice of keeping kosher. If people don't want to, they don't have to...
13. While I question the kashrut monopoly
William ,   Israel   (05.29.13)
I do agree with the Rabbinate on this. It's a clever marketing game where an inferior product is marketed very close to a genuine product in order to gain market share by confusing the consumer. However, this probably won't matter to those who don't strictly observe kashrut.
14. #11 - I am not religious but I wouldn't buy it
William ,   Israel   (05.29.13)
I do observe laws of kashrut and when in Israel I rely heavily on the seals of Kashrut to ensure the quality of the contents so I can plan my diet accordingly. I don't have to worry so much in the West where laws are in place to accurate identify contents and cross-contaminants. Israel is not a highly-litigious society so holding a company responsible for a violation in product quality is not easy to do as in the West where quality is much higher than in Arab States.
15. I guess my question is - why is it allowed in Israel?
William ,   Israel   (05.29.13)
Why import any inferior goods into the State of Israel?
16. #1 - does your sentiment include Halal seals?
William ,   Israel   (05.29.13)
Or is your scorn reserve just for Jews?
17. #2 - Hahaha. Excellent. Classic
William ,   Israel   (05.29.13)
18. #4 - the article answered your question already
William ,   Israel   (05.29.13)
without kashrut, there is no indication of what cross-contamination could have occurred at the plant. This is akin to labels on many products in the US warning of possible cross-contamination with known allergens like nuts and soy. If one is strictly kosher, and has a coke with a hamburger, they'd want to know it was produced away from dairy products. Right?
19. #6 - if they can't get their story of origin correct
William ,   Israel   (05.29.13)
how can one trust the quality of the product? Though produced with the Coca Cola license, quality and manufacturing are all by the plant owners and not overseen by Coca Cola or neighboring bottlers.
20. #7 - Only some Jews are concerned about Kosher CocaCola
William ,   Israel   (05.29.13)
and that is less than 10 million worldwide. In a world of 7 Billion, that's not exactly an attempt to "control the whole world", is it?
21. @12 & coca cola bottling i supervision isn't enough?
(05.29.13)
I mean really do you actually believe what you wrote? Coca Cola International would be all over them in less than a heart beat ... and you know it. You also know that there really is something to what the other TBers are saying. Kashrut is all about the money and all about the politics.
22. In USA it's called the "kosher tax"
James   (05.30.13)
23. Coke *can* be un-kosher. In fact, it used to be.
Raymond in DC ,   Washington, USA   (05.30.13)
Coke's "secret formula" has actually changed from its original. When Coca-Cola decided to go after the kosher-observant market in the US many years ago, they couldn't get certification if the rabbi didn't know what was in it, so the Atlanta rabbi was let in on the secret and he discovered one component was derived from ... bugs. An alternative kosher substance was found and kosher coke was born. Another problem emerged when they started substituting corn-derived fructose for sugar. That made it not kosher for Jews who didn't consume corn products on Passover. So Passover Coke was created that used sugar. (In many countries outside the US they still use sugar.)
24. that was great!
(05.30.13)
25. Bullocks James
Jerome ,   AKL   (05.30.13)
In the US Coca cola is made with corn syrup and is therefore not Kosher for Passover. This is one of the roles of the Kashrut authority that is to disclose ingredients. In NZ and Australia, they use cane sugar, as such it is kosher all year around. I want to know what goes into my system and happy to pay the Kosher Tax. You may be exempted if you consumed pork, but then you will look and smell like one.
26. All Organized Religion Is Corrupt
World Citizen ,   the world   (05.30.13)
Jesus said that what goes into a man's mouth is not dirty but what comes out of a man's mouth can be. In light of that could you really trust anyone who says s/he doesn't like bacon? I rest my case.
27. #14 Israel not highly litigious?!
(05.30.13)
are you sure? May I suggest that you go research the accuracy of that statement?
28. To all the foolish haters.
Zush ,   USA   (05.30.13)
Your understanding of the world is simple and ridiculous. Kashrut is not all about the money. It is a service provided by a competent Rabbi for the benefit of consumers who depend on the certification to see if they can eat it. The companies need to pay for that service, which they are happy to do because it adds a large client base that wouldn't buy their product otherwise. There isn't a coka cola factory in the entire world that isn't open to this inspection because they have nothing to hide, and for the size of their operation it is such a nominal cost. So why doesnt this Arabic cola not have this inspection? If they have nothing to hide and they want the business, than do it. If they don't care, than don't freaking complain that many Jews won't buy it.
29. To all suporters
Kosher Israeli   (05.30.13)
I keep kosher but I can tell you that the supervision network in Israel is a cesspool of bribery, no show jobs and other forms of corruption. This obsession with the tiniest details of kashhrut while ignoring social problems is exactly the kind of thing that the prophets railed against.
30. No connection
kosher eater   (05.30.13)
There is zero connection between food quality and Kashruth
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