Kosher certification abroad
Photo: Gabi Menashe
European rabbis initiate bill against kosher fraud
During meeting of standing committee of Conference of European Rabbis, initiative announced that will tighten proper kosher oversight by issuing bill to EU obligating that food manufacturers first receive certification from local rabbis before turning to external kosher bodies
Is Europe going to get a chief rabbinate? Leading rabbis on the continent are taking action to obtain recognition of the local kosher authorities as the sole authority for issuing kosher certification in EU member states, similar to the status enjoyed by local rabbinates in Israel. They are doing so by issuing a bill against falsification of kosher certifications, similar to the law in Israel.
The standing committee of the Conference of European Rabbis (CER) held a conference in France, which was concluded Wednesday. CER Chairman Rabbi Pinchas Goldschmidt announced his intentions to launch negotiations on the kosher matter with EU leaders.
Those spearheading the move presented the rabbis at the conference with a worrisome picture of kosher bodies hailing from outside of Europe - some of them fictitious – that circumvent local rabbinical authorities to issue kosher certification to factories throughout the continent.
Rabbis from Africa and Australia reportedly indicated a similar problem.
The recommended solution is to obligate food manufacturers to produce kosher certificates only from local rabbis, and only then to obtain kosher certification from bodies outside of Europe, similar to the system in place in Israel.
The CER standing committee meets once every two years to discuss a range of topics on the agenda for European Judaism.
