KosherToday.com
While Americans were reeling from a kosher meat scandal in Los Angeles where a glatt kosher market was found to sell non-kosher meat, Israelis were in the midst of a bug-free vegetables scandal.
Israel’s Chief Rabbinate discovered that products sold in bags as bug-free actually were not free of insects.
The Ilan Shivuk Bekirur Company was found to have fraudulently used bags from another company that did properly wash the vegetables and complied with maasser (tithe) laws.
Chief Rabbi Shlomo Amar said in November that eating “bug-free” leafy vegetables poses a health risk due to the increased use of pesticides.
Rabbi Amar issued a halachic ruling following lab tests conducted on such crops, in which he recommends that the public purchase regular leafy vegetables and clean them “in the old-fashioned way.”
Kashrus experts in this country have stepped up their education for checking for bugs in vegetables at home. Mashgichim in food establishments can often be seen doing the painstaking work of checking every leaf before allowing a chef to use vegetables.
Kashrus agencies have produced DVD’s, videos and manuals to help ordinary kashrus observant homes check vegetables for bugs. One company, Kosher Innovations, which produces such products as Shabbos Lamps, also market a bug-checker.
Rabbi Amar appeared to be concerned that kashrus observing Israelis had become complacent about the bugs issue when the Gush Katif greenhouses guaranteed bug-free vegetables.
Kashrus officials in the United States are also concerned that packaging that assures that vegetables are bug-free may actually contain bugs.
The officials say that in spot checks they have found bugs even when the packaging says “pre-washed,” which is why they recommend routine checking and washing of all vegetables.
I believe hydroponic vegetables are more likely to be clear of bugs….they still should be checked but they are generally much cleaner. Rabbonim who did not allow people to eat leafy greens due to problems with bugs did permit hydroponic greens, even romaine lettuce. And i believe they do not use so many pesticides, if any, for hydroponics.
we also need to ask Hashem for help!
Bodek generally will not certify Romaine lettuce, only iceberg and similar which are not really buggy in the first place
So if these are not bug free how can they charge the extra on them?this is just exploitation of halacha to line someone’s pockets.
And they were huge bags! It took two days, but we didnt eat bugs at the seder! Thanks to you.
Or does it also need checked?
I had 8 bags of TRIPPLE WASHED lettuce and every bag was FULL of bugs!!! I soaked the lettuce in water and soap at least three times until no bugs showed in the water and had every piece checked by a light. Follow the cleaning instructions from CRC kashrus agency of Chicago. Bugs in food are disgusting and ASUR!
What if it has a hashgacha on the bag?
I found a rather large fly in my “checked” spinach some time ago. I know a fly could fly into a batch of anything at any time, but even though the spinach company calls its product “checked,” I still check every leaf (quickly) with a light box.
Hashem gave us TWO HANDS use them
I was under the impression that they were different than the others.
Wasn’t this true years ago, according to most Kashrus agencies? Only certain ones relied on ‘botul’ but most didn’t recommend prewashed