Kosharot, an organization dedicated to improving the kashrus industry in Israel and raising awareness of kashrus issues and standards, has investigated the kashrus level of the Fleish chickens that are under the OU (or as my grandmother used to say, the UO, and are declared as mehadrin.
Kosharot, after their investigation as to the standards adhered to in the Fleish slaughterhouse, has decided recently that they recommend Fleish chickens and turkeys as adhering to a high level of kashrus, equivalent to the most stringent levels of kashrus for chickens.
As always, any questions whether you can or should rely on this should be directed to your own rabbi. I know some people say the Fleish is not at the same level of other mehadrin hecshers. Another caveat, this recommendation applies only to Fleish chickens and turkey, but not to the level of kashrus of the meat. I checked the Kosharot website and I did not yet find a similar recommendation. I have written to Kosharot to ask what they say about the meat division, but have not yet received an answer.
Some very reliable local rabbonoim have walked right into the store and (with the permission of the butcher) opened a few of these chickens and found the kidneys still inside.
ReplyDeleteThis is a mehadrin error right out of the Shulchan Aruch Hilchos Melicha. The kidneys themselves and the area under them are not considered salted.
mistakes can happen.
ReplyDeleteI had a Rubin chicken that had kidney in it.
and I had once bought kashered chicken livers (also Rubin) that had a piece of liver - the liver was bent down and tucked into itself - half of that piece of liver was 100% raw. I showed it to my LOR and he said to throw out that piece..
so should Rubin not be considered mehadrin?
Akiva - 1st of all, there is what yanky said - mistakes can happen.
ReplyDelete2nd, I will ask a question as a response. When did these rabbis go in and find this problem?
A kashrus statement/problem, is only as relevant as the day it was made. Perhaps Flesih was made aware of a rpoblem, and rectified it - changed their method, changed mashgiach, changed system, etc. Just because someone found a problem 2 years ago (I dont know when it happened, just throwing out a time), doesnt mean the problem still exists. Kosharot is saying they checked it out now, and found everything to be top notch. You are saying there was once a problem. Was the problem this week? last? last year? 2 years ago? when they first opened up?
I dont have the answers, but without them, such a statement is worthless. Every hecsher has had mistakes happen, as yanky said, and if they keep that policy and dont fix the problem, that is a problem. if they do, everything is ok.