I read with interest your article, “5 Town Rabbis Want Answers On Zomick’s Infestation” (July 19), and see the same issues as I see here in New York City with Restaurant Health Department inspections, and at local Manhattan kosher supermarkets. Denial that there is a problem. Denial that there is anything wrong. Denial that the state inspectors know what actually goes on in their shop. Denial about everything found during an inspection. As a person who relies on kosher establishments for my food, I am shocked by the responses from Zomick’s published in the article.
Kosher establishments need to lose their kashrut certificate if they fail a health inspection or a restaurant gets less than an A on an inspection, and the business should be forced to close down until all issues are resolved, no exception. Being under rabbinical supervision should also mean something. I pay a premium for kosher food, and I expect that premium to go towards rabbinical oversight, ensuring my food conforms to the rules of kashrut. Why am I paying a premium to places that fail their health inspections for reasons that would violate kashrut, and also could possibly make me sick? It makes me wonder where the premium I am paying is going, as it doesn’t appear to be going towards implementing health department suggestions, or ensuring my food is free of bugs.
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