A bill to have the U.S. government protect kosher consumers against fraud has been introduced by Rep. Stephen Solarz (D-N.Y.).
Although some states have such laws, the bill introduced by Solarz last Friday is the first effort to do so with federal legislation. The federal law, however, would not supersede a state law that is more stringent.
Solarz, who represents a Brooklyn district with a large number of Orthodox Jews, credits Agudath Israel of America with showing him the need for the legislation as well as helping him to draft it.
“As the representative of the largest kashrus-observing community in the nation, I have become acutely aware of the pitfalls faced by those who seek to uphold this timeless Jewish tradition,” Solarz said.
“There is no excuse for unscrupulous merchants to prey on kosher consumers,” he said.
He added that kosher products have also become increasing popular among the general public “because they are prepared under carefully supervised conditions, and are thought to be more healthful than other similar products.”
There are more than 60 kosher certifications now in use, according to Abba Cohen, director of Agudath Israel’s Washington office.
“With more and more products bearing more and more symbols, the kosher field has become ripe for error, confusion and even fraud,” Cohen said.
The bill, known as the Public Disclosure of Religious Dietary Certification Act, would require manufacturers of products labeled as kosher and shipped across state lines to file certain information with the Food and Drug Administration.
This would include the name and address of the kosher certifying authority, a letter of authenticity from the authority and a facsimile of the product’s symbol. If the certification is withdrawn, the manufacturer must notify the FDA within 15 days.
Consumers who have any questions about a product would then be able to check with the FDA.
None of the symbols used on kosher products are now subject to FDA enforcement, Solarz said. Since kosher products usually cost more, the lack of federal enforcement has “opened the door to numerous and unconscionable cases of fraud,” Solarz said.
He stressed that under his legislation, the FDA would not make any religious determination on either the certifying authority or the product.
“The legislation’s main focus is to provide kosher consumers with the information they need to make their purchasing decisions,” Solarz said.
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