Michigan Legislature Adopts Strengthened Kosher Food Law

Stiffer enforcement of Michigan’s kosher food laws is provided in a bill that has passed both houses of the legislature and been sent to Gov. Romney for his approval. Terms of the bill regulate advertisement of kosher foods. Any restaurant, grocery or food processor which advertised kosher food discovered to include non-kosher ingredients would be subject to fraud charges. By the same token, the failure to advertise the non-kosher ingredients would be presumed as an intent to defraud, a misdemeanor.

The bill originally called for a state commission on kosher food to police kosher food dealers and restaurants which sell kosher foods. It was altered because of church-state complications, one sponsor said. Provisions are designed to strengthen the state laws already in existence requiring the special preparation and packaging of foods under regulations of traditional Jewish law.

Hubert Sidlow, chairman of the Jewish Community Council internal relations committee, explained that for many years Michigan has had a law on the statute books defining “kosher” and characterizing certain acts of mislabeling and false advertising as illegal and a misdemeanor under the act. However, the act had proven to be ineffective in preventing widespread deception due to the lack of proper enforcement procedures. In addition, the old law referred only to meat preparations and left unprotected the great variety of kosher food products sold in Michigan.

Responding to complaints of deceptive practices regarding false advertising of kosher foods, the Jewish Community Council convened a meeting of interested community groups including the Council of Orthodox Rabbis as well as industry and union representatives. Working cooperatively with these groups and with the assistance of State Representative Jack Faxon, a number of recommendations were developed and presented to the House Agriculture Committee last March. These recommendations were eventually incorporated in the new bill.