Keeping an Eye on Meat

Each holiday has its own characteristics. There's a holiday when we become the best hosts possible, inviting the patriarchs and kings of our nation into our homes, even if that home is just a temporary dwelling. And what of it? After all, we're commanded to rejoice threefold during this festival, and it's well known that there's no joy without meat, especially when it's fresh and from the choicest cut. Indeed, this is the time when masses of Jewish people crowd the doors of supermarkets that advertise amazing deals on that piece of meat with which we'll fulfill the joy of the holiday. We find ourselves standing in line at the fresh meat counter, with huge signs displaying the kosher certification on which we rely so confidently to the right and left. But wait—there's no kosher certificate for the establishment itself. So... is that a problem?! After all, the meat has the strictest kosher certification, and here they're just slicing and packaging it.

But if we knew what was hiding behind that cut of meat, we might not be so happy...

First, let's clarify - we won't discuss which kosher certification is most recommended. That's probably what you're looking for right now, at the counter.

In a brief tour we conducted at various supermarkets before the holiday, we found the following problem. It exists in meat departments that lack supervision from the kosher certifiers themselves throughout all operating hours.

Meat that's been out of sight - True, there's a rule about meat found in an area where most shops are kosher, that such meat is presumed to be kosher, as it likely came from one of the kosher shops. However, this is halacha but not practical ruling, because our sages prohibited any meat that was left unsupervised, even if that meat was found in one's own home. So if it happens that we forget meat without a seal or any kind of mark in a house with open windows or doors, or if a non-Jew is moving around there, the meat is completely forbidden for consumption. By the way - there's no difference if this happened at home or in a store selling processed meat where the vendors aren't particular about eating only kosher meat.

Unfortunately – those who know what happens behind the scenes of meat departments understand how serious this is. Consider that all meat warehouses and large refrigerators have back doors through which meat is received far from our sight, and it's highly likely that what happens there is truly known only to the storekeepers, who aren't necessarily Torah-observant and may not even be Jewish at all. Moreover, meat departments in supermarkets are usually independent units operated by contract workers, so who guarantees that the meat hasn't been switched... And you know, even if we don't exaggerate and tell you about all those storekeepers who were recently caught in misconduct, we still don't have a clear answer as to why the meat shouldn't be considered as having been out of sight, when the only boss who holds all the warehouse keys and manages the department is someone who can't be relied upon as a kosher supervisor.

Still skeptical...

In processed meat departments, there's a variety of meats with different kosher certifications, some sold in bulk and some packaged on-site. Although the butchering and cutting are done in internal workrooms, so in practice we have no guarantee that meat packaged under one certification (without a seal or hologram) isn't actually meat from another certification. Or that ground meat isn't a mixture of leftovers from several meats ground in the same meat grinder located in the workrooms.

Recommendation – Make sure that the meat department has a valid certificate of the kosher certification you consume, so you can be confident that during and after operating hours, the place is supervised and locked by the mashgichim (kosher supervisors).

This week, during a routine visit, we photographed meat in a meat department boasting the best kosher certification, but unfortunately, the person in charge did not appear to be from the Badatz... For your consideration.