Israel’s Chief Rabbinate has directed retailers to pull several imported food products from store shelves after uncovering significant irregularities in their kashrus representations. The Rabbinate’s Kashrus Fraud Division released an update detailing what it described as serious deficiencies and misleading labeling involving dairy, fish and meat items sold in major food chains.

One case involves long-life whole milk containing 3.7% fat, sold in one-liter cartons and manufactured in Belgium by Solarec. The product is imported by Euro Dairies Europe (Gold Frost) Ltd. of Yavne. The packaging carries a claim that the milk is Chalav Yisrael under the supervision of Badatz Beit Yosef and with the approval of the Chief Rabbinate of Israel. However, a review conducted by the Rabbinate’s Import Department determined that the product never received such approval. Authorities have therefore ordered that the milk be immediately removed from shelves and returned to the importer.

In a separate matter, officials identified a significant concern with “100% smoked cod liver in fish oil,” packaged in 115-gram containers. The item is produced in Iceland and brought into Israel by G. Willifood International Ltd. Although the packaging indicates that the product is kosher with the approval of the Rabbinate and under the supervision of the private kashrus organization OU, the Import Department had denied authorization for production batches beginning in January 2025.

Addressing the issue, the Rabbinate stated that “the refusal to approve the fish product stems from a lack of essential details regarding parasite treatment, as well as the absence of clarification as to whether the required close supervision was maintained concerning bishul Yisrael.”

Concerns were also raised in the meat sector. Inspectors discovered a labeling discrepancy involving frozen beef shank No. 8 produced by Marcovif in Argentina and imported and distributed by Tnuva. During an on-site review, officials found that the outer red weighing label described the meat as kosher-chalak, while the stamp directly on the meat indicated only kosher, without the chalak designation.

“In light of this discrepancy, which constitutes misleading a consumer who is careful about a specific level of kashrus, the Rabbinate has instructed that these products be returned to Tnuva in order to prevent the continued halachic stumbling block of marketing meat that does not correspond to its external kashrus declaration,” the Rabbinate said.

Following the announcement, the Kosharot organization issued its own response urging heightened awareness. “We call upon the general public and kashrut supervisors to pay attention to the details of the kashrut update and to remain vigilant when purchasing imported products marketed contrary to the kashrut procedures of the Chief Rabbinate of Israel, in order to avoid, G-d forbid, any halachic mishap.”

{Matzav.com}