Chanukah approaching, the Chief Rabbinate of Israel has released its annual list of olive oils that have in the past fraudulently displayed a hechsher. The list is partial and reflects recent years, including last. Logistical considerations do not permit publishing a list of this year’s bogus oils in time to warn consumers before buying olive oil for Chanukah.
Olive oil is too often not authentic as advertised as unscrupulous individuals can use other less expensive oils, emulsifiers and artificial flavorings and colorings to produce what smells, appears and even tastes like olive oil at far less the cost than the real thing.
Tzfat Chief Rabbi Shmuel Eliyahu, a noted kashrus expert in Israel, often gives lectures and shiurim on kashrus and olive oil, telling the tzibur “if it sounds too good to be true, it often is”. He explains that steps can be taken to minimize buying bogus oil including the price. He explains that when “real olive oil” is sold at too cheap a price, one should be suspicious.
The Chief Rabbinate Kashrus Enforcement Unit adds that one should buy oil in a large volume business like a supermarket, which purchases from major companies through buyers. This significantly reduces the chance of buying bogus oil before Chanukah or year round.
The attached PDF document shows the labels of olive oils from last year and previous years that are known to not be reliable.
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
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9 Responses
I was told the olive oil did not require a hechsher.
If other oils are being marketed as genuine olive oil, then it is a matter of fraud for the criminal courts to handle.
Please, if someone out there is more knowledgeable about this please respond.
Olive oil is only a hiddur. Why does it matter if it isn’t pure? Is this a halachic matter?
Moose613, you’re correct that it’s fraud, hence the warning. It’s not always caught, and even if it is, it’s usually after people have bought it.
motchah11, I think the assumption is that people will also use it as food, not just for lighting.
“I was told the olive oil did not require a hechsher.”
It does if it isnt olive oil, but rather a combination of flavorings, emulsifiers and what nots. Also, coming off shmitta wouldnt that require a hechsher?
Why is this any different than any other food? If it is manufactured it needs a hecksher, and false labelling is always a problem.
Indeed, it is probably less of a problem at Hanukah since we aren’t using the olive oil for Human consumption but only to burn (and very few people still use olive oil as a fuel other than during Hanukah).
They are talking about scams
Olive oil that isn’t or only part olive
The thing is that if I buy %100 olive oil for however many shekel it cost, I want to get what I paid for and not %50 percent olive and whatever else they put into it. It is certainly fraud and geneivah and cheating and all the guta zachin rolled into one.
Also it is cheating us out of the hiddur of pure olive oil which we are machmer on.
Is anyone interested in an additional hiddur? So here it is: The whole year round, for Shabbos licht, people use “olive oil for lighting.” But for Chanukah there is a chumra to use olive that can also be eaten, as in the Beis Hamikdash, may it be rebuilt quickly in our days, amen.
But on reading the pdf I see that there are issues of orlah, tevel, shmittah, and so forth. And those DO need a hechsher.
Moose613, all produce from Israel requires a hechsher to ensure that the laws of terumah, ma’aser, etc. were properly observed