Encouraging a Food Manafacturer to Change Hechsheirim

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  • #607792

    Is there any reason it is halachicly impermissible [for a consumer] to encourage a food manafacturer to change from a lesser accepted hechsher to a more widely accepted hechsher? (i.e. taking away business from the lesser hechsher.)

    #1170782
    rebdoniel
    Member

    It would be a boon to the manufacturer, in most cases.

    There aren’t too many hechshers people don’t hold by on processed foods. Tablet K is the only one that comes to mind. Triangle K is not problematic in most cases (unless you only eat glatt).

    #1170783

    I understand it would be a boon to the manafacturer. It would also be a boon to the consumers who are more careful in only using the more reliable hechsherim, allowing them to eat the food once it has the more reliable hechsher whereas they preciously couldn’t consume the food when it was under the less reliable hechsher.

    The only loser is the loss of business to the less reliable hechsher. Thus it brings up the shaila whether causing them to lose that food company as a client, by recommending or suggesting to the food managacturer to utilize a different hechsher organization (that is more reliable and will increase sales for the food company), is an issur of hasagas gvul or some other issur.

    #1170784
    2qwerty
    Participant

    Triangle K is doing an image make over but the person in charge is still not reliable. So it’s just as bad as Tablet K.

    Both of these hechsheirim are run by “Orthodox” people so dont rely on my opinion and ask your LOR.

    #1170785
    zahavasdad
    Participant

    People are assuming OP is talking about Triangle K to say an O-U

    What if the OP is talking about the OU and changing it to a CRC or Badatz . Plenty of Charedim dont think the OU is Kosher enough

    #1170786
    ☕ DaasYochid ☕
    Participant

    ZD,

    Plenty of people think the Triangle K is perfectly fine. So what? If more people will buy, it’s likely a good idea.

    #1170787

    To take the example someone gave, if someone were to encourage Mott’s applesauce to switch from Triangle-K to OU, would he be guilty of hasagas gvul (against Triangle-K) or some other halachic issur?

    And does it make a difference if a consumer (who doesn’t rely on Triangle-K) suggested this to Mott’s or if it was suggested directly by the OU?

    #1170788
    apushatayid
    Participant

    If a company felt it could make more money by becoming “more kosher”, they would do so in a heartbeat. They are in business to make money. Sometimes changing hechsherim is not as simple as signing a new contract, it may mean completely changing the manufacturing process, or replacing essential ingredients.

    I dont think the naming of specific hechsherim was called for, or appropriate as it relates to the original question.

    #1170789
    dovrosenbaum
    Participant

    It’s a mitzvah to take business away from a shoddy hechsher operation and to encourage higher standards.

    #1170790
    apushatayid
    Participant

    Substitute organic or gluten free for “less accepted hechsher”. Doing so also involves many of the same questions as smaller hechsherim do not have expertise in certain areas.

    #1170791
    akuperma
    Participant

    If you buy the competitor’s product, that is encouragement enough. When a salesman loses a sale and the consumer says it was because the product wasn’t kosher, word gets to the decision makers who decide if a hecksher (or a better heksher) is worth the price, i.e., if the added cost is justified by the increased sales. Food manufacturers are in it for the money – that’s how capitalism works.

    #1170792
    iacisrmma
    Participant

    Why are we bringing up a thread from 3 years ago?

    #1170793
    yitzyk
    Participant

    Nothing has changed, it is all still applicable.

    Consider it a mussar lesson for Loshon Horah – the damage will still continue by being discussed years later.

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