A meatpacking plant with a Rabbanut hechsher in the city of Nahariya in northern Israel was closed down by the Rabbanut after it was found to have been selling treif meat from Arab villages.

The discovery was made after an inspector for the Rabbanut’s Kashrus Fraud Prevention Unit was carrying a routine inspection of a butcher shop in northern Israel and found lamb chops that looked suspicious. The meat had been purchased from the HaKohanim plant in Nahariya.

The inspector brought the lamb chops to be examined by two expert menakrim who confirmed his suspicions that the meat was treif and had not been properly cleaned of prohibited parts.

In light of the severity of the findings, representatives of the Rabbanut in Nahariya and a menaker immediately went to the HaKohanim plant and summoned the owner. While searching the factory, they found treif meat, including veal from a plant in the Arab town of Deir al-Assad. The Rabbanut held an immediate hearing for the factory owners and removed the plant’s kashrus certificate.

A source in the Rabbanut said a huge amount of treif meat was discovered at the plant, and that’s without taking into account the meat already sold to businesses throughout Israel. Dozens of businesses, including restaurants, hotels and simcha halls have to kasher their kitchens and all their keilim.

The Kashrut Fraud Prevention Unit immediately opened an investigation to identify all of the factory’s clients and ordered mashgichim of simcha halls, restaurants, hotels and butchers to inform local Rabbanim of the fraud in order to guide businesses on how to kasher their kitchens and keilim. The Rabbanut also published a statement that anyone who had purchased meat from this factory should consult a Rav regarding kashering their premises.

The scam was complex since the factory was producing a mixture of kosher and treif meat, which makes detecting the fraud more difficult.

Rav Rafi Yochai, Director of the Enforcement Division and Deputy Director of the National Kashrus Division said: “During these days of the peak tourist season when the catering industry is very active, there’s great temptation to push popular products, including lamb chops, etc. and therefore great vigilance is required. I call on the public to monitor the validity of kashrus certificates.”

“The Kashrus Fraud Unit operates effectively thanks to daily reports from local mashgichim, supervisors and Rabbanim. The deployment of mashgichim, supervisors and the National Fraud Unit enables the detection of severe cases such as this as quickly as possible. The inspector and others involved prevented thousands of consumers from purchasing treif meat.”

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)