Level of kashrus differ depending where you are?

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Forum -> Judaism -> Halachic Questions and Discussions

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amother

Blue

Tue, Aug 29 2017, 12:54 pm

Just curious if anyone holds different standards at home vs outside the home. Kashrus can be a challenging thing sometimes in this day and age when there are "approved hechshers" and the only difference sometimes between a hechshered product and non-hechshered product is that the hechshered product was allowed to put a copyrighted stamp on it and non-hechshered didn't pay the fee. One can become quite disillusioned if they dwell on inconsistencies.

amother

Green

Tue, Aug 29 2017, 1:12 pm

Having a hechsher is not just paying a fee. It involves mashgichim to ensure that the food is produced according to their standards.

tichellady

Tue, Aug 29 2017, 1:15 pm

Yes Our level is different depending on the location and circumstances. I stick to my community standards at home but will be more lenient when traveling. I also go by rabbanut in Israel and in Europe will eat products that are consisted ok by the local community but are not hekshered. I have no problem with any of this and don't feel it's insincere or hypocritical

Maya

Tue, Aug 29 2017, 1:15 pm

amother wrote:

Having a hechsher is not just paying a fee. It involves mashgichim to ensure that the food is produced according to their standards.

This depends on the hechsher.

amother

Lawngreen

Tue, Aug 29 2017, 1:37 pm

We have the same standards for kashrus no matter where we are. We accept OU and eat chalav stam so I imagine it's easier for us then for people who are makpid on heimish hashgachas.

We research destinations before we travel to find out about local hechsherim. If we find something unfamiliar that's not on the CRC list then we check with our rav to find out if it's ok. Sometimes we get a blanket no or he tells us that he needs to look into it. Sometimes he tells us that he can't recommend it so we steer clear of those hechsherim.

Some countries don't have hechsherim on products so you need to have the kosher list put out by the local rabbonim to know what is acceptable. I've never traveled to exotic locales like Thailand so I'm not sure what I would do in that situation as it's difficult to bring enough food for more than a few days.

Jalapeño

Tue, Aug 29 2017, 2:53 pm

amother wrote:

This is certainly true sometimes, but often, it has to do with the equipment. While the product may seem kosher, the same factory line could have been, for example, canning meat, alongside canned vegetables (most of which require a hechsher because they require pasteurization to a point that is also suitable for meat. Canned fruit on the other hand is usually fine as it cannot be heated as high without ruining the product, thus rendering the machinery unfit to share with anything but other fruit.)
I do agree sometimes it's political (esp. in Israel!), but knowing a bit about the mass-production of food products is crucial!

That said, my home standards are higher than eating out, but only because I have friends who are more strict than I am, and I love having company.

33055

Tue, Aug 29 2017, 2:58 pm

We travel with our food when we can't get the quality we are used to - frozen milk and chicken. We will eat simpler rather than compromise.

cnc

Tue, Aug 29 2017, 3:05 pm

amother wrote:

Nopes. Same standards wherever I go. (I don't only eat "heimishe hechsheirim", so beside for CY it's not really a big deal.)

amother

Periwinkle

Tue, Aug 29 2017, 3:50 pm

amother wrote:

Growing up we ate cholov stam out of the house but at home since cholov yisroel was readily available we didn't. In my own home we eat a mix of things. If the kids like a a cholov stam yogurt then that's what we buy in addition to the cholov yisroel one that the other kids like. We keep cookery and dishes cholov yisroel so we can accommodate everyone.

Ruchel

Wed, Aug 30 2017, 6:31 am

Some eat only glatt and CY in Paris, not where it's harder.

simcha2

Wed, Aug 30 2017, 6:37 am

We keep the same standard at home and out. (MO if it makes a difference). I can imagine it would be harder if we held by CY.

amother

Mauve

Wed, Aug 30 2017, 6:52 am

We keep different standards at home and when eating out.

I don't see it as hypocritical. I think it's okay kashrus-wise to eat according to lower standards but I want to keep my kitchen "kosher" enough for the more ultra-Orthodox family members to feel comfortable eating at my home.

SixOfWands

Wed, Aug 30 2017, 7:01 am

tichellady wrote:

This is pretty much us.

We keep the same standards at home as we do when in an area where kosher food is readily available.

When kosher food is not readily available, we are a bit more lenient.

amother

Emerald

Thu, Aug 31 2017, 12:54 am

I live in Israel. At home, everything is mehadrin. I will eat chalavi rabbanut when there are no other food options.

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