When A Kosher Symbol Is Definitely Not Kosher, Fake Kosher Symbols Offered By Companies

by Monsey.info

It has a kosher symbol so it’s kosher, right? Wrong.

We are so used to seeing a kosher symbol and expecting that it is kosher that we sometimes forget that anyone can, in theory, offer a “kosher certification”, even if it is completely bogus.

Kashrut.com released an alert on May 10th, 2023, warning of a series of fake kosher symbols that can be found.

“These bogus kosher symbols are some of the ones offered by companies, many in Asia that sell “certification” services,” they wrote in a post. “No recognized rabbinical certification is behind these certifications.”

Emblazoned with the word Kosher, sporting Hebrew letters and even showing some similarity to well respected Kosher certifications, these symbols are in fact “legal”, as shocking as that may seem.

Can you legally define the word kosher? We may know the Halacha, but secular legal law can require a bit more than that.

So the lesson to learn here is that we should only purchase items with a reputable kosher hechsher, and if you are unsure, ask a competent Rabbi.