Kosher Encyclopedia

Link above: Jewish - Kosher Issues in Canned Vegetables 2

4. Packaging Diversification

Any production facility is subject to numerous factors, including machine failures, personnel issues, and quality control. Canneries also have to contend with the vagaries of nature. Simply put, if it rains, you can't harvest, and therefore can. Similarly, during a non-growing season, plants don't grow, and you can't can. So what else can a cannery do?

Some factories can a variety of vegetables to minimize idle time. For example, a single machine might can yams from August to December and potatoes from May to July. However, even with two varieties, there are still many idle months to account for. Some factories maintain a short production year and use the off-season for equipment maintenance and repairs. Other companies have added a new development to their canning operations: dry packaging.

Canning dried beans is both economical and convenient, as they're not affected by season or weather. Dry beans have a long lifespan, allowing them to be used for extended periods of time, or even during rainy harvest season. They're also easy to rehydrate. After soaking for eight hours, they can be used like fresh vegetables. The versatility of dry beans is a major concern for kosher canning companies, as is their versatility. Among the various canned beans are American favorites like pork and beans and bacon and beans.

When producing pork and beans, it's common practice to put a small amount of pork in each can. Some companies use automated meat storage or adjustment machines to automatically adjust the meat-to-bean ratio; others use random storage systems. Regardless of the system, the amount of meat is so low that one canner was once asked, "Since you only put a small amount of meat in your pork and beans, what's the real purpose of the meat?" "For the label," he replied.

In fact, to avoid USDA regulations, canning companies must keep the meat count below 2%! In fact, in most cases, such small portions of meat are ineffective because the meat in the can is less than 1/60 of the can's total capacity. This rule applies to most cans between 15 ounces and 128 ounces. In a single, smaller can, 10 ounces or less, pork can be overlooked.

Problems that occurred:What difference would ignorance make? That small piece of pork will always be kosher. Who cares if the pork is inedible? Clearly, the concern isn't the product itself, but the integrity of the equipment used to maintain its kosher status. The real issue is when a kosher consumer picks up a box of canned goods or corn that isn't kosher. What's being produced in the factory? Are those cans being distilled along with the kosher products? If the distillation is disqualified because of the pork and beans, all subsequent distilled vegetable products will also be disqualified. When a can of vegetable product is certified kosher, ensuring the kosher status of the production equipment is not compromised is an essential part of obtaining kosher certification.

Furthermore, as the popularity of ethnic meals has grown, canned foods are diversifying. A relatively new product in the canning market is refried beans, a Mexican favorite. Refried beans, which are non-kosher, are a mixture of beans, pork, and seasonings that takes a long time to cook before being canned. Other Southern and Southeastern favorites include jumbo shrimp and Creole turtle soup. These specialty items use the same batch cans, fill lines, and utensils as regular canned vegetables. It goes without saying that companies using regular equipment for special batch cooking raises real concerns for kosher canners about regular canned vegetables, which should not be purchased unless they are thoroughly koshered and strictly monitored between kosher and non-kosher products.

Another major gray area will emerge in the private label sector. Store brands, generic labels, or food service labels can be manufactured in many different facilities. Production can shift from one location to another, depending on product availability and affordability. There's no way to know whether corn or green beans are manufactured in a completely kosher facility or in a factory that produces both kosher and non-kosher products using the same equipment. Therefore, a kosher symbol on the can will give consumers the ability and confidence to distinguish the gray from the black and white.

5. Best to buy

In the past, it was assumed that canned vegetables, such as corn or peas, were mostly produced in a pure, non-problematic, kosher environment. In this case, kosher consumers were entitled to assume that vegetables not labeled kosher could be purchased without specific kosher certification unless proven otherwise. All soy products are produced by companies specializing in dry soy products, where pork, bean, or other meat products are likely also produced. Therefore, the following bean products must be purchased based on the kosher symbol. These varieties include canned green beans, kidney beans, chickpeas, garbanzo beans, great northern beans, black-eyed peas, purple husk beans, and navy beans.

However, with the increasing need to optimize production and diversify product offerings, previous assumptions regarding corn and peas may no longer be true. In light of this, in an unprecedented internal kosher decision, all canned vegetables, including corn and peas, are now approved for use by all major kosher certification bodies only if they bear a reliable kosher certification mark. Of course, if it can be confirmed that a canned vegetable is produced in a facility that only produces kosher products, then that canned vegetable can be approved as kosher. However, this decision is often difficult to make. The same rule of thumb applies to canned tomato products, as these products share the same concerns as canned vegetables.

Hopefully, this article will enhance every kosher consumer’s understanding of this interesting industry and will help to rediscover the ongoing research that kosher certification agencies perform on behalf of kosher consumers.