Community Magazine August 2017

30 COMMUNITY MAGAZINE In the first four months of 2017 alone, West Palm Beach, Florida’s State’s Division of Hotels and Restaurants discovered “hundreds” of violations for mislabeling or misrepresenting food, reports NBC News. Tuna and red snapper were the fish most often swapped out in favor of other kinds. Larry Olmsted, author of Real Food/Fake Food , has written a number of pieces in Forbes about the issue of misrepresented food. He claims that every snapper sample tested in Seattle, Washington, and Washington, D.C. was mislabeled. Southern California had the highest mislabeling rate at nearly sixty percent. In Chicago, every sushi restaurant sampled had at least one mislabeled fish. That sure sounds fishy to me! What secretly occurs in the food industry isn’t limited to swapping seafood. Other shady practices include mixing in hidden ingredients, or infusing additives that aren’t publicized to consumers. What is Really in Your Rice and Vegetables? With his vast knowledge of industrial food preparation in both in Israel and New Jersey, mashgiah Rabbi David Condiotti has learned some frightening facts. “Going into a vegan restaurant sounds fine, right? You might think, ‘what could go wrong?’ Lots! If they use broccoli, they’re not going to give it a kosher wash, and bugs could be hiding in it by the dozens,” he exclaimed. “Want to add just a little Balsamic vinegar to your salad? It’s made out of non-kosherwine. Care tohave some tomato saucewith plain pasta? Pasta sauces can have cheeses or meats in them, and even infested (non-kashered) herbs.” Items that might seem fine on the surface may not be fit for kosher consumption, after all. “In addition, some restaurants might cook with chicken stock water to add a little flavor to a given dish, such as rice or vegetables,” Condiotti said. What is also quite common, he explained, is for large food factories to contain some kosher, and some non-kosher items that look similar. This can be confusing to the kosher consumer. He citesWishbone dressing as an example. “The Italian version of it is certified kosher, but the French and Caesar dressing is not. Because a lot of these dressings contain non-kosher cheese, such as Ranch,” he noted. Yet another example is the Snapple beverage. “Unbeknownst to many, there are a few flavors that are not kosher – and they can easily be mistaken for the kosher varieties. The company decides what’s going to sell in the kosher market and what will not,” Condiotti declared. TRICKS OF THE TRADE Red Snapper Sushi Roll? (Probably not…) In an extensive nationwide study, DNA tests showed that only seven of the 120 samples of red snapper purchased nationwide were actually red snapper. This practice is usually done to save money. Oceana Study of Seafood Fraud Pasta Surprise “Many restaurants prepare their pasta dishes with beef broth, chicken broth, or a seafood broth; no one uses water in the kitchen.” Raymond Tawil, Executive Chef Fishy Flavor “Places that use cast iron to cook food are a big problem. Besides the fact that you never really wash a cast iron pan with soap and water, chefs don't clean them at all. They call them seasoned pans. They use this to cook the next dish and give added flavor.” Raymond Tawil, Executive Chef A Simple ‘Vegan’ Dish? “Items that might seem fine on the surface, may not be fit for consumption for the kosher customer, after all. Some restaurants cook with chicken stock water, to add a little flavor to a given dish, such as rice or vegetables.” Rabbi David Condiotti, Mashgiah