Some anti-Semites complain about what they term “The Kosher Food Tax” (e.g. see http://x44.deja.com/getdoc.xp?AN=504058732 ) and believe the consumer is being “ripped-off” by having to pay extra for food items which are labelled by their manufacturers as kosher.

This particular piece of anti-Semitica seems to be based on the pamphlet "Kosher Food Racket Costs Consumers $ Millions", C.D.L. Special Report 1. Baton Rouge, La, USA: Christian Defense League [1976?] 8 pp.

Kosher food is that food that is prepared according to Jewish religious law. Basically, the rules are that all fruit and vegetables are kosher, only fish with both fins and scales is kosher, only certain designated birds are kosher such as chickens and turkeys, and only animals that have both cloven hooves and chew the cud are kosher. Further, animals and birds must be slaughtered in the specified manner, which is also designed to reduce suffering. Finally, meat and dairy products cannot be mixed.

In the USA and other countries where kosher food is available, food which is kosher bears the trademark of some kosher food-certification organisation in order that those consumers who eat kosher food (who aren’t necessarily Jewish) can readily identify the food.

In fact, in the USA, there are more non-Jewish consumers of kosher food than Jewish consumers. One of the reasons for this is that there are other people apart from Jews (e.g. Moslems) who don’t eat pork and they can be assured that the kosher food does not contain any. Another reason is that some people are allergic to milk products and since kosher food is labelled as either being “meat”, “dairy” or “parve” (neutral) then they can be assured of the contents. Another reason is that because of the extra supervision kosher food undergoes, it is perceived by some consumers to be of higher quality. Also, because of the method of preparation of Kosher chickens (they are plucked in cold water rather than hot) there is a lower risk of the transmission of salmonella.

The kosher trademark works like many other forms of product-endorsement. Manufacturers seek the endorsement of a particular organisation or individual and pay a fee for using their valuable trademark if the characteristics of the product meet the standards of the trademark owner. They do this for none other than a purely commercial profit motive. That is, manufacturers perceive that if their product carries an endorsement of some individual or organisation, then their sales figures will increase and the profit derived will exceed the cost of obtaining that certification or endorsement.

Common examples of organisations or individuals which provide product endorsements and charge for their use are (in the USA), The American Dental Association and Greg Norman and (in Australia) The Cancer Council and The National Heart Foundation. Companies pay fees to these organisations and individuals to endorse their products because such endorsements enable the manufacturer to sell more product.

If a company perceives that obtaining a particular endorsement is NOT in their commercial interests, then they simply won’t do it. That’s why many (or most) products carry no endorsements of any kind. And consumers, too, should exercise their economic freedom in the marketplace. If they don’t support the views of individuals or companies whose endorsements appear on certain products, then they should not buy them.

Of course, since most anti-Semites who promote these views are of a totalitarian political persuasion anyway, they really don’t support the individual’s freedom to select the products they wish to buy, the economic freedom provided by the free enterprise system or individual rights of any kind. So it is not surprising that they don’t support the basic consumer’s right of being, to quote Professor Milton Friedman, “free to choose”.

Now a few points from the “Kosher Food Tax” document (http://x44.deja.com/getdoc.xp?AN=504058732) will be analysed:

Paragraph 1:
Of course, there is no fraud involved. It is a consumer choice if they choose to buy a kosher product or not and it is the decision of a manufacturer who they purchase product endorsements from. Also, the manufacture of kosher food has nothing to do with giving it a “blessing”. There are numerous technical requirements that need to be satisfied in order for food to be considered kosher.

Paragraph 2:
There is no “secret”. There is no great Jewish power. Some manufacturers have decided that it is in their commercial self-interest to purchase a certain product endorsement. Obviously, no manufacturer would be silly enough to pay good money for an endorsement that cost them more than the extra profit that was returned to them. That’s how capitalism works!

Paragraph 3:
It is ridiculous to make a claim of legalised extortion. Who is forcing anyone to buy such products? A great majority of products are NOT kosher, so why would anyone be so stupid as to spend their money buying kosher ones if this bothers them? If they can find non-kosher products that are cheaper and better quality then surely they should be doing this? Are anti-Semites so STUPID that they can’t make a simple market-place decision? Finally, the claims of a huge goldmine of profit for the kosher certification organisations do not stand up to scrutiny either. Firstly, there are numerous kosher certification organisations. These must compete in the free market against each other. Obviously, if one charges too much, a manufacturer can simply go elsewhere, or not carry kosher certification at all.

Paragraph 4:
Here, anti-Semites are admitting they are so stupid that they cannot find their way around the capitalist system and make simple marketplace decisions. Also, the reason that some products such as steel wool carry kosher certification is because these products are used to clean eating utensils and they may have been covered with a protective layer of non-kosher animal fat, for example.

Paragraph 5:
Many of the points are covered above, but kosher certification organisations usually charge for their trademark because it is a valuable commercial asset and also Kosher certification is a very complex business and requires many full-time professionals, getting paid professional salaries to implement. Also, it is a lie that companies are blackmailed into accepting kosher certification as companies generally ask for it. It is a strictly commercial decision. Also, once again, one has to ask why anti-Semites cannot make simple marketplace decisions. Are they stupid?

Paragraph 6:
Here, an attempt has been made to describe the mechanics of how the supposed “tax” operates. Most of the points have been discussed above, and management issues are not really worth discussing here.

Another refutation of “The Kosher Food Tax” may be viewed at http://x44.deja.com/getdoc.xp?AN=506717736

David S. Maddison (maddison@connexus.net.au)
23-Aug-99, Last update 8-Sep-99