KITNIYOT DERIVATIVES

We were reading the Star-K’s 2008 PASSOVER DIRECTORY, and in an otherwise fairly good explanation of kitniyot, came upon the following sentence: “Nevertheless, most reputable Kashrus agencies in the United States and Israel do not permit the use of shemen kitniyos (oil made from kitniyot)in their products.(page 41).”

Last year, an OU Rabbinic Field Rep, wrote to us privately and said, “As you are undoubtedly aware, the halacha is that derivatives of kitnius are kosher on Passover. Anyone adminstrating a kosher agency knows this, as these halachas, and much more complicated ones, come to play every single year by a multitude of companies all around the world. The problem with peanut oil is that the consumer doesn’t necessarily know this halacha, and many, many people stopped buying peanut oil on Passover, confusing it with kitnius. Hence, due to the laws of supply and demand, manufacturers stopped producing this type of oil, as there became little profit attached to it.”

So what do we have? The Star-K impugns any possible agency that might follow halachic text as opposed to the community norm the agencies have imposed upon us. The rabbi who works for the OU blamed the consumer, as if to say it is our own fault that the agencies no longer certify kitniyot derivatives.

We resent the attitude of both. Don’t blame the consumer! The OU wrote a whole puff piece congratulating themselves for making us all eat glatt meat. They managed to do that, but they can’t educate the publice about peanut oil (for example)?

The Star-K owes us all an apology. To say that REPUTABLE agencies do not certify derivatives is to imply that those agencies who follow halacha and do allow it are somehow not reputable. In our book that is at the very least motzi shem rah (destroying someone’s good name).

We need to go back to a sane approach to kashruth……….