KOSHER SHRIMP?

FROM JEWNIVERSE BY ABBY SHER
New Wave Foods is a California company that’s dedicated to sustainable seafood. They create substitutes that taste just like the real thing, without destroying the environment — hence the genesis of their man-made shrimp substitute, known as Shr!mp.

This high-protein, low-fat treat is made in a laboratory by baking red algae and a plant-based protein powder. Dominique Barnes, CEO of the company told Newsweek, “Shrimp is the No. 1 consumed seafood in the U.S., and it’s also the king of all the problems.”

The shrimp industry’s “problems” include the destruction of coastlands and a staggering carbon footprint. Man-made shrimp, however, could be the solution — and it inadvertently solves another problem, too: While the crustacean itself isn’t kosher, Shr!mp may very well be.

The idea that Shr!mp could be kosher came as a surprise to Barnes. A kashrut certification board at Rabbi Alex Shandrovsky’s L’chaim Foods certified Shr!mp kosher (and delicious). On the other hand, Rabbi Daniel Epstein in London says Shr!mp straddles that fine line between something that follows Jewish laws but gives the wrong impression.

Ultimately, it will be up to each individual to decide which rabbinic interpretation to follow. And whether to order cocktail sauce with it. We’ll let you know once it hits the freezer section.
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Way back when, when pareve margarine came on the market, most rabbis insisted that even at the fanciest catered affairs, it had to be served in it labelled container or in wrapped slices so that people would know it was pareve. Ditto pareve “ice cream.” There have been fish analogs of shrimp, lobster, and crab (kosher) for many years, and now no one thinks twice when they see it at an affair. This is the first vegetable analog. In time, no one will give it a second’s pause.