© Copyright 2024 Chicago Rabbinical Council. All rights reserved.
Website By Azurite Marketing Group
Back to top
By Rabbi Dovid Cohen, Administrative Rabbinic Coordinator
Q. This is my first time travelling out of the country. Is there anything I need to know that relates to kashrus?
A. Here, in the United States and Canada, we are used to supermarkets filled with food certified with well-known reputable hashgachos. Even when we are in the most remote areas, we can be sure to find plenty of kosher food to eat, and this is a wonderful blessing. However, the same is not true in most other parts of the world. In many countries, the manufacturers have minimal interest in obtaining certification for their products and even less desire to put a kosher logo on the package. Not only is this true for homegrown products but even includes locally produced packages of American brands that are all certified kosher here in the States. For that matter, even such ubiquitous items as Coca Cola are not necessarily certified in every country of the world. Thus, before travelling to other countries, one must learn which foods are available locally with hashgachah, and supplement that with food that they bring from home.
Additionally, before leaving, each person should consult with their local va’ad to understand which hashgachos are reliable in the countries they will be visiting. In many cases, those hashgachos will be your lifeline for kosher food, and it is, therefore, critical to know who you can rely on for accurate kashrus information while you’re on the road.
A related issue which connects the points noted above is that due to the dearth of certified consumer items, many Jews in other countries rely on “lists” of products which are acceptable to eat. In many cases, these lists are prepared by responsible local Rabbis, but in general, they are based on assumptions and secondhand information, rather than on actual certification of the items in question. While those Rabbis may be correct in their judgement that these items are acceptable for their constituents, that does not yet mean that they are up to the kashrus standards we are accustomed to. Accordingly, consumers should ask their Rabbi how much they should rely on the “lists” while they travel.*
There are two other differences of note. Firstly, the types of vegetables and fruits which require checking for infestation very much depends on the climate, storage, packaging, and similar factors. This includes knowing which items require checking, and which methods are effective for a given food. Generally, the local Rabbis are the ones who know the most about these issues and can provide direction for them. Secondly, the permissibility of chalav stam in the United States is built on assumptions about legal requirements, lawful nature of our society, availability of non-kosher milks, and other considerations which might not be true in other countries. Therefore, if you are accustomed to drinking chalav stam at home, you should confirm that same is acceptable in the country you are travelling to.
Some other food-related issues to bear in mind as you fly are: [1] It is highly questionable whether one can wash netilas yadayim for bread (or tefillah) in an airplane bathroom (see Iggeros Moshe EH 1:114); [2] Many airline meals provide “mezonos rolls”, and there is considerable halachic debate as to whether the proper bracha on them is mezonos or hamotzi; [3] Dairy meals might be served within 6 hours of a meat meal; [4] A man may not recite berachos (or tefillah or learn Torah) when he is in proximity of certain parts of the body that are exposed, and this is sometimes a concern when others on the airplane are not dressed modestly. It is worthwhile to consider and discuss these issues with one’s Rabbi before travelling.
This article first appeared in the Let’s Talk Kashrus column, Yated Ne’eman, August 16, 2024.