Article: Hebrew National not Kosher

[UMaineTeach]

This is confusing to me. If they are using the Triangle K symbol without proper oversight from Triangle K, why did Triangle K not go after them first? It's like using the Organic symbol if you are not.

I think if these claims turn out to be true that it would be hard for people who want to keep Kosher to trust anything with the Triangle K endorsement.

news.yahoo.com/blogs/sideshow/hebrew-national-kosher-hot-dogs-lawsuit-150637079.html
Hebrew National—the hot dog maker that has long claimed to "answer to a higher authority"—is being sued by a small group of consumers who say the company's meats are falsely advertised as kosher.

According to Reuters, the lawsuit filed by 11 people in Minnesota against Hebrew National owner ConAgra Foods Inc. claims the company misled them in placing the "Triangle K" symbol on products that did not cut the mustard, so to speak, when it comes to standards for kosher labeling.

ConAgra, they say, was then able to charge premium prices for nonkosher meat.

AER, the Skokie, Illinois-based company that supervises the kosher slaughtering process, "did little or nothing" to address complaints that the meat processed for ConAgra was nonkosher, according to the lawsuit.

The plaintiffs, who are seeking unspecified damages, want class-action status for all Hebrew National U.S. consumers over the last four years, according to the news service.

AER dismissed the claims as baseless. And ConAgra, which also owns Chef Boyardee, Healthy Choice, Peter Pan and Reddi-wip, said its hot dogs are kosher.

"While we can't comment on pending litigation," ConAgra spokeswoman Teresa Paulsen said in a statement on Monday, "we stand behind the quality of Hebrew National and its kosher status."

On its website, Hebrew National explains the "kosher difference":

For more than 100 years, Hebrew National has followed strict dietary law, using only specific cuts of beef that meet the highest standards for quality, cleanliness, and safety—so artificial flavors, colors, fillers, and by-products simply don't make the cut.

Hebrew National proudly serves products under the kosher supervision of the internationally recognized Triangle K organization. So, not only do Hebrew National franks have only the purest ingredients, but there is rabbinical supervision of the food preparation process and packaging equipment.

And what is "Triangle K" supervision?

The Triangle K symbol is a trademarked logo that signifies "kashruth" (kosher) as defined by the most stringent Jews who follow Orthodox Jewish Law. It's a symbol of integrity, representing the most trusted and reliable name in strict rabbinical food certification and supervision.

"We're not saying that they're passing off pork as kosher products," Hart L. Robinovitch, lead attorney for the plaintiffs, told the American Jewish World. "We went through the different elements and the different requirements for meat to be considered kosher. ... And based on our investigation, there were certain things that weren't conducted properly, in a systematic way—from the way cows were slaughtered, to the way the lungs were inspected or not inspected for imperfections—as is required to meet the standard that the meat is 100 percent kosher."

"This is an invisible fraud," Robinovitch told Reuters. "How does a consumer who thinks he is buying kosher meat really know he is buying kosher meat? It's a very, very difficult thing for a consumer to detect, unless someone investigates."

[MrsAxilla]

This disturbs me so much! I buy Hebrew National (at a higher price) because I expect it to be kosher. I seriously feel sick.

[Deleted]

where's ESF... Class Action. I'll join :-)

[Deleted]

Oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

[pamela]

I considered buying Hebrew National because I figured for something that's questionable like hot dogs, kosher might be a really good thing. But they don't have a nitrate free version so I went with something else. That's just crappy if they were knowingly violating kosher rules and still using the symbol (plus the name Hebrew). If they missed some things unintentionally I'd cut them a little slack.

[ttt]

I buy them because they are extra-delicious, kosher or not.

Who owns/regulates the triangle K symbol?

[MrsAxilla]

To be honest, I've been a little nervous about them since I learned they were part of ConAgra. I don't trust them.

[Mrs.Beagle]

I rarely eat hot dogs, but when I do I always get the all-beef Kosher ones, beacuse I know that someone has verified what's in them.

Now I'm naseaus.

[MrsAxilla]

Jun 20, 2012 10:34:16 GMT -5 ttt said:

I buy them because they are extra-delicious, kosher or not.

Who owns/regulates the triangle K symbol?

I could google the precise answer, but off the top of my head it's owned by a group of orthodox rabbis.

[ttt]

Jun 20, 2012 10:36:32 GMT -5 MrsAxilla said:

Jun 20, 2012 10:34:16 GMT -5 ttt said:

I buy them because they are extra-delicious, kosher or not.

Who owns/regulates the triangle K symbol?

I could google the precise answer, but off the top of my head it's owned by a group of orthodox rabbis.

I would think this would be a pretty big blow to that symbol's credibility (assuming the allegations are true). Don't people see that symbol and assume the product is, well, kosher? If people can't rely on that anymore, I would think that would be a big blow to any product that uses the symbol to 'prove' that its products are held to that standard.

[MrsAxilla]

Jun 20, 2012 10:38:24 GMT -5 ttt said:

Jun 20, 2012 10:36:32 GMT -5 MrsAxilla said:

I could google the precise answer, but off the top of my head it's owned by a group of orthodox rabbis.

I would think this would be a pretty big blow to that symbol's credibility (assuming the allegations are true). Don't people see that symbol and assume the product is, well, kosher? If people can't rely on that anymore, I would think that would be a big blow to any product that uses the symbol to 'prove' that its products are held to that standard.

Agreed. People who keep kosher are pretty militant about it.

[sunny]

whoo boy. I totally thought they were kosher. wow.

[2curlydogs]

Maybe my mind is slipping but there was a former Pestie who was involved in litigation or investigation on a similar issue years ago. Possibly against Hebrew National. Pixy, are you around? Do you remember this? You know who I mean, right?

Actually, she was on E08, too.

[iammalcolmx]

This is fucked up. I hope they have to PAY.

[2curlydogs]

I am a google PHENOM, I tell you.

It was the Agriprocessors scandal. www.jewishjournal.com/food/article/even_after_agriprocessor_scandal_inhumane_method_still_used_in_kosher_slaug/

[casmgn]

I was just talking about hot dogs earlier this week and how I loved Hebrew National because you could trust they were "good".

[iammalcolmx]

Ok, so I just chatted with one of my Jewish execs. He said he read more about it and they are indeed Kosher there is just a philosophical disagreement between two sets of Jewish folks as to what method is indeed Kosher. He was like " I am going to continue to buy my Hebrew National hot dogs"

[downtoearth]

It sounds like when they initially started using the symbol, that Hebrew National did follow all the rules to get it on the package, but now they are not being as "systematic" about some of their screenings and it is worrying some people. It doesn't sound so scandalious. It's just that those filing the suit don't agree with the company on how they are carrying out their screenings. I'll be interested to see what they find as the faults during the suit.

PS - I'm not a hot dog sort of gal. I too buy the ones that are nitrate free, but I don't mind if they have natural pork and beef in one dog...my kids and husband eat them most.