The Kashrus Cops are coming.. and perhaps it is about time.
Deputy Minister of Religious Affairs Rav Eli Ban Dahan, in cooperation with Chief Rabbi Dovid Lau, is proposing a law to improve the kashrus industry.
Rabbis Lau and Ben Dahan want to give the kashrut supervisors more practical authority to prevent fraud. The fraud department of the Rabbanut kashrut authority has been functioning for 14 years, but its employees have very limited authority for enforcement. They are proposing a law that would give serious authority to supervise the kashrus industry. Inspectors, mashgichim, will be able to demand identification, take samples, remove an outdated kashrut certificate from a place of business, some sort of authority for investigating suspected crimes and the ability to take items connected to any such investigation or suspicion.
(source: Kipa)
I particularly like the idea of "taking samples", and this might be a good reason to get a job as a mashgiach or kashrut supervisor. I'd be happy to go into restaurants and have the authority to "take samples"..
Joking aside, the one part that surprises me is that they would now have the authority to remove outdated, expired, kashrut certificates. Of all the things they can or cannot currently do, it is shocking to hear that they cannot go into a restaurant and remove an expired kashrut certificate.
Turning these supervisors into more than just figureheads is the right thing to do. How can they ensure kashrut, which is their job, if they can't even stop a restaurant from fraudulently displaying an expired certificate?
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