Willy Food imported a large batch of tuna bearing its
mehudar hechsher after a factory was found in Thailand
where onsite Shearis Yisroel mashgichim can inspect
each individual fish, as specified by Maran HaRav Shach
zt'l.
Since many bnei Torah prefer foods bearing the Shearis
hechsher, when these cans reached store shelves last
week many consumers medakdekim bemitzvos were finally
able to buy canned tuna once again after it was unavailable
for several years.
During a visit to the home of HaRav Shach zt'l several
years ago, members of Badatz Shearis Yisroel raised concerns
over tuna products since sometimes non-kosher fish are found
mixed in with the tuna that is caught in the ocean. Because
each fish is a separate and distinct entity, the halocho
kol deporish meruboh porish does not apply. Although many
rabbonim maintain there is room to rule more leniently and
thus permit tuna inspected according to standard production
procedures, since its founding Shearis has adhered to HaRav
Shach's ruling that a hechsher for bnei Torah
must insist on a strict policy for fish and everything
else.
Then Av Beis Din of Shearis Yisroel, the late HaRav Chaim
Shaul Karelitz, said that a hechsher should not be
granted on tuna unless the fish can be inspected one by one.
Following concerted efforts and a complex logistical campaign
in cooperation with Mr. Yossi Williger, owner of Willy Food--
one of Israel's leading food importers--Shearis Yisroel was
eventually able to give its stamp of approval for the
company's canned tuna products.
One year ago the search began for a tuna factory that would
meet the special requirements of Shearis Yisroel. With
considerable assistance from Mr. Williger a large
packinghouse was located in a Bangkok suburb where the
production process is conducted on a manual production line,
allowing the fish to be inspected individually without
concerns of bishul akum.
Throughout the year the factory has a kosher production line
except for one week when the entire batch is kosher
lemehadrin. Meetings and negotiations were held with the
factory owner and representatives for over a year before an
agreement was hammered out.
Shearis Yisroel's kashrus supervisor, Rabbi Avrohom
Schlesinger, arrived in Thailand several days before the
special production commenced, to ensure the factory was
completely shut down 24 hours before the hachshoro
process began and to familiarize himself with the productions
line from start to finish. The hachshoro process
involved emptying the steam vats and koshering over 560
carts, 12 ovens (capable of cooking thousands of fish at
once) and all of the various production utensils.
Rav Schlesinger was accompanied by two mashgichim, at
times working in alternating shifts to ensure a constant
presence at the factory around the clock. Throughout the 96-
hour production for Shearis the entire factory, with
thousands of workers on the complex production line, heeded
the instructions given by the Shearis supervisory team. The
fish were inspected one by one during the initial phase of
production before being loaded onto carts and conveyed into
the ovens. Whenever the mashgiach had to leave his
post to turn on the oven, the fish were inspected in the
carts.
The type of tuna used in the factory, skipjack tuna, is
particularly easy to identify due to the light blue and white
stripes on its underside, and the scales can be checked by
hand although the tuna is known to shed its scales.
Shearis Yisroel heads expressed great satisfaction over the
new product, which joins a wide variety of other Shearis
products intended to meet the large demand generated by the
bnei Torah public.
