Anyone here have a can of Pringles?

I wasn't saying it was bad, I was just using it as an example of what I believe is required for packaging in Israel if you use the same packaging in another country, too. Although I have to say that, in Canadian Bacon, that scene when they had to translate all the grafitti on their truck was hilarious!

Not bad, just different. I think it costs the country lots of money to have everything in two languages, but it's a small price to pay to keep the country intact. It's the only time I use the French I learned in school.

Canadian Bacon was hilarious! Watch out for the evil Canadians!

Like maple syrup, Canada's evil oozes over the United States.

So does this mean there's actually some rabbi somewhere blessing cans of Pringles? How do you get stuck with that gig? Does he just bless the whole Pringles factory to save time? Does the price go up if the food is blessed?

Peace

No, the Rabbi doesn't bless the food or anything. It's a rabinical council that, like the FDA, investigates manufacturing/cooking procedures to ensure they are in line with the Kosher requirements. They essensially perform an audit of the manufacture of a product, and if it meets the Kosher standards, they are given permission to put the symbol on the food product.

So it's not a blessing, it's an endorsement, an agreement that, as far as they're concerned, the food product does match all Kosher standards.

What I do find disturbing is kosher meat. I know animals die for my steaks, but to kill them without stunning them first, to me, seems a little more cruel than I would like.

But I'm not Jewish and I guess they feel they have a good reason for doing it that way. I doubt they will change their religion just because I am squeamish.

There is a reason for that. Kosher meat is of a high quality. They are very particular of their animals, and one of the rules is that you cannot eat meat from an animal which has a defect that could cause it to die within the next year. Clubbing it over the head before cutting its throat could potentially make the animal non-Kosher just as it's about to be slaughtered. There wouldn't be a way to tell, so the unknown factor is left out.

If it makes you feel any better, though, the Kosher standards for slaughter are generally faster and less painful than others. This is because, according to God, they have to maintain a level of clenliness and precision. They must use a certain kind of knife with a straight blade. Any nick or dent in the blade nullifies its use. In order to slaughter the animal, at least 3 arteries or major veins need to be cut on the first cut. There is no sawing or anything like that.

Ask me your Kosher questions, and I'll ask my boss and get back to you

I really wish I was a vegetarian sometimes.

I love my Alberta beef just a little too much. I will continue my pattern of denial when it comes to food. I can eat more things that way.

Now I'm curious if halal (islamic) and kosher have the same rules for slaughter. Like if something was halal certified, would that be acceptable to a Jewish person?

Nope. Halal doesn't meet Kosher standards, and Kosher doesn't meet Halal standards. One example is that Halal allows for polyps to be on the lungs of the animal, while Kosher will not. Also, when Halal meat is slaughtered, it first must be blessed, where as Kosher meat does not require a blessing.

Another thing may be true, too, but I'm not sure. A Domino's was advertising Halal meat on their pizzas, which led us to believe that dairy and meat can be combined in Halal, but it is not permitted for Kosher foods. That's one of the things the O U checks for, that no dairy and meat are mixed at the plants.

It sounds like they're similar, though. Very similar. My boss was just saying that Halal eaters often buy Kosher meats, but not the other way around. I'm guessing that, like some Kosher eaters, some Halal eaters don't observe all the rules, because where is the blessing on Kosher meat?

Now I am picturing some islamic fellow standing at the front door of the slaughterhouse giving the animals their last rites. That sounds like a pretty boring job.

I've wondered about that since the butcher down the street from my place put up a sign saying they now carried halal meat. Now I know!

I just checked my email and had a response from Pringles. That was very fast and I must say their customer service team is on the ball.

Hi there,

We appreciate your interest in our product. P&G is committed to providing
food and beverage products of the highest quality that are safe for our
consumers and the environment. Since our products are distributed
globally, we include the applicable Israeli Kosher symbol on our package
as a consumer service for our consumers in Israel.

Thank you for contacting us.

Andrea
Pringles Team

So it is the importing to Israel that causes all the Hebrew on the packaging. Mystery solved!

Well, I think a reply is in order! Here in the US, they just have the OU on them without the Hebrew, so why the difference? Why in Canada do they have the extra information, but in the US they don't. My boss let me know that that style of Kosher symbol is required in Israel, and if they used it across the board, that would make sense. Yet, they don't. America doesn't have the symbol and the Hebrew.

I was quite specific in my original email that it was not the symbol I was asking about but the lettering. I do think the email they sent me could have been a little clearer on the specifics, but I suppose it was a strange enough question to begin with.

Since we already have all the extra wording on the package, bilingualism and all that, it's probably easier to add the Hebrew to the Canadian packaging. I think that the Israeli law states that if there is any printing not in Hebrew on imported products, there has to be an equal amount of Hebrew writing and it has to be the same size as the non-Hebrew. This is very similar to our Quebec language laws.

No point cluttering up the American packaging with it too, so they probably export the same same packaging to Israel as Canada gets. But if it will make you feel better, I will send another one asking for clarification. You were nice enough to answer my kosher questions, it's the least I can do.

I'm probably on some neo-nazi watch list now. Pringles and the Jews are taking over the world one glorious can of Pringles at a time! Now that I have caught on to this world domination plot I'm sure to receive a visit from the Men In Black. That would be the Hasidic Jews.

I just found the difference interesting, is all. Being the consumate skeptic I am, when a question comes up, I usually voice it. You don't have to worry about emailing them back; it's not like I'm going to lose sleep over this. I'm just curious about their reasoning since the email seemed to indicate that it was a universal packaging issue. Not looking for a conspiracy or anything, just a little more knowledge into the minds of marketers

That was an interesting post, and followthrough JJ..
I learned something, I'm sure others did too.

A little aside.
As a kid, I though Kosher, was a flavor..A pickle flavor to be precise.
So I could never understand why anyone would enjoy pickle flavored Hot dogs.

OK, I won't send them another email. I may actually do some of the work that's piled up on my desk instead... nah. When I sent them the original email the subject header I used was Canadian Pringles Packaging, so it is possible that this only applies to Canadian Pringles.

We are kind of 'special' up here, ya know?

And since the rest of this post is on topic, I have to inject some off topic. Did you know that in the States, Coke tastes like Pepsi? This small fact very nearly ruined my vacation to Vegas. Nobody warned me! I need a constant supply of Coca-Cola to get through the day without killing anyone. I have no idea what Pepsi tastes like in the US, maybe Coke?

Ahh the pringles email was great.

It seems funny that we would have so much information on our products. I did a little searching around the house and couldnt find anything else with this much product information.

The search continues.

I prefer Coke myself, Pepsi is a bit sweeter than I'd like. However, I was on a flight to Halifax and got a Coke and experienced about the same thing. It tasted sweeter than I like, very similar to Pepsi here in the states. I figured it was European, but that's because I forgot about the packaging laws in Canada.

Dulcimer, I didn't really understand what you were saying. Did you mean the information on the packaging, the fact that we have access to the information like the email, or that we want to know so much about the information?

I just found it strange that this much info was on Canadian packaging.

definitely not on the US packaging. i got 2 cans in front of me (to look for the print, not to eat ) and i dont see anything strange on either. just nutrition in english and spanish.

ah crud, i just opened the salt and vinegar ones...too late for me now *crunch* mmm...

Texas here mine has hebrew on it wonder why some states dont.

Mike,
I do believe that we have about a 5 year lag in this conversation. While US probably did not have the hebrew koser endorsement on the labeling in 2005 when the majority of these posts originated -- apparently they do now, especially since the new flavors were released.
Having said this, I do believe Pringles has gone more or less "universal" now.