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Question
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| pet food |
| Question |
| I have heared that pet foods may require hashgacha. Is this true? why must animals eat kosher? |
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| Answer |
| Halacha recognizes two types of forbidden substances. Isurei Achilah, forbidden food from which benefit may be derived so long as they are not eaten and Isurei Hanaah, substances from which we may not benefit in any way. Nearly all pet food contains non-kosher animal proteins. However, it is important to note that while it is certainly forbidden to prepare or serve these pet foods with kosher utensils, one is permitted to feed them to his animals. Check the ingredients! Many pet foods contain beef protein as well as a milk derivative such as casein, rendering the mixture Bassar V'Cholov, a classic example of Isurei Hanaah, which we may not feed to our animals.It should be noted that chicken protein combined with a milk derivative is Bassar V'cholov Derabanan-which is not considered Isurei Hanaah and may therefore be fed to Jewish-owned animals. Most pet foods contain Chometz, another example of Isurei Hanaah. They should not remain in Jewish possession during Pesach.Due to the complexity of the many ingredients one should not rely upon a reading of the ingredient panel or an inquiry with the company to detirmin if a given pet food contains chometz. For year-round use I cannot say that hashgacha is a requirement-provided that the ingredients are checked for Bassar V'cholov. However, the use of an approved product will certianly rule out the danger of unwittingly purchasing a Bassar V'chalav product (the lables are quite similar) and benefiting from it-an Issur D'oraysoh. Evanger's brand of dog and cat foods is approved for pets by the Chicago Rabbinical Council. Though it is not kosher,the CRC certifies that it is free of Bassar V'chalav and Chametz. |
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