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S. J. BLECH, Consultant, 30 Mariner Way, Monsey, NY 10952 Halacha, the religious law applicable to all aspects of Jewish life, governs the type and method of preparation of foods eaten by religiously observant Jews. Kosher law limits foods from the animal kingdom, while considering most foods derived from plants, mineral, and microbial sources inherently Kosher. Rabbinic authorities look to Halachic precedents from Talmudic sources (circa 500 C.E.), and from the writings and opinions of subsequent Halachic decisors for guidance in determining the appropriate Kosher status of food. Significant precedents exist for various classic food production techniques. These include yeast fermentations (for example, bread and alcoholic beverages) as well as bacterial and enzymatic reactions (for example, cheese). Rabbinic analyses have therefore developed a significant compendium of Kosher law with which to address issues relating to standard fermentations (for example, pickled foods), the preparation of cultures used in inoculums (for example, cheese cultures), and the recovery of fermentation metabolites (for example, organic acids and enzymes). The source of enzymes, the substrate on which microbial cultures were discovered, and the media on which they are propagated are all important in determining the Halachic status of foods produced through biotechnology. The Halachic status of processes and products derived through genetic engineering, however, are not as easily divined. Just as governmental approval for Chymosin, the first genetically engineered foodstuff approved for consumption involved rigorous analysis by regulatory authorities, its approval for Kosher use demanded a similarly rigorous, albeit different, approval process. Rabbinic authorities contended with several issues in their determination of the Kosher status of Chymosin, including the potentially non-Kosher source material of certain genetic material and biochemical agents, and concerns related to the prohibition of grafting or creating new species. The Halachic conclusions reached and the methods by which they were attained provide critical insight into the Halachic approach that is taken regarding all issues relating to Kashrus and biotechnology.
Session 40, Biotechnology and religion
2005 IFT Annual Meeting, July 15-20 - New Orleans, Louisiana |