Hebrew National - Kosher Supervision

Kosher Supervision

Ironically, Hebrew National beef products cannot be eaten by many observant Jews, despite the fact that Hebrew National is probably one of the most well-known kosher brands among non-Jews. For many years, Hebrew National relied on a body within the company to certify its products kosher. Many Orthodox Jews did not feel that Hebrew National's kosher standards were up to those set in place by groups such as the Orthodox Union, Kof-K, and the like, and as such, would not consume Hebrew National beef-based products. (Standards, and opinions, differed for Hebrew National's poultry.)

The Conservative movement also did not regard Hebrew National acceptable and therefore not Kosher. Rabbi Paul Plotkin, the chair of the Committee on Jewish Law and Standards' Kashrut Committee, wrote that "Until recently, Hebrew National, which is widely distributed, wasn't 'kosher enough.' Its supervision was unacceptable to many Jews who keep kosher including the Conservative movement."

In the early 2000s, Hebrew National switched to an external certification group, the Triangle K, under the auspices of Rabbi Aryeh Ralbag, which was widely seen as somewhat of an upgrade in its standards of kashrut. In 2004, the Conservative Movement found the upgrade sufficient to be acceptable by Conservative standards.

Nonetheless, the Jewish Daily Forward reported that most Orthodox authorities did not follow this endorsement, and most Orthodox Jews continue not to rely on its kashrut.

Hebrew National meat is not glatt kosher and its certifiers do not represent it as such. Accordingly, its meat is unacceptable (though not "un-kosher") to the majority of Orthodox Jews in the United States, where the pervasive Orthodox custom is to observe glatt kashrut.

In June 2012, ConAgra Foods Inc. was sued by 11 people in Minnesota for falsely advertising their product as kosher. Their complaint rests on the issue of ConAgra unlawfully tricking people into thinking they are buying kosher meat and being able to charge a premium fee for this alleged fallacy.