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returning sephardim

Opinion

Why Coca-Cola Aint Quite Kosher Yet - Consuming Passions for a 'New' Kashruth

February 24, 2010 18:06
9 min read

If what you consumed poisoned ground water and land or involved discrimination of fellow humans would you consider it Kosher? Kosher is derived from the Hebrew word "kasher," which means 'proper' or 'pure', 'ritual and life worthy'. 'Treif' derived the Hebrew word 'teref' which means 'torn'. We are guided against consumption of torn produce. There are many meanings attatched to 'consuming', pridominantly eating, but in modern society shopping too. I believe this is relevant to Halakha, for what in life is not? If we extend the notion of kashruth to how we shop in the broader spheres of our influence on food production we must surely embrace ideas of how people and animals and environment are treated along the supply chain with greatest scrutiny. 'Those who have the capacity to eliminate a wrong and do not do so bear the responsibility for its consequences'. (Talmud, Shabbat 54b). The official 'kashering' of Coca Cola demanded much tact and endeavour on the part of Rabbi Tobias Gefen who inflenced the company to use beef tallow glycerine or products of grain kernels in the drink. This lead to certification in 1935. All was ingredient based, not supply chain based but how much goes on in the supply chains of commerse? 1966 when Moshe Bronstein, of Tel Aviv, accused Coca-Cola of boycotting Israel to appease its Arab market. This echoed issues bought to the fore in 1961 when an Egyptian civil servant reportedly mistook Amharic writing on a Coca-Cola bottle for Hebrew, accused Coca-Cola of trading with Israel and was told that would never happen. Of course it did but its vital to look at the roots of something as well as its new branches. We have issues of Israel the people / nation state debate here so let us move to the larer picture before we loose ourselves:

In the last decade Coca-Cola production practices were accussed of polluting ground water in India with carcenogenic pesticides 30 times over safe levels espoused by the Economic Eurpoean Commission. The corporation was criticised in 2008 for their impact on the local water supply. In 2004 Coca-Cola sold the British Public bottled tap water as spring water under one of their many brands, 'Dasani' and had to remove all products from the shelves. Taking water from places where water is scarce, thus robbing land and mouths must render a food source 'torn'. 'One who destroys a single life is considered to have destroyed an entire world, and one who saves a single life is considered to have saved an entire world' (Talmud, Sanhedrin 4:5). When water sources and other resources are used up or undermind the corporation moves on, taking any jobs and revenue with them. On 10 December 2008, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) found that Coca-Cola's product Diet Coke Plus 20 FL OZ was is in violation of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act. Full sugar Coca-cola is often blamed for tooth decay and obesity. If you subscribe to a translation of 'Kosher' as 'fit for life' or 'fit for ritual' you may start to see a problem here.

More sinister lawsuits and allegations abound. As this is the largest drinks company on the planet and worth a few coins we must take it all with a pinch of salt. International and widespread litigation, however, ranges from obesity and tooth-decay to maltreatment of staff and locals, to pollution and misuse of land and water, to collusion in intimidation and murder. It is surely within Halakha to be mindful of these issues and interested in finding truth beyond rumour to know whether we can feel a product fit to consume.

If the business of Coca-Cola and its innumerable incorporated companies is to make money above all else this condemnation hardly sets it apart and the global financial shabang we have been living through hints that perhaps looking only at profit margins is ultimately unprofitable as well as unethical. Many economists and business Leaders are beginning to understand this but we must understand it too and act accordingly. There is rising conciousness in the business world of the sustainable economic sense of looking at social and environmental need too, providing more stable environments in which to trade and more realistic resource management. Part of this evolution of business is bought about by the ethics and choice of the consumer. I believe kashruth principles looking into supply chain management have a great role to play within this. Monopolistic Business to me snacks of putting gold above all else and there is a distant echo of the desperate worship of a golden calf. Philanthropic guestures can nurture few and Coca Cola does give a infantasimal fraction of its inconcievable profits into worthwhile projects. Few of us would say that leaving the corner of the field for the poor makes it OK if all other land was rendered torn and useless. There are large corporations trying to stabilise themselves to empower local economies and communities by trading with or ethically incorporating small and medium sized businesses and working with stakeholders to try and make things fit. It is a massive undertaking. Corporations taking what they need and moving on, leaving nothing but destruction, social, environmental, economic must be a thing of the past. We are part of every business we buy from.