The JTA reported this week about the growing push amongst Chinese food companies to get kosher certification. The companies, it seems, are eager to tap into the (also growing) $11.5 billion US kosher industry. Moreover, they seek the additional “stamp of approval” kosher certification provides, which they hope will calm consumer fears about Chinese imports after a string of recent recalls.

For the most part, the relationship between Chinese food companies and the kosher industry seems mutually beneficial. But I found it interesting to note the growing power the OU and other certifiers have over these companies. Author Alison Klayman reports:

Not everything runs smoothly in the kosher business in China. Markowitz recalls that five years ago, one of his most popular certified products, canned mushrooms, ran into trouble when insects were found in the mushrooms.

“We once brought from China to Israel 350 containers of mushrooms,” he said. But after the insect trouble, “that whole industry shut down. One of the main things of kashrut is to keep no insects in the food.”

I’m not advocating for bugs infestations in food (or for canned mushrooms for that matter). Still, I think it’s fascinating that the presence of insects - considered a viable foodstuff in many parts of the world (including China) - could shut down a factory because they’re not kosher. Certainly they shouldn’t be certified by the OU, but in other circumstances, I find it hard to believe that bugs would be treated with the same severity as E.coli.