A Minnesota court is hearing an appeal of a lawsuit arguing that Hebrew National is falsely labeling its products as “100 percent kosher.”
Questions like whether Hebrew National’s hot dogs are really kosher are usually best kept out of court. But in the end, a lower authority may have to pass judgment.
A hearing on a motion to dismiss a consumer fraud case against the company that produces Hebrew National products has been scheduled for Nov. 30 in a federal court.
A Jewish food company is being sued by its customers who say it’s not as kosher as it claims. They have filed a claim against the firm that makes Hebrew National Hot Dogs. They say it’s wrong for the company to market their frankfurters as being kosher. Hot dogs, wieners, frankfurters. Call them what you like. But don’t call them kosher. That’s according to 11 residents in Minnesota who are suing Hebrew National hot dogs for false advertising. For more than a 100 years the brand, owned by ConAgra Foods, has made goods that they famously advertise as answering to a higher authority. Hot dogs are big business in America. It’s estimated that 18 billion of them are eaten every year. And in New York, the place where Hebrew National started, hot dogs are one of the main street-food choices. Katz’s Delicatessen is the oldest deli in the city. It’s been serving customers here for 124 years. Traditional Jewish food that’s still immensely popular in a modern world. Their hot dogs aren’t kosher. The owner made that decision because he knows maintaining those standards can be difficult. For the meat to be considered kosher it has to come from a healthy, clean animal. But the lawsuit claims Hebrew National’s products come from unhealthy and unclean animals. But now their meat will be investigated and their kosher claims checked out. But to lose the lawsuit would be costly - both financially and for the damage it would do to their reputation. The company ConAgra and their Hebrew …