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16

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 6, 1991

CONTACT

Jack Parish or David Bitel

1-313-547-5540

Reuben Perin, Jr. of US Steel and Rabbi Jonah Gewirtz inked a deal for •
steel drums to be made without the use of animal oils.

Steel Makers Agree
To Kosher Pact

NOAM M.M. NEUSNER

Staff Writer

I

t took a while, but like all
things; it may worth
the wait.
Two years after Jews,
Muslims and other religious
groups started complaining
about what was rubbing off
steel drums and getting into
their food, the steel com-
panies have given way. The
companies, who once used
animal-based oil in the steel
rolling process, have agreed
to switch to synthetic or
vegetable-based oils.
The change will affect
many of the steel products
used in commercial food
packaging: 80 million five-
gallon steel pails, 39 million
55-gallon drums and 32
billion cans of various sizes.
They hold food items as di-
verse as strawberry
preserves, vegetable oil, or-
ange juice concentrate and
canned peas. Jews and
Muslims were concerned
that residual oils on the steel
were contaminating what
was supposed to be kosher
food.
Although not every kosher
supervising ageilcy agrees
that the oils were a problem,
an unusual alliance of the
Union of Orthodox Jewish
Congregations (OU), Star-K
Kosher Certification Organ-
ization, the Islamic Food and
Nutrition Council and Gen-
eral Conference of the
Seventh Day Adventists
worked on the steel com-
panies.
Islamic law prohibits the
consumption of pork and
Seventh Day Adventists
abide by the biblical laws of
kashrut.

"In terms of kashrut, this
was a problem that had to be
rectified," said Rabbi Jonah
Gewirtz, chairman of Cer-
tified Shipping Packaging
Transport in Silver Spring,
Md., which represents the
combined efforts of several
food supervising agencies.
and will conduct the actual
supervision of the steel-
making process.
Originally, Rabbi
Gewirtz's group had propos-
ed burning the oils off the
steel in a process called
Flame-pak. Steel companies

The change will
affect products
used in
commercial food
packaging.

favored removing animal-
based oils altogether, and
several major producers, in-
cluding US Steel, Bethlehem
Steel and Inland Steel joined
up.
"This is a story of close co-
operation among a wide
variety of groups — and
among several different in-
dustries — to address the
important, particular needs
of certain consumers," said
Reuben Perin, Jr., a US
Steel executive vice presi-
dent for sales. US Steel, the
first company to agree to the
inspection, announced its
decision Nov. 18. ❑

Correction
The AIDS program for
middle school and high
school students will be
held 10 a.m. Dec. 8 at the
Maple-Drake Jewish
Community Center.

