For the first time ever in the State of Israel, the Tel Aviv
District court has issued a restraining order prohibiting the
distribution of food products bearing false mehadrin
kashrus labeling. The restraining order came in response
to a request submitted by the Badatz Mehadrin of Rechovot.
The court order was issued by Judge Yehuda Zeft against Pri
Nir, a company based in Northern Israel that manufactures
products such as tomato sauce, olives, canned peas and canned
peas and carrots, all labeled "Badatz Mehadrin" although the
factory lost its kashrus certificate long ago.
In submitting their request for a restraining order,
Attorneys Vaturi Tzvi and Avraham Lavi claimed that Pri Nir
deceived the public through misrepresentation.
The restraining order includes the appointment of Attorney
Avrohom Lavi as the vested authority to enter Pri Nir
premises to search for and confiscate products sold with the
Badatz Mehadrin seal, as well as all the other means the
company employs to produce the fake products or assist in
their distribution, including stamps, stickers, etc., as well
as a list of the customers to whom products with the fake
seal were sold.
The court briefed Israel Police on how to carry out the court
order.
In their request for the restraining order, Attorneys Vaturi
and Lavi related the chain of events over the past year-and-a-
half since the kashrus certificate was rescinded. Despite
repeated warnings, they said, the Pri Nir factory continued
to distribute products with Badatz Mehadrin labeling. As a
result, notices were printed in newspapers several times, but
Pri Nir continued to distribute the mislabeled products in
grocery stores.
The attorneys claimed that the company's conduct represents a
severe violation of the Kashrus Fraud Law and consumer laws
and as such they asked the court to issue an immediate
restraining order in absentia.
