New York safety inspectors will be trained to do the work of kosher inspectors, after budget cuts depleted the kosher division.
The director of the now defunct Kosher Division of the New York Department of Agriculture and Markets, Rabbi Luzer Weiss, will train the 85 inspectors to ensure that the proper disclosures are posted in kosher retail establishments, the Jewish Week reported.
A 2004 change in the state's kosher law prevents state inspectors from enforcing Orthodox standards of kashrut. According to the new law, kosher establishments must disclose the standards they use and under whose authority they operate, but are not required to adhere to Orthodox regulations.
Weiss is the only employee left in the kosher division, which once employed 11 inspectors, after budget cuts and retirements over the last year. The cuts will save up to $1 million a year in salary, benefits and services, according to reports.
Lawmakers, Jewish leaders and kosher businesses are lobbying New York's new governor Andrew Cuomo to restore the division.
