Opinion ID: 799604
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Kosher Law Protection Act of 2004

Text: The history of New York's kosher fraud statutes, which date back to 1915, was described in Commack I. See Commack I, 294 F.3d at 423. Like its immediate predecessor, the amended Kosher Act is contained in Article 17 of the State's Agriculture and Markets Law entitled Adulteration, Packing, and Branding of Food and Food Products. In summary, the Kosher Act requires: (1) that any food establishment that sells or offers for sale food prepared on its premises or under its control that is represented as kosher post a kosher certification form on the premises; (2) that any individual packaging a product which is sold or offered for sale as kosher or kosher for passover label these products as such; (3) that any person selling both kosher and non-kosher products post a window sign indicating that both kosher and non-kosher products are sold there; and (4) that any individual certifying a food product as kosher file his or her identifying information with the Department of Agriculture, and if that individual is certifying non-prepackaged food as kosher, he or she must also file a statement of his or her qualifications for providing such certification. The relevant portions of the Kosher Act are articulated in greater detail below. Section 201-a, entitled Kosher food and food products; packaging, requires, in relevant part, that packers or manufacturers of products sold or offered for sale as kosher affix a kosher label to these products. N.Y. Agric. & Mkts. Law § 201-a(1)-(2). Furthermore, any food product labeled as kosher, kosher for passover, rabbinical supervision, or labeled with any other generic marking indicating that the food product is kosher, may not be sold or offered for sale by the producer or distributor of such food product until the individual certifying such food products as kosher has registered with the Department of Agriculture and provided identifying information. See id. § 201-a(3)-(4); see also id. § 201-a(6) (requiring that any advertisement for food products which represents that such food products are kosher identify the name of the person or entity certifying such food products as kosher). Section 201-b, entitled Retail sale of kosher food or food products, provides, in part: 2. All fresh meat, meat preparations, meat by-products and poultry sold or offered for sale at retail as kosher shall be marked on the label when packaged, or by a sign when not packaged, with the words soaked and salted or not soaked and salted, as the case may be. Such words, when marked on a label or a sign, shall be in letters at least as large as the letters of the words on the label or sign designating such meat, meat preparations, meat by-products and poultry as kosher. Section 201-b(1) also requires that any establishment that sells both kosher and non-kosher food products indicate in window signs that both kosher and non-kosher food products are sold there. Section 201-b(3) requires that vendors of kosher meat or kosher poultry maintain a record of each purchase of such products, including any records relating to the origin of the meat or poultry, for two years after the sale of such products. Section 201-c is captioned Persons certifying as kosher; filing with department and requires that any individual who certifies non-prepackaged food products as kosher or kosher for Passover file a statement of such person's qualifications with the Department of Agriculture. Id. § 201-c(1). Food establishments and caterers offering food products for sale that are prepared on premises and represented as kosher must post a kosher certification form [6] in a visible location on the premises and file such certification with the Department of Agriculture. Id. § 201-c(3). These same establishments must also maintain a logbook of each inspection visit by the person certifying the food as kosher that includes the name and signature of the individual certifying the food products as kosher, and the date and time of the visit. [7] Id. § 201-c(4). Moreover, § 201-c(5) provides, The department is authorized to inspect all food establishments and caterers selling or offering for sale food or food products represented as kosher to ensure compliance with sections two hundred one-a and two hundred one-b of this article and this section, and the accuracy of any information supplied in accordance with such sections. The commissioner is authorized to promulgate rules and regulations as are necessary to further implement the provisions of sections two hundred one-a and two hundred one-b of this article and this section. The department shall develop and maintain a website that makes available to consumers copies of all forms and certification information that are required by this section. Failure to comply with any requirements of the Kosher Act results in a fine. Id. § 201-c(6). Finally, § 201-d provides for written notice to the violator of the violations charged and the penalty assessed, as well as disclosure to the public of the name and address of the violator, the date of inspection, the violation, and the penalty assessed.