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Treif Tomatoes - Biotechnology, Judaism and the Food we Eat
By Noam Dolgin
There are two types of holidays in the Jewish tradition. There are the holidays like Sukkot that go “G-d created us, gave us a world full of food, thank you G-d, let’s eat!” And holidays like Hanukkah and Purim that go, “They tried to kill us, we survived, thank you G-d, let’s eat!” No matter what, we Jews like to eat. Come over to a Jewish house, any time of the year, you will be fed. But what are most Jews eating? How are the ingredients of our hamantashen and kugels, latkas and matza balls grown? How are the seeds they used produced? Does modern food technology allow us to live in accordance with Jewish laws and values?
Jewish law and tradition have developed a set of rules governing food production and consumption. These rules governed what and how we ate, farmed and shared our food. They governed us through the agricultural and industrial revolutions, helping us figure out how to adapt to these developments.
In the last two decades, new developments in food technology, are forcing people to rethink their values around food production and consumption. Biotechnology, genetic modification and genetic engineering, are all terms used to describe how food producers manipulate the DNA of plants, by infusing them with genes from other species or that have been manipulated in the lab. While this modification can take many forms, two particularly ”unkosher” examples include pig genes in corn, and fly genes in tomatoes.
Depending on the genes chosen for infusion, this process can affect the plant in a variety of manners including: increased cold, hot, pesticide or rot resistance; increased vegetable size or crop yield; and increased nutritional content. These processes have also been linked to numerous environmental concerns including decline of natural populations of animals, loss of genetic diversity, and increased pesticide use, and is also a major threat to world food security and farmer independence by requiring farmers to purchase new seeds each year.
What does Jewish tradition have to say about this new advancement in food production? To date, no consensus has been formed around the halacha (law) or kashrut (kosher status) of genetically modified food. The Jewish food establishment such as the OU and Star K, hold that these foods have the potential to help millions worldwide, and since the engineering is done on a genetic level, it is batul or “too small to matter.” Many Jewish food activists argue that this technology is far more detrimental than beneficial to the people and the planet, and that since these actions are done intentionally, the laws of batul do not apply, meaning these foods are not kosher and their production violates Jewish law.
Beyond kashrut, genetic engineering of foods also raises questions including:
1. The ethics of manipulating the building blocks of G-d’s world
2. The laws of pikauch nefesh, the commandment to save lives.
3. The Importance of individual species throughout Genesis.
4. The laws of kilayim & shatnus, prohibitions against cross-breading and mixing of species.
5. The ethics of prevention and the precautionary principle.
Though readings of text on the questions above seem to point to different answers depending on situation, one thing seems clear. The matter is complicated, it clearly violates some aspects of Jewish law, and needs a public discussion and analysis.
Currently more than 70% of products at your local supermarket contain genetically engineered ingredients. If you believe these violate your ethics, the only option you have is to buy organic or straight from the farmer (and ask questions.) Only through mandatory labeling can consumers choose foods that truly meet their personal and religious beliefs.
Decide for yourself whether genetic engineering is beneficial or detrimental and what Judaism’s response should be. For Jewish sources related to this complicated issue, contact Noam Dolgin, noam@noamdolgin.com. No matter what you decide, tell people what’s happening with their food, so we can start a real communal discussion.
Noam Dolgin is a Jewish Environmental Educator, Organizer and Advocate (www.noamdolgin.com) and Executive Director of the Green Zionist Alliance (www.greenzionism.org.) Inspired by Jewish values and tradition, Noam is an enthusiastic gardener, eater and cook.
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