Chasamos - Siman Muvhak

Q. I bought a package of kosher chicken from a non-Jewish store. The chicken comes shrink wrapped in a layer of plastic that had printed the brand name and the kosher symbol on it. Is this one seal or two?

A. Chicken is one of the foods that require two seals. Nevertheless, even though there is only one layer of shrink wrap, this is sufficient. This is because it is a seal that cannot be opened and reclosed. Igros Moshe (YD 1:56) writes that a single tamper-proof seal is better than two ordinary seals. Similarly, Aruch Hashulchan (YD 118:22) writes that a single siman muvhak – an absolute proof – is also sufficient. As we explained in a previous Halacha Yomis, applying two seals does not mean that the food cannot be tampered with; it only means that tampering will be rather difficult. Thus, a tamper-proof seal is certainly adequate.

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The Gerald & Karin Feldhamer OU Kosher Halacha Yomis is dedicated to the memory of Rav Yisroel Belsky, zt"l, who served as halachic consultant for OU Kosher for more than 28 years; many of the responses in Halacha Yomis are based on the rulings of Rabbi Belsky. Subscribe to the Halacha Yomis daily email here.