The Nullification of Grape Juice Concentrate

QUESTION: A previous Halacha Yomis mentioned that non-kosher wine is batel (nullified) in 6 parts of water. If a drink contains 90% water and 10% grape juice concentrate (stam yainam), can it be argued that the grape juice is batel and one can purchase this drink? 

ANSWER: It is not permissible to intentionally add non-kosher food to kosher food even if it is at a level of bitul. This is known as ain mivatlin issur lichatchila. Many poskim write that purchasing products that contain non-kosher ingredients, even though they are known to be batel, is tantamount to actively nullifying them, which is forbidden (see Minchas Yitzchok 2:28). For this reason, in our scenario, it would be inappropriate to purchase this drink even if the grape juice would be batel,. However, in truth, the grape juice is not batel. This is because one unit of grape juice concentrate is equal to about 5 units of single strength grape juice. Although the label lists 10% grape juice, halachically, 10% grape juice concentrate is equivalent to 50% of the drink. Rav Belsky zt”l ruled that nullification only occurs when the taste of wine is ruined by diluting it with six parts of water. However, concentrate is not ruined when it is mixed in six parts. To the contrary, after diluting six times, it will taste almost like regular juice. In order to ruin the taste, one will need to dilute it with about 30 parts of water. Rav Shlomo Zalman Auerbach (Minchas Shlomo 1:4) makes the same argument.

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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.