Bitul B’shishim, Fish & Meat (Cont'd)

QUESTION: Many Worcestershire sauces contain anchovies. Is it permissible to add Worcestershire sauce to meat?

ANSWER: There is a dispute among Poskim as to whether fish which is nullified in 60 parts still presents a sakana (danger) if mixed with meat. The OU follows the lenient position. As such, Worcestershire sauce that contains anchovies at a ratio of 1:60 may be labeled OU, without a fish designation. However, if the anchovies are more than one part in sixty of the sauce’s components, the product must be labeled OU-Fish. The question remains whether it is permissible to intentionally add an OU certified Worcestershire sauce, which contains a small percentage of anchovies, to a meat dish? With respect to non-kosher foods, bitul only applies after the fact, should an accidental mixture occur, but it is not permissible to intentionally effectuate bitul (in the words of Chazal, ain mivatlin issur lichatchilla.) Does the same apply to fish, such that it would be prohibited to intentionally introduce fish to a meat dish at a level where the fish would be batel? One can argue that fish is not a prohibited item, but rather a food that poses a danger. Nullification removes the danger and therefore it may be permissible to intentionally nullify the fish component. Rav Elyashiv, zt”l (quoted in P’ninei Ish) maintains that one may in fact add a small amount of fish to meat. As such, one may intentionally add OU certified Worcestershire sauce to a meat dish and consume the final product. This is particularly the case with Worcestershire sauce, since the anchovies were already batel in the sauce itself. For simplicity’s sake, some companies prefer to label all their Worcestershire sauces with an OU-Fish symbol regardless of whether the amount of fish is nullified or not, and the OU accommodates such requests. One may contact the OU office at kosherq@ou.org to inquire if the amount of fish in a specific brand of sauce which bears an OU-Fish logo is indeed nullified.

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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.