Is It Kosher?
By Rabbi Eliezer Eidlitz — a comprehensive guide to the kosher status of hundreds of common foods, ingredients, and food categories.
Insects In Food
Although eating insects is strictly forbidden by the Torah, we find this concern often overlooked. It is important to realize that we are prohibited from the Torah (Vayikra XI) to eat Sheratzim. Therefore, a bowl of salad which may look kosher could have more non-kosher ingredients (bugs) and prohibitions than a cheeseburger at a local fast food restaurant.
Although Reb Moshe Feinstein ZT"L states that it is not mandatory to check vegetables for bugs, he was referring to a time when DDT (a strong pesticide) was widely used. Due to various agricultural modifications, the insects are back! In the United States, the insecticide DDT is now outlawed. Now, often over half a dozen species can be found on one head of lettuce.
A complete creature cannot become nullified (batel). Therefore, if a person cooked soup and found a fly floating in it, the fly should be removed and the soup will then be permissible. If there are three or more insects in the food, we must assume it was infested and must be sifted or strained. If there are only parts of insects, they are considered nullified in sixty. However, whenever possible, a person must try to remove the insect parts as well.
Chitin, a chemical derived from the shells of lobsters, crabs, and crayfish (and potentially from insects) has been approved for use in cereals in Japan. Kosher consumers should be aware of this additive.