It seems like a long time has gone by since the Rabbis declared New York water needs a hechsher due to them finding bugs. I always wondered how they would find bugs and suddenly out of nowhere the kasharus industry would have yet another thing it needed to charge you extra in order that it be “kosher”.
I myself have always thought of the kosher food certification industry as mafia-like. Let’s say you have a product that is perfectly kosher, these mafia guys in suits, hats and beards come along and tell you that unless you let them “inspect” the product and take a cut, no one will buy it. Sounds like the mob to me.
As stated in other posts, I understand the need for kasharus and don’t believe much in the oldschool orthodox way of merely “looking at the label” to see which ingredients the product contains. But, does water really need a hechsher?
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