Fruit Problems - not just bugs anymore!
According to the New York Times, the next big thing is going to be tattooed fruit:
A new technology being used by produce distributors employs lasers to tattoo fruits and vegetables with their names, identifying numbers, countries of origin and other information that helps speed distribution. The marks are burned onto the outer layer of the skin and are visible to discerning consumers and befuddled cashiers alike.
…They are also visible to shomer Shabbat Jews, who may be wary of violating the melacha (prohibited work-like activity) of “erasing” on Shabbat by biting into or peeling such produce. As I recall, on Shabbat one may bite into a piece of cake that has writing on it, but one may not actually cut through the letters on the cake. This situation seems similar enough.
Not to give the rabbis any crazy ideas, but I can see easily some kind of ban being place on consuming these fruits and vegetables on Shabbat and yom tovim (festival days). And I’m not so sure I’d disagree with them, at least as much as it applies to cutting and peeling.
Any more info on this out there?
Cross-posted at Devarim.
Perhaps lasing a fruit may be considered bishul (cooking) and thus require kashrut supervision?
Presumably, under the same rational as cutting around the letters on a cake or opening food containers without ripping letter, one could eat this fruit by biting off the enter written on (or lased) area at once. Similarly, and less likely to arouse rabbinic scrutiny ad nauseum, shomer mitzvot consumers of such fruit could simply cut off the written on part, either before or during Shabbat or Yom Tov, if they are concerned about this. The last thing anybody needs is a rabbinic conference on tatooed fruit, which is likely to result in pronouncements about how such fruit cannot be disposed of in a Jewish cemetery because of the offending marks. And remember not to wash off the fruit in crustacean-filled NYC water ;-)
Stop looking for problems, jabbett! ;)
Someone pointed out to me that some of the inscriptions use food-based dyes to provide a higher contrast for the lettering. This would present another issue (kashrut), wouldn’t it?