‘Chametz barcode’ seeks to keep homes kosher for Passover

Israel’s Chief Rabbi Yonah Metzger recently revealed the Chief Rabbinate’s new project — a “chametz barcode” that will prevent homes from becoming unkosher during Passover — at the world conference for rabbis and community leaders from 33 different countries.

“Over the years we have come up against many problems with the Passover kashrut,” the chief rabbi said. “The grocery stores and supermarket networks cover the shelves holding the chametz products and are then certified kosher for Passover. However, at times irreligious people take products from the covered shelves and the cashiers don’t usually notice.”

The Chief Rabbinate came up with a creative and efficient solution: The barcode of products that are not kosher for Passover are registered on the supermarket’s main computer as products that are not for sale, thus when a customer tries to buy a product defined as chametz the computer does not allow the sale.

Metzger spoke about the new project while greeting the 150 rabbis from the diaspora who arrived in Israel to participate in the conference organized by the Department for Religious Affairs in the Diaspora belonging to the World Zionist Organization. — ynetnews.com