Bye Bye Bug Free Lettuce..

According to a report in Ynet, Israel's Chief Rabbi, Harav Shlomo Amar has paskened that there is no benefit to eating the "Bug Free" produce (the best known is the Gush Katif) such as lettuce, Mint, Parsley etc..

The reasoning seems to be multiple. The first and most worrying is that the heavy use of pesticides used to create the "Bug Free" produce is a serious health risk. Additionally, the article seems to suggest that Harav Amar is skeptical that the lettuce and other bug free products, are in any way superior to the old fashioned method of washing the lettuce. Lastly Harav Amar blasts the high cost of "Bug Free" produce, and states that people are wasting money they don't have for little benefit.

Since "Gush Katif" has become the halachic norm in many a RZ household, I'm waiting eagerely to see if this cry for sanity will catch on..