Shalom Rav,
We see in the gemara that food require a chotam in order to make sure that the goy has not switched it .Here in france i have seen in the shop different cheese with a chotam on the box .However the box is not scelled at all,which means that the owner or the delivery man can open it and switch the cheese.So how is it allowed ?
P.S : what exactely can be considered a proper chotam ?
Thank you very much for your answer.
Etane, France
Shalom Etane,
Thank you for your great question! As a rule, a Chotam needed for cheese (which needs only one Chotam since the Isur of Nochri cheese is mid'Rabanan) is some kind of packaging or seal that is noticeable when opened. I would say that the cheeses should be sealed, l'Chatchilah, with a tape with letters or pictures that is noticeable if opened. I am not sure why in France the Hechsherim are lenient about this. Is there no paper inside the box wrapping the cheese that has a sticker with letters on it?
In any case, I can just say that as far as you are concerned as a customer, b'Di'eved, you can buy this cheese, since, as mentioned by the Shulchan Aruch (YD 118:2), if the Nochri has no profit when switching the cheese, it is permitted to eat the cheese b'Di'eved. I assume the kosher cheese cannot be sold in the regular market for more money than the standard cheese, as its high price is mainly because it is kosher, and not because it is higher quality.
Best Regards,
Aharon Steiner