Is this "Crown PL" a kosher symbol?

Question

The international food company Pampa sells a tin of herring fillets in oil, but I do not recognize this symbol on the back and cannot find information on the Internet of whether this is actually a hechsher.

As you can see near the bottom of the pictures, there is a crown with the letters "PL". This fish is listed elsewhere on the package as a product of Poland. I would seem reasonable that this would then be the hechsher of local Polish rabbi, certifying this fish for consumption, but I cannot kind this "Crown PL" on any lists of international kosher symbols. It may mean something else entirely. Does anyone know anything about this symbol?

Answer 1

Had the very same question and found this post in my search. Here is the answer. I finally found it what this symbol means. It is not a kosher symbol. It is a trademark for a beverage packaging company. Have in included the link below.

https://www.crowncork.com/beverage-packaging

Answer 2

This logo does not appear on the list of kosher products in Poland (see p. 50 of here). They list (p. 35) salted herring as kosher without symbol but only when with salt and water only.

The product above is fish with oil. Even though it is written rapeseed oil, adding small quantities of other (non-kosher) oil wouldn't necessarily need to appear on the label, and there is indeed a possibility that non-kosher oils can be used with canned fish as they are cheaper (heard from an OU Kosher interview, see also e.g., here from the OU). I have always read that kosher fish in water is kosher but not in oil unless there is a hekhsher.

The issue becomes even more complicated when you realize the same importer also produces non-kosher seafood under the same brand incl. mussels and oysters. It is possible they come from different factories and that the Polish herring is kosher while the seafood come from a different place but the bar for kashrut just became higher.

As such you should ask your rav what to do with such fish. An alternative if you really want to find out about this possible hekhsher is to email Chabad in Warsaw or Krakow to ask if they have more information.

Answer 3

Before I answer, let me just state that I do not know that specific symbol.

The crown (without the PL chars) looks just like the one in the link graciously posted above by DoubleAA. But that's just about it. (And I would also suggest here Rav Umberto Piperno that allegedly seem to issue the "Crown K" stamps to provide some insight on the level of Kashrus he maintains and by what Laws does he abide).

Note that symbols of "Kosher" can be given by local Rabis everywhere, and quite a few are (unfortunately) being given by reform "Rabays" that are in most cases not even aware of the various Denim required to stand by the claim that a certain food (and the process of making and packing it) is Kosher.

Note also that if in most cases if Google does not even know the symbol is definitely isn't a good sign.