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The product itself, which is a combination of water, oils and soybean plants, does not contain any nonkosher ingredients and could, in theory, be produced in a plant under kosher supervision.
Yet the agency decided against certifying a product whose name bears the word 'pork.' Its director asserted that at this stage, too many kosher consumers bear a visceral opposition to such a product, even as he kept the door open for revisiting the decision.
Interestingly, many kashrut agencies have provided certification for vegan or plant-based burgers, nondairy margarine and even fake shrimp. The OU itself certifies 'porkless plant-based snack rinds' as well as Bacos, one of the first soy-based meat substitutes. In theory, some of these products may be problematic if people would mistakenly think these substitutes were the original prohibited item.
This problem, known in halachic literature as mar’it ayin, can be circumvented if there are clear distinctive markers, or if it becomes readily known that there are fake look-alike versions.
Thus medieval authorities found ways to permit drinking almond milk with meat products, much as we allow nondairy creamer at meat meals. Besides printing clear kosher symbols on product labels, some kosher supervision agencies will insist that the product name should indicate that this is a faux version (e.g., 'veggie bacon'), something that the makers of...
