There are legalistic traditions--irrationalistic and unbiblical additions to Yahweh's moral obligations--about which foods are supposedly kosher, but the actual dietary laws themselves permit plenty of food. The irrationalism of social constructs and philosophical hypocrisy is what Jesus condemned about the Pharisees, not the tenets of Yahweh's Mosaic Law itself, including the dietary restrictions and allowances. An example relevant to the food laws of the Torah is that the Pharisees thought washing hands before eating is a moral obligation although this is never prescribed in Mosaic Law (Matthew 15:1-20). Like evangelical and many historical Christians with the whole Bible and like plenty of Muslims with Islam, Jews have often mistaken tradition for real Judaism and submitted blindly to meaningless conventions.
Even the words assigned to some food or food-related substances misleadingly imply they are demanded by Mosaic Law. Kosher salt does not have iodine, yet iodine can be eaten according to Mosaic Law since it is not among the condemned foods, and a historical tradition of using the larger, coarser "kosher" salt to drain blood from edible meat is of no relevance. This would be a construct of tradition and not a mandate of Yahweh, yet it is sometimes regarded more as a customary way to prepare meat than a moral prerequisite to eating permitted kinds of meat. Salt itself is permissible with or without iodine and regardless of its size. Irrationalists who confuse cultural norms or conscience for the tenets of a religious system just by fallacious social association would not even be abiding by their own professed, alleged worldview, yet in other cases, this is exactly what is done.
I have encountered multiple people who claim that an animal must be killed in a non-abusive manner to make its meat kosher, but this is not the case. As far as brutality or gentleness goes, the treatment of an animal before its meat is eaten is entirely irrelevant to the categories of permitted and forbidden food in the Torah dietary obligations, though they are of course relevant to broader Biblical morality. To kill an animal needlessly is to disregard a living creature that bears some of the goodness of Yahweh, just to a lesser extent than humans (Genesis 1:31). To harm it unnecessarily, with the intent to degrade it, or in certain ways (such as bestiality or physical harshness without any care for its wellbeing) is sinful, just for different reasons.
Another irrelevant or legalistic tradition is to only consider food kosher if it was prepared by Jews or had its preparation overseen by them. This is another obvious preference or social construct that became confused for a Biblical requirement by non-rationalists, as is typical. Beef and vegetables and bread, to list some examples, are always kosher as long as there are not prohibited foods mixed in with them (not even non-kosher food separately readied nearby--without contact--nullifies the Biblical permissibility of the other food). Jews, of a religious or genealogical kind, do not have to be involved for meat or some other substance to be allowed by Yahweh's Mosaic Law. If this was the case, all people outside of a very particular lineage would have been sinning just by eating anything at all to survive in the days of ancient Israel, which would make not being a Jew or having access to trade with Jews sinful, an impossible thing when all people bear God's image and have the same obligations (Genesis 1:26-27)!
Now, one thing that the Bible does not mention specifically that is a necessary part of kosher eating is not eating food that has supposedly come into direct contact with illicit food, especially if one saw the mixture and the food items were pressed together. It does logically follow that if eating something is immoral, even intentionally eating microscopic pieces of it along with or inside other foods would be immoral. This is a normal practice that actually is rooted in the ideas of the commands themselves. This follows by logical necessity so that in saying not to eat something, the Bible already addresses this in a partly direct and partly indirect sense. Either way, if the Torah dietary laws are true, then this would have to also be true.
Food is such a major practical and also often social part of human life that any moral obligations regarding it have, on one level, penetrating ramifications. The dietary laws are among the least important of Yahweh's commands, yes, but they are still morally charged and still important for that reason alone. Because the dietary obligations are not overturned by anything stated in the New Testament, it is crucial to distinguish between what is and is not permitted without assumptions. The host of traditions surrounding kosher food have to be identified and avoided (short of knowing personal preference where it does not conflict with the commands themselves) just as much as unpermitted foods. To err in one direction as opposed to the other is still to err.
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