Macht's study in terms of classifying kosher and non-kosher animals matched the kosher classification performed by James W. Atz, Ph.D., Curator and Dean Bibliographer in the Department of Ichthyology of the American Museum of Natural History, NY, NY and Adjunct Professor of Biology, Graduate School of Arts and Science on New York University. Dr. Atz's list of kosher and non-kosher animals was published by the Orthodox Union in Kosher Guide and in the Orthodox Union Kosher Consumer Directory.<ref name=Atz>Atz, James W., contrib. "[http://www.kashrut.com/articles/fish/ KASHRUT.COM - Kosher and Non-kosher fish]" Scharf Associates, 2008. Accessed September 12, 2008.</ref> According to a list of kosher and non-kosher fish published by the Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America, deciding what fish have scales, in the Orthodox Jewish community, appears to involve semantics as scales which are not visible to the human eye or scales that cannot be removed without tearing the skin are not considered "scales" in terms of the Torah law for determining which fish are kosher. It appears that Jewish religious authorities do appeal to well known Torah commentators.<ref name=Goldberg>Goldberg, Chaim. "[http://www.kashrut.com/articles/fishfaq/ Consumers’ FAQ’s on Kosher fish]." Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America, 2004. Accessed September 12, 2008.</ref> Also, Dr. Macht's classification of swans as kosher is in accordance with the research done at Ohr Somayach Institutions in Jerusalem, Israel.<ref name=ask1>"[http://ohr.edu/ask/ask210.htm Ask the Rabbi - Are swans kosher]?" Ohr Somayach Website, Ohr.edu, October 24, 1998. Accessed September 12, 2008.</ref>
Furthermore, Dr. Macht states in the peer reviewed journal ''Science'' that the toxicology test he used was a reliable method for detecting zoological toxins as it was a toxicology test sensitive to these type of toxins, and therefore one could conclude it was also suitable for testing the toxicity levels of fish, meat, and poultry.<ref name=Macht3>Macht, D.I. , Science 1930, 71 :302</ref> (The toxicological method that Dr. Macht used was also cited in the Journal of Laboratory and Clinical Medicine.<ref name=Macht2>Macht, D.I. and Macht, M.B. ''Journal of Laboratory and Clinical Medicine'' 1941, 26: 597</ref> ) In addition, Dr. Macht was an expert in cobra venom, which is a zoological toxin. Macht's conclusions, however, were challenged by three of his science community peers in a Seventh Day Adventist publication although one partially affirmed his study.<ref name=Harris>Harris, Lester E., Jr. "[https://archive.is/20070709234205/members.dslextreme.com/users/hollymick/web/ministry-1954-March-p37.htm This Question of Unclean Meats]." Ministry Magazine, March 1953, p37-38. Accessed September 12, 2008.</ref> This was partly due to a likely unfamiliarity with what food is kosher and non-kosher. Also, perhaps they were unfamiliar with the toxicity test Dr. Macht used, and its apparent effectiveness in testing zoological toxins.
In the short term, eating non-kosher food often appears to have no dramatic ill effects in general. For example, the Arabs, who do not eat kosher, consider camel to be a delicacy. Clearly, non-kosher Arabs do not fall dead right after eating camel meat. However, the long term optimality of eating clean versus unclean meat is an unanswered question of science. Also, eating non-kosher foods clearly has some nutritional benefit. For example, shrimp and pork contain protein. The New Testament declares, {{Bible quote|For every creature of God is good, and nothing is to be refused if it is received with thanksgiving; for it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer.|book=1_Timothy|chap=4|verses=4-5|version=NKJV}}