Download Kosher certification, along with its rules, regulations, and symbols

Kosher certification, along with its rules, regulations, and symbols, has always been a bit mysterious . What are all the
different symbols? What do they mean? Are OU Kosher, OK Kosher, Star Kosher, and so on different? If so, in what
ways? What makes a product Kosher? Hopefully, we can answer a few of these questions and give you a layman’s
understanding of the Kosher world.
Kosher foods are divided into three categories: meat, dairy and pareve. Meat and dairy products may not be cooked or eaten
together. Pareve refers to “neutral” foods, which may be enjoyed with either meat or dairy.
MEAT
All meat and fowl and their byproducts, such as bones, soup or gravy are classified as Meat. Thus includes products that contain
meat or fowl derivatives such as liver pills. Items designated “Meat” must meet the following requirements to be considered kosher:
•Kosher meat must come from an animal that chews its cud and has split hooves. (Cows, sheep and goats are kosher; rabbits,
kangaroos and fox are not).
•Kosher fowl are identified by a universally accepted tradition and include the domesticated species of chickens, Cornish hens, ducks,
geese and turkeys. The Torah names the species of fowl that are forbidden, including all predatory and scavenger birds.
•Animal and fowl must be slaughtered with precision and examined by a skilled shochet, an individual extensively trained in the rituals
kosher slaughtering.
•Permissible portions of the animal and fowl must be properly prepared (soaked and to remove any trace of blood) before cooking.
•All utensils used in slaughtering, cleaning, preparing and packaging must be kosher.
DAIRY
All foods derived from, or containing, milk are classified as dairy, including milk, butter, yogurt and all cheese – hard, soft and cream.
Even a trace amount of dairy can cause a food to be considered dairy. Dairy products must meet the following criteria in order to be
certified kosher:
•They must come from a kosher animal.
•All ingredients must be kosher and free of meat derivatives. (Conventional rennet, gelatin, etc., are of animal origin and may not be
used in kosher dairy.)
•They must be produced, processed and packaged on kosher equipment.
PAREVE
Foods that are neither meat nor dairy are called pareve. Common pareve foods are eggs, fish, fruit, vegetables, grains, unprocessed
juices, pasta, soft drinks, coffee and tea and many candies and snacks. Pareve presents fewer kosher complexities than meat or
dairy, but certain points must be known:
•Foods may lose their pareve status if processed on meat or dairy equipment or when additives are used. Pure Chocolate, cookies
and other snacks may not be processed with meat or meaty foods unless they are certified pareve.
•Certain fruits, vegetables and grains must be checked for the presence of small insects and larvae, which are not kosher.
•Eggs must be checked for the presence of blood spots, which are not kosher.
Additional Kosher Notes
There are many creatures that are not kosher, including most seafood (excluding kosher fish), insects, rodents, wild animals and their
derivatives.
WINE: A special rule governs the production of wine. Even if all the ingredients in wine are of kosher origin, it is kosher only if
production was done exclusively by Torah-observant Jews.
PASSOVER: The eight-day Jewish holiday of Passover involves a unique set of kosher laws. No leavened products or their
derivatives may be consumed on Passover, even if they are kosher the rest of the year.
The Kosher symbols you see on products designate individual certification agencies. The following are a few of
the largest, best known organizations. There are many very acceptable regional certification companies as well.
The OK Kosher Certification (the OK), which was founded in 1935 under the leadership of kosher food pioneer Rabbi Berel
Levy, has become one of the world’s most respected symbols of kosher approval.
The Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations (OU). In interpreting ancient dietary laws and adapting them to modern
technology, different rabbis have different views about what exactly passes as kosher. The OU symbol is one of the strictest
kosher standards on the market today. The OU has been certifying kosher products for over 80 years. Their first kosher
certification went to Heinz. In 1923 Heinz Vegetarian Beans became the first American product to display the OU kosher
symbol. In addition, the OU is the world's largest kosher certifying agency. The OU certifies over 2300 companies with
4500 plants in 70 countries with a total of over 300,000 labels.
cRc stands for Chicago Rabbinical Council, the largest regional, not-for-profit, Orthodox organization in North America.
Since its humble beginnings in the 1930's, the cRc has developed into a universally accepted agency with a respected
kosher certification symbol. The cRc’s Kosher Division works with close to 800 food companies, producing tens of
thousands of products across North and South America, Europe and Asia. cRc has gained a reputation for exacting
standards, professionalism, personal attention, reasonable pricing and rapid response time.
The KOF-K symbol is the internationally recognized trademark of KOF-K Kosher Supervision, one of the foremost
kosher certification agencies in the United States. Serving the kosher consumer for almost 40 years, KOF-K was the
first agency to introduce computer technology to the complexities of kosher supervision. Computer technology has
placed the KOF-K at the cutting edge of kosher supervision today. Kof-K has earned a reputation for being efficiently
organized, professionally staffed and technologically advanced.
Triangle-K certification is awarded by a consortium of Orthodox Jewish rabbis who desire to see as wide a range of
food products as possible made available to kosher consumers worldwide. To this end, Triangle-K and Associates
works side by side on an individual basis with each of their clients to create reasonable and cost effective certification
and supervision programs.
Star-K, the symbol of the Baltimore-based Star-K Kosher Certification Agency, provides kosher supervision globally.
The newest Star-K office opened in Mumbai, India. Star-K's Web site offers helpful information to kosher consumers
worldwide. Of the several hundred kosher agencies in the world, Star-K is the only one that certifies technology. For
example, it was Star-K that certified the new kosher consumer-friendly Connect Io™ Refrigerated, Internet-Controlled
Electric Double Wall Oven, which includes separate Sabbath and Holiday programmable modes. STAR-K is known
as a leader in integrating complex food technology with kosher laws. The Star-K kosher symbol is regarded as being
in the top tier of strictness and quality.
Often there are letters or words printed next to the kosher certification symbol on food packages. These are added to inform the
consumer of the product's kosher category. Kosher categories are Meat (Fleishig in Yiddish, Basari in Hebrew), Dairy (Milchig in
Yiddish, Chalavi in Hebrew) or neither meat or dairy (Pareve in Yiddish, Parve in Hebrew). According to Jewish Dietary Laws, meat
and dairy food must be prepared and consumed separately, and pareve food can be eaten with either meat or dairy dishes.
Meat: "Meat", "M" or "Glatt" printed near the kosher symbol on the food package indicates the product is kosher and contains some
meat or meat derivative.
Dairy: "Dairy" or "D" printed near the kosher symbol on the food package indicates the product is kosher and contains some milk or
milk derivative.
Fish: "F" printed near the kosher symbol on the food package indicates the product is kosher and contains fish ingredients.
Pareve: "Pareve", "Parev", or "Parve" printed near the kosher symbol on the food package indicates the item is neither meat or
dairy.
Passover: "P" printed near the kosher symbol on the food package does not stand for pareve, but instead it means the product is
kosher for Passover and all year round. Furthermore, D-P means dairy and kosher for Passover and all year round. M-P or Glatt-P
means meat and kosher for Passover and all year round. F-P means fish and kosher for Passover and all year round.
Coast to Coast Food Brokers represents many suppliers that have Kosher certifications.
All Puree
Atalanta (partial)
Bayshore Soups and Chowders
C & F Foods
Casa Di Lisio
Cheney Estate Vegetables
Dr. Praegar’s Vegetable Patties
Fronte Olive Oils
Indian River
Italian Rose
Idahoan
Juice Bowl Products
Les Chateaux
Litehouse Dressings
Onli Sparkling Beverages
Sally Sherman Salads (partial)
Simply Croissants
Sweet Endings Desserts
Taste it
Tribeca Oven
Wise Chips
Did you know….?
Chewing gum while peeling onions will keep you from crying!
Smelling bananas and/or green apples (smelling, not eating)
can help you lose weight!
Two-thirds of the world's eggplant is grown in New Jersey.
Americans on average eat 18 acres of pizza every day.
Almonds are a member of the peach family.
Peanuts are one of the ingredients in dynamite.
$5.00 per case up to $250.00 on Perdue Cooked
Turkey Breasts
$3.00 per case up to $150.00 on Duck Deli
Cooked Turkey Breasts
January 1 through April 30, 2014
Contact Coast to Coast for Rebate Coupons
For more information or samples, please contact Coast to Coast Food Brokers at
561-635-3506. Visit our website at www.coasttocoastfood.com.
We look forward to talking to you!