Kosher certification agency facts for kids
A kosher certification agency is like a special checker for food. Its job is to make sure that ingredients, packaged foods, drinks, and even restaurants follow the rules of kashrut (Jewish dietary law). This law is found in a book called the Shulchan Arukh.
These agencies have people called mashgichim (rabbinic field representatives). They visit food factories or restaurants regularly. They check everything to make sure the rules are being followed. Each agency has its own special symbol, like a stamp of approval, called a hechsher. Food companies can put this symbol on their products if they pass the checks. If they stop following the rules, they lose the right to use the symbol. Each agency also has a main rabbi, called a Rav Hamachshir, who decides the exact kosher rules to follow.
It's important to know that kosher certification is only about Jewish law. It does not replace regular food safety checks by the government or other groups.
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What Kosher Agencies Do
As of 2014, there were over 1,100 kosher certification agencies around the world. These include agencies that work internationally, nationally, or just in certain regions. Some agencies are "specialty" agencies. They also check if food companies use good business practices, treat animals well, and care about the environment. There are also non-Orthodox agencies. They might allow some things, like operating on Shabbat, that Orthodox agencies do not.
Main Kosher Agencies
In the United States, five big kosher certification agencies are known as the "Big Five." They certify more than 80% of the kosher food sold there. These five are the OU, OK, KOF-K, Star-K, and CRC.
Many of these, like the OU, OK, Kof-K, and Star-K, work all over the world. There are also important kosher agencies on all six continents where people live. Some well-known international ones include the London Beit Din, the Kashrus Council of Canada, Kosher Australia, and Rabbi Mordechai Rottenberg. MK Kosher is a top agency in Canada. It certifies over 75,000 products globally.
History of Kosher Certification
A long time ago, before factories made most of our food, Jewish families usually prepared their own meals at home. They made sure their food was kosher themselves. For example, they would take chickens and meat to a trusted shochet (a person who slaughters animals according to Jewish law). They also made sure that milking was watched by a Jew. In the kitchen, housewives carefully kept milk and meat separate, as Jewish law requires.
It was only in the 1900s, when more and more food was made in factories, that independent kosher certification became necessary. This was especially true for Jewish consumers.
The first independent kosher certification agency was OU Kosher. It was started by the Orthodox Union (OU) in 1923. Its first director, Abraham Goldstein, later left to start a second agency, OK Laboratories, in 1935. Kosher certification grew in the 1930s. Big brands like Coca-Cola wanted certification to reach more customers. After World War II, even more factory-made foods appeared, and kosher certification grew with them. For example, in 1950, the OU had about 40 mashgichim who certified 184 products. By 1972, they had over 750 mashgichim checking more than 2,500 products.
In the late 1900s, food companies started using many pre-made ingredients. These included artificial flavorings, emulsifiers, and preservatives. This made kosher certification even more complex. A product made in one country might have ingredients from many other countries. All these ingredients must be traced back to their origin to ensure they are kosher. In 2013, it was estimated that 135,000 kosher-certified food products contained over a million food additives! Certification agencies often send mashgichim to factories in places like China and Thailand. They oversee the making of these ingredients to ensure they are kosher. Many agencies accept ingredients that other trusted agencies have already approved.
Sometimes, certification agencies might disagree on whether a food is kosher. This depends on the p'sak (religious ruling) of their main rabbi. For example, aspartame, an ingredient in Diet Coke, is seen as kitniyot (legumes or grains not eaten on Passover) by the Kashruth Council of Canada (COR). So, they don't certify Diet Coke for Passover. But the OU follows rabbis who say that aspartame is kitniyos shenishtanah. This means it's kitniyot that has been "changed at the molecular level." Because of this, the OU certifies Diet Coke for Passover.
What Needs Kosher Certification
According to halakha (Jewish law), these things need kosher supervision:
- Foods – This includes meat, chicken, fish, dairy products, fruits, vegetables, grains, drinks, and food additives.
- Production process – How the food is made in the factory.
- Food-service places – Like restaurants, nursing homes, university dining halls, hospitals, and stadiums. Even if the hot dogs sold in a place are kosher, a mashgiach must be there. They make sure non-kosher foods don't touch the kosher ones. They also ensure that non-kosher foods are not sold in kosher wrappers.
How Certification Works
The process starts when a company asks for certification.
Large food companies usually ask bigger, national, or international agencies for certification. Smaller, local businesses might get certification from local rabbis or individual rabbis with a good reputation. Companies often have to apply to several agencies before finding the right one. To save time, a company might use a Kosher certification broker, like Direct Kosher. This broker helps find the best agency for their product and budget.
Next, the company gives the agency a list of all ingredients. This includes cleaning agents used on machinery. The agency then checks where these ingredients come from to make sure they are kosher. If the company later uses different ingredients, the agency can ask for changes or end the contract.
Then, the agency's rabbis walk through the whole food production process with the company. They look at equipment, how food is made, packaging, storage, and transport. They check for anything that could make the food not kosher. If non-kosher food is made in the same factory, or if both meat and dairy products are made, the two systems must be kept completely separate. This includes avoiding heat transfer between them. If non-kosher food is made on the same machines as kosher food (but at different times), all equipment must be thoroughly cleaned. Then it must be treated with boiling water before being used for the kosher food. The company must also agree to keep good records. This helps track ingredients coming in and products going out, as well as production times.
Restaurants and other food-service places have extra rules to follow. They must respect the laws of Shabbat, Jewish holidays, Passover, and certain Jewish fast days.
The agency and the company sign a one-year contract. It renews automatically unless one party wants to end it.
The Kosher Symbol
Once approved, the company can display the kosher certification agency's symbol, or hechsher, on its product. Or, for a restaurant, on a certificate. Each agency has its own symbol, which is usually a registered trademark. Only with permission can a company use it. If certification is taken away, the company must destroy any packaging with the symbol. They also must remove it from ads.
Agencies are always looking for fake use of their symbol. Agencies and consumer groups tell the public which companies or products have lost their certification. If a symbol is trademarked, using it without permission is a federal crime in the United States.
Besides the symbol, many agencies add letters to show what kind of product it is. "D" means dairy. "Meat" means it contains meat. "Pareve" means it has neither milk nor meat ingredients. "P" means it is kosher for Passover.
The letter "K" by itself cannot be trademarked. So, anyone can put it on a product. It doesn't mean anything legally or religiously. So, with very few exceptions, a "K" alone is not a guarantee that something is kosher.
Symbols of various kosher certification agencies
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Kashrut Europe, Vienna
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Direct Kosher
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Dairy, Kosher under the Supervision of the Rabbinate of the holy city of Safed
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OU-P Orthodox Union of America (OU), Kosher for Passover (P)
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Certificates issued by the rabbinate Ansbach for kosher noodles produced in Uffenheim.
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Kosher label for Israeli dates
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Kosher Supervision of America
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Menachem Mendel Stern's
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Tirosh kosher
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Kof-K
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MK Kosher Certification Agency
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Role of the Mashgichim
The mashgiach (or mashgicha for a female) is like the agency's "eyes and ears" at the factory or restaurant. They make sure that kosher and non-kosher production stays completely separate. They must know all the ingredients and how they are made to ensure they are kosher. Most big agencies have a huge database with information on hundreds of thousands of ingredients. This helps their mashgichim stay updated.
The mashgiach makes frequent, unannounced visits during production. This ensures the company follows the contract rules. If they see something suspicious or have questions, they immediately contact a rabbinic coordinator. This coordinator makes the final decisions about compliance. For a food-service event, a mashgiach must be present at all times to make sure kosher standards are followed.
Fees for Certification
Kosher certification agencies charge different fees for their services. There is usually an annual fee for the certification itself. This fee covers the number of visits by mashgichim and other office costs. If the agency is a for-profit business, it might also ask for a percentage of the company's yearly sales. The agency might also charge a one-time "set-up fee." There could also be a fee for special production runs or for making equipment kosher (called kashering).
Some people think that kosher certification makes products more expensive for shoppers. However, these fees are usually just part of the company's normal operating costs. Companies often make back the fees many times over because more people buy their products once they are kosher certified. But, a company might have extra costs if it needs to change its machines or production process to meet kosher rules.
Other Certifications Offered
Some kosher certification agencies also offer other types of certifications. For example, EarthKosher Kosher Certification offers Organic, Paleo, non-GMO, and/or Halal certifications. They can offer these alone or along with kosher certification.
Agency Activities
Besides certifying food, larger agencies also help educate consumers and improve the industry. For example, Star-K has a Kosher Hotline. They also create a Passover Directory and a magazine called Kashrus Kurrents. They also run training programs and webinars about kosher laws.
See also
In Spanish: Agencia de certificación kosher para niños
- Products without kosher certification requirements
- Directory of Kashkrus agencies and symbols
