Wines And Liquors
At most parties and “simchas” today, we find many people enhancing their level of celebration with the help of some form of alcoholic beverage. Indeed, a well chosen bottle of wine or liqueur makes a perfect gift for almost any occasion. And what better identifies a kiddush in any shul or Jewish home worldwide than […]
Vitamins
Vitamins require supervision. Common problems: are stearates, gelatin, resinous glazes, meat, (liver extracts and bone meal), fish oil, and glycerine. If vitamins are medically prescribed, a rabbi should be consulted. Following is a listing of natural vitamins and their sources: Vitamin D Function: To enhance intestinal absorption of calcium and phosphorus. Deficiency: Osteomalacia (softening of the bones […]
Vegetable Inspection
ARTICHOKE: Each leaf down to the heart of the plant must be inspected (Rabbi Pinchas Bodner). ASPARAGUS: • Canned: Pour liquid into a lightly colored bowl and inspect the liquid from the can for insects. If any insects are found the asparagus may not be used. • Frozen: Method A. • Fresh: Treat as florets […]
Some Products Requiring Kosher Certification
Some General Laws Of Kashrus
1. The prohibition of meat and milk relating to domestic animals is the following: a. They cannot be cooked together. b. If they were cooked together, they are forever forbidden to eat. c. One cannot even derive benefit from this forbidden mixture. (This is a common problem with dog and cat foods, which often contains cheese, whey, […]
Common Reliable Certifications
Snacks
One of the most frightening dilemmas to face the average parent is “What do I pack for my child’s lunch?” In the often intense competition of our children’s attention to their products, food companies have gone to great lengths to certify their snack products as kosher. One large company, Post, has gone so far as […]
Shechita
One question often asked by people who are considering observing the laws of kashrus is, “Why does kosher meat have to cost so much?” We will attempt to answer this valid question by looking at the process of “shechita,” Jewish ritual slaughter. Ritual slaughter of animals differs in many ways from common techniques of slaughter. […]
Restaurant Information
“Eating out” is easy in a city blessed with kosher restaurants under reliable supervision. But where there are no kosher restaurants, many people who otherwise are very careful about kashrus observance at home succumb to the temptation of eating in a non-kosher restaurant. They rely on the common myth that many foods do not require […]
Products That Don’t Require Kashrus Certification
Products That Don’t Require Kashrus Certification Aluminum Foil Baking Powder Cocoa – plain, with no additives. Coffee – Plain – without flavoring. Corn Starch Dried Fruit – with no oil or other ingredients listed (except for the usual preservatives, such as potassium sorbate, sulphur dioxide and sodium bisulfate). Flour – plain only. Fruits – most plain canned and frozen fruits […]
Oils
In the last few decades, there has been a sharp worldwide decline in the use of animal oils. Between 1970 and 1975 the use of animal oils decreased by 39 percent, and the use of marine oil decreased 24 percent. In fact, by 1975, more than two-thirds of the world’s food oil needs were met […]
Marshmallows
For over thirty years “Kosher gelatin” has been a substance that the kosher consumer could use as a yardstick to tell if a product was certified by a high or low kosher standard. Up until mid 1993 it was a given that if a product listed “Kosher gelatin” in its ingredients, it meant that the […]
Margarine
When margarine was invented in 1870 by the Frenchman Hippolyte Meg–Mouries, it was made by churning ox fat with cream. Today margarine is made from several blends of fats and oils, liquids (water/and or milk), emulsifiers, preservatives, artificial flavors and colors, vitamins, and salt. Each one of these ingredients can be kosher or non-kosher. In […]
Kosher Information Agencies
Over the past few years, a few kosher information agencies have developed throughout the country. Some of these publish very useful guides with information on the latest developments in kashrus. These agencies are highly recommended. Of particular note is the publication from the Kosher Information Bureau (KIB) on the West Coast. They utilize a computer data base […]
Kashrus Contracts
Following is an example of a typical agreement between a reliable Kosher certifying agency and product manufacturer. This sample contract is for a company manufacturing kosher products only. Special situations where both kosher and non-kosher may be made in the same plant have more specific rules. In addition, anything involving the preparation of meat, poultry, […]
Israeli Foods
One might think that food from Israel is automatically kosher, and the fact that Hebrew writing is on the label tends to lend credence to that belief. Unfortunately, food grown in Israel presents more problems for the kosher consumer than does food grown outside of Israel. As a result, the general rule is that no […]
Insects In Food
Although eating insects is strictly forbidden by the Torah, we find this concern often overlooked. Following is an example of some products that may contain bugs or worms. It is important to realize that we are prohibited from the Torah (Vayikra XI) to eat Sheratzim. This issue includes many types of insects. Therefore, a bowl […]
Illustrations Of Some Popular Kosher Fish
Illustrations Of Kosher Animals
Kosher animals with split hoofs and chew their cud:  Addax  Antelope  Bison  Cow  Cow’s Sections  Deer  Gazelle  Goat  Ibex  Sheep
Ice Cream
Staying cool and kosher as the temperature rises requires an increased awareness and understanding of what may or may not be kashrus problems. Summertime products such as frozen desserts and yogurts, sodas, as well as other popular drinks and mixes usually contain ingredients that require supervision. Ice creams, sherbets, frozen desserts, and ices contain a […]
History Of Kosher Supervision
In the U.S.A., the kosher certifying agencies with which we are familiar did not start until the 1920’s and 1930’s, but their development can be traced back over 200 years. The need for kosher supervision in the United States dates back to Colonial times. As early as 1660, a Jew from Portugal applied for a […]
Health Food
Millions of Americans, many of them adhering to a kosher diet, have turned away from the synthetic, processed foods dominating supermarket shelves to the natural foods offered by health food stores. Although people often succeed in finding more nutritious food, they are often disappointed at not finding as many kosher products as they had anticipated […]
Halachic Sources For Kashrus
NOT TO EAT THE SCIATIC NERVE BERAISHIS XXXII Therefore Bnei Yisrael must not eat the Gid Hanashe which is on the upper joint of the thigh, to this day, because he touched the Gid Hanashe at the upper joint of Yaakov’s thigh. CHOMETZ ON PESACH SHEMOS XIII God spoke to Moshe as follows: 2. “Sanctify to […]
General Product List For Year Round Use
ALUMINUM FOIL – Requires no supervision. BABY FOOD – Requires supervision for all forms: vegetables, fruits, cereals, and puddings. Common problems: equipment used for non-kosher products, mono- and di-glycerides added, non-kosher flavoring. BAGELS – (See Bread, page 157.) BAKERIES and BREADS – (See separate article, page 157.) BEVERAGES – Requires supervision in many cases. Common problems: grape products, flavorings, colorings, stabilizers. It is […]
Food Additives
Food additives are any substances used in producing, manufacturing, packing, processing, preparing, treating, packaging, transporting, or holding food. There are 3 different types of additives: intentional, incidental, and chance. Intentional additives are actual ingredients, and these usually must be indicated in some manner on the label. There are some cases in which the label can […]
Fish
Fish which have fins and scales are kosher. Fish which only have fins are not kosher. Of the four types of scales, clenoid, cycloid, ganoid and placoid, only clenoid and cycloid scales are valid according to the Torah. Gandoid is the type found on sturgeon and placoid is found on shark.There is no prohibition against […]
Federal And State Kosher Slaughter Laws
Egg and Egg Substitutes
The basic rule of kashrus is that the product of a non-kosher animal is not kosher. Therefore, all eggs from non-kosher birds (and non-kosher fish and animals, such as turtles,) are not kosher. To be kosher, eggs must come from kosher fowl and be free of bloodspots in the white (albumin) and the yolk. Each […]
Do You Know What You Are Eating?
The process by which ingredients are produced must be carefully checked. In fact, it is necessary to check the processing locations to verify that hygienic standards are not so lax as to allow insects or worms to contaminate the food product. Unfortunately, lax hygiene in food processing is more common than people wish to believe. […]
Dairy Products
The standard for the designation “dairy” for kashrus purposes is different from the government standard. Many products approved by the government as “non-dairy” are actually dairy according to Jewish law. (See also “Non-dairy products,” page 134). A common example of this is “non-dairy creamer.” Even when this product is certified kosher, we often will find an […]