What is KOSHER?

For a product to be Kosher certified, each ingredient, food additive and processing aid used in
its production, must also be Kosher certified or approved. With much recent publicity the term
Kosher is frequently misunderstood as being singularly something to do with the slaughter of
meat (shechita). Of course the preparation of animals to provide the community with Kosher
meat is very important; however this is a subject on its own, with separate regulatory
authorities, and is not elaborated further in this guide.

It is worth mentioning however, that central to maintaining a Kosher lifestyle is the
separation of meat and milk. Meat and milk products may not be mixed in the same product,
or produced using the same utensils. Additionally, the production process must be suitable
for Kosher requirements and therefore it must be approved by a rabbinic auditor. Products
may be rendered non-Kosher if their production lines and equipment are also used to
manufacture non-Kosher products.

Kosher foods must meet the complex and strict requirements of Jewish law. To monitor this,
rabbis audit production and packaging operations within food and drink manufacturing, in
order that they can certify that the products meet all Kosher requirements.

Additionally, certain cooked foods require a Jewish supervisor to be involved in the
preparation in order for the product to be Kosher e.g. by turning on the oven. Today, with
continuous production so prevalent this is not often an insurmountable challenge. For plants
where non-Kosher products have been previously processed, it is nevertheless often possible
to clean or ‘Kosherise’ the plant for batch production if required.

Kosher also applies to non-food products and can include cleaning products, water softeners,
food containers, and packaging and cosmetics.

MEAT & POULTRY

As instructed in the Bible, not all animals and birds are Kosher. Common animals that are
Kosher include: cow, goat and sheep i.e. those that have spilt hooves and chew the cud.
Common animals that are not Kosher include: pig, horse, camel and rabbit. Most poultry is
Kosher. This includes: chicken, turkey, goose and duck.
In order for meat and poultry to be Kosher there are additional requirements. These include
slaughter in accordance with Jewish law and removal of blood via salting or roasting. This must
all be done under strict rabbinical supervision. Retail products containing any animal or poultry
derived ingredient are assumed to be non-Kosher unless certified by a reputable Kosher agency

DAIRY

Dairy products must come from Kosher animals. In countries where the source of milk is
guaranteed by civil law (e.g. member states of the EU and USA), some Jewish authorities allow
milk products without full-time Kosher supervision. Some communities still require their milk to
be fully rabbinically supervised; and this is known as Cholov Yisroel, or Super Kosher. Cheese
products do not fall under the general dairy category. They require full-time Kosher supervision
of each of the key stages of manufacture because the rennet used in normal cheese production
can be derived from an animal source. Such supervision ensures full traceability.

EGGS

Eggs are only Kosher if they are from a Kosher bird and do not contain any blood spots.

FISH

Kosher fish are species that have fins, and scales that are easily removed. Common examples
include: salmon, tuna, sole and plaice. Common examples of non-Kosher fish include: all
shellfish, eels, shark, monkfish, huss and catfish. Roe and fish derivatives such as fish oil and
gelatine must come from Kosher fish.

PAREVE

When a product is classified as Parev (alternative spellings are: pareve, parve) it means that it is
a neutral product, it neither contains a milk or meat substance nor was it produced with
equipment that was previously used to prepare products that contained a milk or meat
substance. (See Shared Equipment section below).
On the whole, parev foods present fewer Kosher complexities than either meat or dairy foods

INSECTS

All insects are considered strictly non-Kosher. To ensure the absence of insects fruit and
vegetables have to be thoroughly inspected and cleaned. Use of pesticides may be insufficient as
these may kill the insects but not remove them. Some fruits and vegetables are more
problematic than others e.g. artichoke hearts and strawberries. Susceptibility to bug infestation
varies by season and country.

WINE AND GRAPE PRODUCTS

All products made from fresh or dried grapes such as grape juice, grape sugar, wine and wine
vinegar, must be supervised for the duration of the manufacturing process and handling must be
performed exclusively by a Jewish person in order for it to be deemed Kosher. All products with
grape flavouring or additives must have a Kosher certificate.

PASSOVER

Every spring, Jewish people celebrate the festival of Passover for 8 days. On Passover no
unleavened products made from the five grains – wheat, barley, oat, spelt and rye may be eaten.
Products derived from them are also subject to the restrictions e.g. ethanol derived from wheat
starch. Many Jewish communities extend the Passover restrictions to not eating Kitniyot –
legumes (pulses) which include corn, soy, rapeseed, peanuts, peas, beans and rice.
The above creates restrictions on equipment used for processing the aforementioned grains as
well as their derivatives and may require the equipment to undergo a Kosherisation. Due to the
sensitivity of these laws constant supervision of the production is usually required.
Kosher for Passover products are marked with a letter ‘P’ next to the Kosher logo.

KOSHER Certification Process

For companies considering producing Kosher food and / or seeking certification for existing
products, like any formal accreditation process, to become Kosher certified the manufacturer
will be requested to provide a detailed list of all ingredients, including preservatives and any
additives e.g. processing aids. All ingredients are assessed based on their Kosher sensitivity and
depending on its sensitivity further information or an accompanying Kosher certificate will be
required. They will also be asked to provide details on the production process. All ingredient
and process details recorded are kept strictly confidential.

Following the application, and confirmation by the manufacturer, a rabbinic auditor will be sent
to the plant to inspect the entire process from raw material intake through to final storage,
including raw material and semi-finished product storage areas. If all is approved, the Kosher
Certificate will be issued upon receipt of a signed contract and the fee.

Today there are an increasing number of brands where the company does not part, or indeed
own all of the production process. This situation is fairly easy to overcome provided that the
company’s toll processors give permission for inspections to take place at their premises.

The ideal production scenario is that all the ingredients received in the plant are Kosher and
therefore all final products have the capability to be Kosher certified. Such a set-up would be
known as an all-Kosher site. However, many manufacturers continue to have customers that
specify ingredients and products which are not capable of being certified as Kosher. In these
circumstances Kosher certification can be achieved if a production line can be dedicated to
Kosher production and that there is adequate segregation of Kosher and non-Kosher materials
and production. Many companies are already ensuring food allergens are segregated. Where
there is insufficient capacity for a dedicated line it may be possible that with a sufficient clean
down process and weekly production planning that Kosher product could be produced at the
beginning of the week. Consultation with your Kosher agency and on-site inspection will be
required before proceeding.

To ensure full traceability the certification process is by nature in-depth. All packaging, both
retail and industrial, should bear the Kosher logo to ensure that the product will be accepted as
Kosher by the final customer.

Most companies that apply for Kosher have already standard procedures / certifications in place
such as HACCP, ISO or BRC and this fact should assist in the process.

Types of Kosher Certificate

For ingredients that require a Kosher certificate, it is important to understand the following:
• There are annual Kosher certificates which are valid for a year from
the date issued.
• There are batch Kosher certificates that are issued on a per batch
basis and are only valid for that specific batch
There might be additional clauses added to the Kosher certificate including the necessity for the
Kosher logo or a certain character in the batch code.