Consumer News

Bridging Kosher Wishes and Market Realities: Kosher Consumers Speak

Bridging Kosher Wishes and Market Realities: OU Kosher’s Unique Consumer-Company Dialogue  As a nonprofit community service organization, OU Kosher transcends the traditional boundaries of certification agencies, deeply ingraining itself in the daily lives of tens of thousands of kosher consumers globally. This is the story of how OU Kosher is reshaping the dialogue between those […]

OU Kosher to Certify Shabbos Mode GE Appliances

Transition to OU Kosher Supervision Brings Improvements to Shabbos Mode on “GEA” Division Ovens and Refrigerators OU Kosher is in the process of certifying several GE Appliances (formerly GE) to help observant Jews keep the laws of the Sabbath, or Shabbos. Until recently, Shabbos-compliant ovens were certified by the Star-K agency. As of Jan 2022, some […]

Kosher Food Takes Center Stage: Recapping Kosherfest 2021

This week, Kosherfest returned after a one-year hiatus and, while there were fewer exhibitors than in years past, the exhibition floor was packed with visitors and industry professionals. Representatives from across the kosher food universe participated – from established companies to kosher startups. Some were looking for distribution of their products, while others had services […]

New Kosher Kitchen Partnership with Emirates Airline to Produce 2000 Kosher Meals Per Day

Kosher Arabia, a new venture founded by CCL Holdings, will produce more than 2,000 OU Kosher-certified meals per day in an 1,858-square-meter facility in Dubai.  Serving Emirates Airlines and others along with hotels and events, the kitchen is expected to be a regional hub,  exporting premium kosher food locally and to  the rest of the world.  The new venture is in […]

Ask The Rabbi

Dear Rabbi:
QUESTION: As an OU company, I have many customers who want their names printed on the label with no mention of the manufacturer (also known as private label products). We understand the need to sign a contract, to ensure that everyone is “on the same page” with the OU requirements for private labels, though the “legalese” of the contract makes it hard for us to understand what exactly we are obligating ourselves (and what our label company is obligating itself) to do to remain OU certified. Can you advise us in “plain talk” what exactly are the responsibilities of the manufacturer and the label company in the agreement? Specifically, what is this “parallel product” clause, and why is it needed?

Chocolate Production

Chanukah is a time of year when people enjoy getting together (safely!), playing dreidel and distributing those ubiquitous gold and silver chocolate coins. Have you ever wondered what goes in to making those chocolate coins kosher? In this article we examine how chocolate is manufactured and what halachic issues may arise. A chocolate coin starts […]

Summer’s here! OU Kosher answers your questions on park BBQ grills, keeping kosher on a cruise and more…

 OU Kosher presents questions frequently asked  by consumers on the OU Kosher Hotline (212-613-8241) for the summer. Questions may also be submitted to kosherq@ou.org or chat with us by clicking on the chat bubble on the right bottom of the screen.       * * * 1.    Q: Is it possible to cook on a BBQ that was […]

Important disclaimer from the OU about Shabbos mode on appliances.

It is the official position of the OU’s Rabbonim and many others, that standard Shabbos modes embedded in refrigerators and ovens are not an adequate solution for Shabbos. According to most Poskim, using refrigerators without Shabbos mode or with these non-certified Shabbos modes are questionable because they rely on leniencies or lack of knowledge from the manufacturers. Rav […]

A Man on a Kosher Mission: GE Appliances president and CEO Kevin Nolan is going out of his way to assist Jews with Shabbos observance

Important disclaimer from OU Kosher about Shabbos mode on appliances —– It started with a random text message from my editor early one afternoon. “Want to go to Kentucky tomorrow?” I chuckled at the way the message was worded. What kind of question is that? I wondered. Of course, I want to go to Kentucky! […]

Kosherfest 2019: What’s New and Exciting for Today’s Kosher Consumer?

Massive charcuterie boards, magnificent displays of pastries, an array of the finest wines and enough blintz samples to fill up Madison Square Garden. Such was the scene this week as the world’s largest kosher-certified products trade show, KosherFest, arrived at the Meadowlands Exposition Center in Secaucus, NJ. Hundreds of the companies in attendance had the […]