OUkosher.org

Monday, December 25, 2006

Glossary of Kosher Terms for Companies

The following are some non-English kosher terms that you may come across along with their explanations:

Bishul Yisroel (also spelled Bishul Yisrael): Certain foods require increased a Rabbi’s involvement in the cooking process.
The OU requires Bishul Yisroel on all of those products deemed to be included in the requirements for Bishul Yisroel under Jewish law.

Cholov Yisroel (also spelled Chalav Yisroel): Milk and milk products that was supervised by a Rabbi from the time of milking.
The OU does not require products to be Cholov Yisroel, but will certify a product that is Cholov Yisroel as such.

Glatt: Literally “smooth”. An animal whose lungs contained no questionable adhesions that could pose potential Kosher problems.
It is now commonly used to describe a higher level of Kosher supervision.

Kosher L’Pesach: Kosher for Passover; containing no leaven and no legumes and manufactured with Mashgiach Temidi.

Mashgiach Temidi: A manufacturing production with continuous supervision by a Rabbi. This is often called a “Special Production”.

Pareve: A food item that is neither meat or dairy (and can therefore be eaten with either) and was not manufactured on meat or dairy equipment.

Pas Yisroel (also spelled Pat Yisroel): Bakery products that were baked by a Rabbi. This can be fulfilled by having a Rabbi turn on the oven.
The OU does not require products to be Pas Yisroel, but will certify a product that is Pas Yisroel as such.

Yoshon: Grain products that are made from certain types of “winter” grains as defined by Jewish law.
The OU does not require products to be Yoshon, but will certify a product that is Yoshon as such.

Tuesday, February 21, 2012

Lo Basi Ella L’orer - Keurig coffee makers

The Keurig coffee machine, an appliance unbeknownst to most of us two or three years ago, has become a fixture in many homes and offices. This has given rise to a great number of questions surrounding this machine, especially regarding the office setting. At the OU we get asked these questions on a daily basis and I would like to share some of these questions and answers.

Are all K-cups kosher / pareve?
Currently Green Mountain Coffee, the makers of the K-cups (disposable pods filled with coffee grinds that are inserted into the Keurig) has two brands of K-cups that are not certified kosher; Café Escapes and Swiss-Miss. Additionally, there are a number of K-cups that are certified kosher dairy. It should also be noted that it is also possible to purchase reusable pods that fit into Keurig machines that can be filled with any brand of coffee/cocoa/tea. Therefore, while it is true that most K-cups are kosher and pareve, one should not immediately assume that any Keurig machine may be used.

Can the Keurig machine be kashered?
The Keurig machine is mostly made of plastic. While there are differing opinions as to whether plastic can be kashered for Pesach (B’makom tzorech the OU is lenient), the prevailing opinion is that for year round use one may kasher plastic. Therefore, if one purchased a used Keurig machine, they may kasher it by cleaning out the cup holder making sure it has not been used in 24 hours and then kashering by running hot water through the system.
In an office environment where it is not possible to idle the Keurig for 24 hours (i.e. the machine is used every day by co-workers with potentially non-kosher or dairy K-cups), one may be lenient to kasher the Keurig machine without waiting 24 hours. One should wipe out the cup holder all around (inside and underneath) with damp paper towels and then run hot water through the machine so that it touches all surfaces. I found that by ripping out the bottom of a Styrofoam cup and placing it over the bottom of the cup holder will cause the holder to fill with hot water. Kashering with irui is acceptable since the Keurig machine works through irui. The few ounces of hot coffee that run through these pipes do not qualify as an extended irui. In industrial settings we view the flow of product through the pipes as a continuation of the kli rishon, because the irui of hundreds of gallons of water for an extended period of time saturate the walls of the pipes such that they are no difanos mikareros. This obviously does not take place in a Keurig machine. Therefore, any non-kosher bliyos would not penetrate further than a k’dei klipa of the piping. By running a cup of hot water through the pipes there will definitely be more than shishim k’neged this k’dei klipa¹. Although Rema (O.C. 452:2 as explained by Pri Migadim) writes that the minhag is not to kasher ben yomo kailim even if one will have shishim, in a shas ha’dchak, one may be maikel².

Can a Keurig machine be kashered for Pesach?
Although regular unflavored coffee grounds are always kosher for Pesach, many of the flavored K-cups are not. Therefore one may not use their year round or office Keurig on Pesach. What about kashering the machine? Aside from the issue of whether one may kasher plastic for Pesach, which b’makom tzorech the OU allows, there is also a question as to whether one may kasher narrow tubing. Magen Avrohom (O.C. 452:11) says that narrow tubes that cannot be scrubbed clean should not be kashered for Pesach. Although the OU often kashers pipes and other inaccessible areas for Pesach productions, this is because the production takes place before Pesach when chametz is still batel b’shishim. The chumra of the Magen Avrohom relates to Pesach itself, when the presence of even a mashehu of chametz make everything assur. However, others are more maikel if hot detergent is poured through those tubes³, since the detergent is known to be an effective cleanser. Additionally, the detergent serves as a davar ha’pogem.
For those wishing to invest in a new Keurig machine, there are indeed several dozen K-cups that are acceptable for Pesach, even though they are not labeled OU-P. A complete list is available on the OU website.

What is the status of a Keurig machine if someone placed a non-Kosher mug underneath?
The Mishnah (Machshirin 5:10) says that pouring a hot ta’hor liquid into a cold ta’mei liquid does not form a chibur l’tumah. The Mordechai relates this halachah to issur v’heter as well. In other words “nitzuk aino chibur”. Therefore, the non-kosher mug will not affect the kashrus of the Keurig machine. Similarly, if one placed a mug with milk underneath a pareve Keurig machine, there is no need to kasher. Even though zeiya from the mug will rise up to the Keurig, the spout which is hot will deflect the zeiya from the kli sheini.

Do Keurig machines require tevilla?
Unlike most other hot water urns that can withstand being dunked in water, so long as they are properly dried, the Keurig machine has a digital component that will not survive getting wet. Additionally, even if one were to attempt to toivel a Keurig machine, the inner chamber will not fill with water. Water will only enter the inside chamber if it is pumped through. So tevila is not really an option.
Rav Belsky holds that we may view the Keurig machine as a plastic kli, which is exempt from tevilla. This is because the entire visible machine is indeed plastic. The metal receptacle and element which are in the recesses of the machine are not accessible. Although there are two pins that pierce and inject hot water into the K-cup, it is not clear that these pins require tevilla. It is possible that they are like a can opener. If one wishes to remove the pins and toivel them, with some cajoling they can be removed (at least in some models).
If one sells a portion of the Keurig machine to a non-Jew, this would alleviate any question of tevilla, because even a kli that is owned bi’shutfos (partnership) with a non-Jew is exempt from tevilla⁴. The proper way to accomplish such a sale, would be to accept some money as payment (kinyan kesef) and have the non-Jew pick up the Keurig to show that he is taking partial ownership (kinyan hagba’a). Likewise, if an office has a coffee service contract that supplies and owns the Keurig machine then there is no chiyuv tevilla, so long as the service company is at least partially owned by non-Jews.

Notes:

¹ Shach Y.D. 137:11 and Taz Y.D. 137:4

² Sefer Hagalos Keilim Perek 6 Halacha 12

³ See Teshuvas Va’yaan Yosef O.C. 222

⁴ Rema Y.D. 120:11

Wednesday, February 15, 2012

OU Kosher in Great Neck Draws Rave Reviews

“OU Kosher’s Harry H. Beren ASK OU OUTREACH program in Great Neck Sunday night, which was supposed to present the two OU poskim (halachic decisors), Rav Yisroel Belsky and Rav Hershel Schachter, was held under the cloud of the sudden serious illness to Rav Belsky, shlita,” declared Rabbi Yosef Grossman, the organizer of the program and OU Senior Educational Rabbinic Coordinator. “Rabbi Menachem Genack (CEO of OU Kosher) stepped in as a substitute on very short notice. He and Rav Schachter were outstanding, as can be seen by the following feedback, first from one of the participants, and then from Rabbi Avraham Kohan, the Rav of Congregation Torah Ohr where the event was held.”

The audience member declared, “The OU program last night was amazing. Thank you for organizing such an informative, crystal-clear program for Great Neck. The feedback I got from friends was also very positive. We hope to have the OU in Great Neck more often.”

Rav Kohan wrote, “I wanted to thank you very much for the event last night. It was great. Tizku lemitzvot.

This unique program, sponsored by the Harry H. Beren Foundation of Lakewood, NJ and endorsed by 12 local synagogues, Ashkenazi and Sephardic, with an emphasis on Great Neck’s substantial Iranian community, was devoted to issues such as “Contemporary Halachic and Philosophical Challenges Facing the Great Neck Community,” with Rav Schachter, Rosh Yeshiva and Rosh Kollel, Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary of Yeshiva University.

Rabbi Genack, who has headlined many OU Kosher educational programs, briefly discussed the sad story of Sholom Mordechai Rubashkin and the continuing efforts by the OU on his behalf. Rabbi Genack and Rav Schachter then joined in a Q&A session, moderated by Rabbi Grossman, on questions of halacha and OU policy.

“The speakers had a very positive influence on the participants, many of them our Persian brethren,” said Rabbi Grossman after the session. “One of the prominent community rabbis who was in attendance, told me that they usually get 60-70 people for a guest speaker such as a congressman in his shul. The more than 150 participants that we had was certainly a very nice turnout for the community.”

A week prior to the event in Great Neck, OU Kosher presented a program in South Florida as part of the OU’s Community Weekend there. Rabbi Grossman received the following laudatory congratulatory message from Rabbi Yosef Weinstock, Associate Rabbi of the Young Israel of Hollywood-Ft. Lauderdale, where the program was held:

“Those in attendance were impressed by the depth and breadth of knowledge that the OU kashrut professionals shared with us,” Rabbi Weinstock wrote. “And it was all done in a way that was easy to follow and understand. People left with a new appreciation for the complexity of kosher supervision in the 21st century, and why the OU is at the forefront of kashrut services for the kosher consumer.

“We very much enjoyed the two presentations and the Q&A session that answered many questions that were on a lot of people’s minds. This was a wonderful way to give exposure to the talent that OU Kosher employs. We are glad that the OU Kosher has broadened its mission to include kashrut education, which was of great value for our community to see and hear.”

To arrange a kashrut presentation in your community, contact Rabbi Grossman at 212-613-8212 or .

Wednesday, February 08, 2012

Ask the OU Rabbis Prog in S.FL Enlightens and Entertains

The show must go on….and on: Rabbis Chaim Loike (left) and Dovid Jenkins continue to answer questions following their presentations at the Ask the OU Rabbis session in South Florida.

As part of the Orthodox Union’s Community Weekend in South Florida, OU Kosher presented Rabbis Yosef Grossman, Chaim Loike and Dovid Jenkins in a panel session, Ask the OU Rabbis. The program, held at the Young Israel of Hollywood, followed a presentation by Rabbi Loike on The Mesorah of Kosher Birds and by Rabbi Jenkins on How Tootsie Roll, Gatorade and Corporate America have Affected Kashrut. Both Rabbis Loike and Jenkins are Rabbinic Coordinators at OU Kosher.

Rabbi Yosef Grossman, OU Senior Educational Rabbinic Coordinator, declared, “We were warmly received by South Florida residents who joined the program from Miami Beach, North Miami, Ft. Lauderdale, Hollywood and Deerfield Beach. The rabbis continued answering questions from the audience long after the program had officially ended. We were happy to be able to share with South Florida residents the same high quality ASK OU program which we make available for people in the Northeast.”

Rabbi Grossman continued, “One of the participants, Chaim Brecher, expressed his enthusiasm for the program as follows: ‘The presentations were great! Thank you for taking the time to come down and share with us your vast reservoirs of kashrut knowledge. Thank you for your masterful jobs on kosher birds, Tootsie Rolls, Gatorade and medicines. Thank you again for coming out to enlighten us! We here down south hope you will do it again!’”

Wednesday, January 18, 2012

MTJ, Lower East Side Yeshiva, Visits OU Kosher

The Mesivta Tiferes Jerusalem(MTJ) high school on the Lower East Side of Manhattan was the latest school to be OU Kosher’s guest for the Harry H. Beren VISIT OU program. The group, led by Menahel Rabbi Shaul Katz (center) and their rabbeim, met with Rabbi Menachem Genack, Chief Executive Officer of OU Kosher, and heard from OU posek Rav Yisroel Belsky, who spoke on what he had learned from the illustrious Rosh HaYeshiva of MTJ, Rav Moshe Feinstein zt”l.

The group’s host was Rabbi Yosef Grossman (far left of photo, second row), Senior Education Rabbinic Coordinator for OU Kosher.

Wednesday, December 14, 2011

Kinnikinnick Foods Receives OU Kosher Certification

Gluten-Free Baked Goods Certified Kosher Pareve Just In Time To Enjoy Chanukah Donuts

EDMONTON, CANADA – Kinnikinnick Foods, North America’s leading manufacturer of gluten-free baked goods and snacks, today announced that its company, facilities, and all of its current products are now certified OU kosher pareve by the Orthodox Union.
Kinnikinnick runs the largest, dedicated gluten, dairy and nut free facilities in North America and both of its plants in Edmonton are under the supervision and certification of the Orthodox Union. By making all of its products in house, Kinnikinnick can ensure its baked goods and snacks are safe from cross contamination.

OU Kosher is the world’s largest and most respected kosher certification agency. The OU symbol will begin rolling out on Kinnikinnick’s packaging beginning this December, just in time for Chanukah. All of Kinnikinnick’s current product offerings are now certified kosher, including Kinnikinnick’s Cinnamon Sugar Donuts, Chocolate Dipped Donuts, All Purpose Flour Blend, Angel Food Cake Mix, Blueberry Muffins, White Sandwich Bread, Pizza Crusts, S’moreables Graham Style Crackers, and KinniKritters Animal Cookies, to name but a few.

Kosher foods have sustained a growth rate of 15 percent annually and are the fastest growing ethnic cuisine over the past five years, according to Canadian Agri-Food Trade Service. More than 13 percent of Americans have reported specifically purchasing kosher-certified foods.
“Making our products OU Kosher certified was a natural choice for us,” shared Kinnikinnick Foods’ President and CEO Jerry Bigam. “Since our products were already free of dairy, we received many calls asking if our lineup was kosher as well. The demand was there, our products met the requirements; we just needed to go through the certification procedure to make it official.”

Rabbi Eliyahu Safran, OU Kosher’s Vice President of Communications and Marketing, welcomed Kinnikinnick Foods to the growing list of highly regarded baking industry companies who have attained OU certification in recent years and expressed “particular satisfaction that these fine products will be able to meet the needs not only of the ever-growing kosher market place, but of the very many gluten-free consumers.

Kinnikinnick’s products are available for purchase online at http://www.kinnikinnick.com and at select natural and mainstream grocery stores throughout the U.S. and Canada.

About Kinnikinnick Foods
Based in Edmonton, Canada, Kinnikinnick Foods is North America’s leading source of deliciously diverse baked goods products created for those maintaining a gluten, dairy and/or nut-free diet. Kinnikinnick runs the largest dedicated gluten, dairy and nut free bakery in North America, thus ensuring that its retail and foodservice customers enjoy the most variety of uncontaminated, risk-free food products available today. For more information, please visit http://www.kinnikinnick.com. You can also find Kinnikinnick on Facebook and Twitter.

OU Webcast with Poskim, “Let My People Know”

From left: Rabbi Eliyahu Safran, OU Kosher Vice President of Communications and Marketing; Rabbi Eli Gersten, OU Kosher’s recorder of OU policy and psak; Rav Yisroel Belsky, OU Posek; Rav Hershel Schachter, OU Posek; Rabbi Eliyahu W. Ferrell, OU Kosher Rabbinic Coordinator and Educational Associate.

In this extra special video, OU Kosher Senior Poskim, Rabbi Yisroel Belsky and Rabbi Hershel Schachter, provided practical guidance on issues spanning the breadth and depth of Yahadut, in another OU Kosher Webcast recorded live at OU Headquarters on Tuesday, December 13.

The webcast can be watched at http://ou.org/torah/article/let_my_people_know.

Questions received from around the country and Israel included: “Are there halachic issues with cruise ship departures on Erev Shabbat;” “How does a Shabbat observant Jew run an internet business?” “Can ‘implants’ of genes from non-kosher species render food forbidden?” “What is tzniut?” “Do weddings cost too much?” and “Can I invite an intermarried relative for a Shabbat meal?”

Wednesday, October 12, 2011

Lo Basi Ella L’orer - Limitations of ChaNaN

ChaNaN does not apply to a davar heter. This is because chatichah na’ases neveila, as it name implies, means that the entire item that absorbed ta’am of issur becomes like a neveila. Since one must refrain from eating the item, we view it as becoming 100% assur. This sevara obviously does not apply to a davar heter such as kosher milk, kosher meat or kosher fish. Therefore, if 1 gallon of kosher milk is mixed with 10 gallons of water, and this mixture is then mixed into 100 gallons of water, we would not say ChaNaN and the milk would be batel b’shishim. Although, we would still insist on labeling this product as dairy, however there would be no need to kasher the equipment that came in contact with the mixture since the milk is already batel.

Chalav stam
Although chalav akum is issur and the halachos of ChaNaN should apply, nevertheless the Pri Migadim (Y.D. S.D. 97:1) proves that b’zman ha’zeh, we do not say ChaNaN by chalav akum, at the very least when it is mixed lach b’lach. Therefore, how much more so we would not apply ChaNaN today to chalav stam, even if one is makpid on chalav Yisroel, since one can be mitztaref the heter of Rav Moshe zt”l as well.

Chametz
There is a machlokes Rishonim as to whether chametz before Pesach is considered heter or issur. This has numerous nafka minos, and Shulchan Aruch in some instances paskens l’chumra and in others paskens l’kula. However, Magen Avrohom (447:38) rules that regarding whether we say ChaNaN on chametz before Pesach, we rule leniently like the opinions that chametz is a davar heter. Therefore, if a seasoning containing 5% chametz was mixed into a soup before Pesach, it would be sufficient if the soup contained 60 times the chametz component. It would not need to be 60 times the entire seasoning.

Issur mashehu that is not batel
Midi’oraisa ChaNaN only applies to basar b’chalav. When meat is cooked with milk the entire ta’aruvos becomes 100% assur. Midi’rabannan we extend the halachos of ChaNaN to all other issurim as well. However, Rabbeinu Tam says that we do not extend ChaNaN b’shar issur to an issur ma’shehu since by basar b’chalav, which is the source of the issur, we would not say ChaNaN if the milk or meat was batel b’shishim.
Similarly the Pri Migadim (M.Z. 100:1 and 69:19) says that we would do not say ChaNaN by issur chazusa (colorant) or ma’amid that are batel b’shishim, since these issurim do not apply to basar b’chalav. Although in all these cases the product would be assur, the kailim would not be affected because the ta’am of the issur is batel. An avida l’taima is more complicated. Although we would not say ChaNaN if the issur is less than shishim, still since the ta’am is not batel, the kailim would need to be kashered.

Melach ha’baluah m’dom
Shulchan Aruch (Y.D. 105:14) teaches that melach (or any other kosher avida l’taima ingredient) that is boleyah non-kosher, will still be batul b’shishim, even though the ta’am of the salt is not batel. This is because, as Rema explains, אין הנאסר אוסר יותר מן האוסרו, the product does not become more chamur than the issur that made it assur. Although ChaNaN has us view the entire mixture as issur, nevertheless we only view the mixture as having the properties of the original issur. If the original issur can be batel b’shishim, the mixture can be batel b’shishim as well. Therefore, although we view flavors as an avida l’taima, still if the flavor components are comprised of inherently kosher ingredients, even though the flavor contains non-kosher carriers and diluents, or was processed on non-kosher kailim, it would still be batel b’shishim.

Wednesday, September 28, 2011

OU Pas Yisroel Products (As of Elul 5771

Friday, September 23, 2011

Now OU Kosher: VPlenish Taste-Free Vitamin Powder Packets

VPLENISH® packets, the world’s first completely taste-free, clearly dissolving vitamin powder announced today that they are now certified kosher by the Orthodox Union, the world’s largest and most respected kosher certification agency.

VPLENISH® taste-free vitamin powder comes in familiar tabletop sweetener-style packets. Because the vitamins are taste-free and do not contain an artificial sweetener, consumers can now add vitamins to anything they eat or drink – without changing the original flavor. There’s no uncomfortable vitamin pill to swallow, no unpleasant vitamin smell or taste, and VPLENISH® helps support a healthy immune system.

VPLENISH® is priced at just pennies per packet, which is similar to the yellow, blue and pink sweeteners found everywhere. VPLENISH® is produced and packaged by the Merisant Company (the makers of EQUAL®) for Vplenish Nutritionals, Inc.

“VPLENISH® chose the OU for kosher certification for the VPLENISH® brand because it’s the world’s most recognized kosher certification symbol. My grandfather operated an all kosher hotel 50 years ago, and I’m carrying on the tradition of kosher certification with the VPLENISH® brand.” said Steven Sponder, Founder and CEO if Vplenish Nutritionals, Inc.

Rabbi Eliyahu Safran, OU Kosher’s vice president of communications and marketing, welcomed the unique VPLENISH® product to the ever-growing kosher marketplace. “We are pleased to provide kosher certification for VPLENISH®,” said Rabbi Safran. The OU certifies hundreds of thousands of products in more than 90 countries throughout the world. “Now, consumers all around the world will begin seeing the OU symbol associated with this unique product,” Rabbi Safran added.

VPLENISH® also operates The Vplenish-The-World Foundation – a non-profit charity which provides vitamin packets to children around the world. The charity has already donated over 1.6 million VPLENISH® vitamin packets for children in poverty and disaster stricken areas.

About VPLENISH® Nutritionals, Inc.

Boca Raton, Florida based VPLENISH® Nutritionals, Inc. is the first nutritional supplement company to produce a clearly-dissolving, taste-free vitamin powder. The company packages its unique patent pending VPLENISH® product in familiar paper packets similar in size to familiar tabletop sweetener packets. VPLENISH® is all natural, calorie-free, caffeine-free, and gluten-free. It contains no artificial sweeteners, artificial colors, flavors, or preservatives. The company also operates the Vplenish-The-World Foundation, a 501©(3) non-profit charity which provides vitamin packets to children in need all around the world. To date, the Vplenish-The-World Foundation has donated 1.6 million vitamin packets. More information about VPLENISH® can be found at http://www.vplenish.com.

About the Orthodox Union

The Orthodox Union, now in its second century of service to the Jewish community of North America and beyond, represents the fastest growing segment in Jewish life. The OU is a world leader in community and synagogue services, adult education, youth work through NCSY, political action through the IPA (Institute of Public Affairs), and advocacy for persons with disabilities through Yachad and Our Way. Its kosher certification label, the OU, is the world’s most recognized kosher symbol and can be found on over 500,000 products manufactured in 90 countries around the globe.

Monday, August 15, 2011

Lo Basi Ella L’orer - Chatichah Na’ses Nevaila (Part I)

The minhag of Ashkenazim is to apply the halachos of Chatichah Na’ses Nevaila (ChaNaN) to all issurim, not just to basar b’cholov; (Rema Y.D. 92:4). Therefore, if one kezayis of any issur is cooked with 9 kezaysim of heter, we would have 10 kezeysim of issur. If these 10 kezaysim of issur, are subsequently cooked with 90 kezaysim of heter, although this is more than 60 times the original kezayis of issur, nevertheless because we say ChaNaN the entire mixture becomes assur. However, there is a distinction between the original 10 kezaysim and the subsequent 90 kezaysim. The original 10 kezaysim are assur mid’oraisah because they were mikabel ta’am issur (ta’am k’ikar); however, the later 90 kezaysim are only assur mid’Rabbanan because of ChaNaN b’shar issurim.

Lach b’lach
As it name implies ChaNaN applies primarily to chatichos. Regarding mixtures that are lach b’lach (homogenous liquid blends) the Rema paskens that in situations of hefsed mirubah we do not say ChaNaN b’shar issurim. This implies that although the ikar halachah is not to say ChaNaN lach b’lach, nevertheless one may only be maikel b’hefsed mirubah. One should contact the office before making any decisions regarding what is considered a hefsed mirubah. It should be noted that ChaNaN lach b’lach applies to both cold and hot mixtures of liquids, or to powders that are dissolved in liquid.

Lach b’lach b’issur d’rabbanan
Igeros Moshe (Y.D. II:36) writes that there is room to be maikel not to say ChaNaN by an issur d’rabbanan lach b’lach. However, he cautions against relying on this heter unless there is a tzorech. Likewise the policy of the OU has been to use this only as a tziruf or in cases of shas hadchak.

Since ChaNaN is d’rabbanan, can we apply the rule safek d’Rabbanan l’hakel?
This is a disagreement amongst Poskim. Though Maharil apparently held that safek ChaNaN is also assur, Taz (Y.D. 92:12) disagrees and held that one can say safek d’rabbanan li’kula. Pri Migadim (92:12) explains the Maharil as follows. Since we pasken that the original 10 kezaysim (as per the example above) become vadai assur (safek d’oraisah lichumra), therefore the shailah of whether we say ChaNaN on those 10 kezaysim is viewed as a safek d’oraisah shenisgalgel le’di’Rabbanan. The Pri Migadim concludes that one should not be maikel except b’hefsed mirubah. However, Rav Schachter points out that regarding safek ChaNaN lach b’lach (which itself is mutar b’makom hefsed mirubah) one may be maikel¹. In factories, lach b’lach mixtures are the more common scenario. If this mixture entails a safek, we do not say ChaNaN.

Example: One liter of an uncertified ingredient (that can be kosher or non-kosher) was mistakenly dissolved into 20 liters of water. Then an additional 50 liters of water were added. In this case the uncertified ingredient would be batel in the product. We would not say ChaNaN since it is a case of safek issur lach b’lach.

Do we say ChaNaN on mixtures of powders?
Rav Belsky has said that we do not say ChaNaN when there is a mixture of cold kosher and non-kosher powders, because there is no transfer of ta’am. In this regard powders are considered like yaveish b’yaveish about which we do not say ChaNaN². Although regarding chametz we pasken that mixtures of powders are considered lach b’lach and we therefore do not say chozer v’niyur³, nevertheless regarding the potential issur of ChaNaN lach b’lach we can be maikel to view the powders as yaveish⁴, especially because there is no transfer of ta’am.

Example: A 50 pound bag (approximately 10 gallons) of powder stabilizers which is made up of 40% non-kosher gelatin and 60% other ingredients is dissolved into 500 gallons of milk. Do we need to kasher the keiliim? No, a thorough cleanout is all that is needed. Although the stabilizer is 2% of the product, because we do not say ChaNaN, we need only be concerned with the gelatin which is only .8% of the product. Although gelatin can be considered a davar hama’amiid which is not batel, still the keilim are not treif because the ta’am is batel.

ChaNaN with pork and beans
Many are startled to learn that the amount of pork in canned “pork and beans” is often less than 1.6%. Does that mean that there is really no need to kasher the keilim? In one particular plant the beans are cooked and then drained and filled hot into open cans. Chunks of pork and lard are manually added to each can. At this point the top layer of beans becomes assur and those beans become ChaNaN⁵. Saying ChaNaN on the top layer of beans will basically double the amount of issur in the can. Then hot brine is poured over the beans, the cans are sealed and retorted. The entire can would now become ChaNaN, unless the beans and brine are always 60 times the volume of the chazar and the top layer of beans. Even if the amount of chazar is less than 1%, all the equipment used for the pork and beans needs kashering.

Notes:

¹ Pri Migadim (Kellalim B’hora’as Issur V’heter s.k. 6) generalizes this concept and writes that cases which are mutar b’hefsed mirubah become mutar lichatchila when there is also a safek.

² Rema Y.D. 92:4

³ Mishnah Berurah 453:17

⁴ See Teshuvas Beis She’arim Chaylek O.C. siman 4 who makes a similar argument

⁵ See Rema Y.D. 92:4 “או שהחתיכה כולה חוץ לרוטב”

Tuesday, July 12, 2011

Ask OU Kosher: “Holy Fries”

July 2011

By Rabbi Chaim Goldberg

OU Kosher Rabbinic Coordinator

To submit questions for future columns, please send them to , or call the Kosher Consumer Hotline, at 212-613-8241.

“Holy Fries”

Q: How are industrial French fries made?

A: Exactly who came up with the idea of French fries is a matter of serious debate (as serious as debate can be about such topics!), but there is no debate on the fact that industrial French fries were commercialized by J.R. Simplot in the 1940s. The first major French fries customer (and the largest single source of industrial demand for the item until this day!) is McDonalds, whose famous golden shoe string French fry is world renowned (though not kosher).

French fries are made primarily from Russet-Burbank potatoes, and a third of all Russet potatoes grown in the United States come from Idaho. Potatoes are harvested in August, and stored a whole year long for fresh potato consumption and industrial processing alike. The potatoes are brought to frying facilities, where they are sorted, de-stoned (there are lots of rocks that get mixed with the potato harvest!), washed, scrubbed (with brushes to remove the peel on those products that do not have the skin on), slightly pre-cooked (to keep the potatoes from shattering when they are cut), cut with a water knife into various cut shapes (the potatoes are carried via a water flume – something like what you might ride in an inner-tube! – into a set of sized blades, which cuts each potato into its various shapes), pre-cooked again (to soften up the potatoes a bit before frying), battered (for those products that are extra crispy, or spicy) and fried in boiling oil. The finished product is frozen, bagged, placed into cases, and shipped to warehouses for distribution.

Q: What kashut issues are there with French fries?

A: The number one issue we are concerned with when it comes to French fries are those factories which produce for (or at one time produced for) McDonalds, as their French fries are made with a special flavored oil which contains a beef tallow flavor (that is not kosher). Since the beef tallow is present in the oil in enough concentration for it to give non-kosher taste into the equipment, any piece of equipment which handles (or handled) McDonald’s (or any other beef tallow, or beef tallow flavored) French fry with heat needs to be kashered before it can be used to make OU certified French fries. This is an involved process, where the equipment must be cleaned to bare metal (including fryers which often have burnt oil stuck onto processing equipment) and left cold for 24 hours, prior to being filled with boiling water under the on-site supervision of a mashgiach.

We also need to confirm the kosher status of the oil used in the facilities, and that the transportation equipment (usually railcars, sometimes trucks) has been kosher certified to carry kosher oil. There are anti-foams used in the plants as well which are potentially kosher sensitive, as well as seasonings and batters to check for proper kosher certification.

Q: A certain company sells many OU certified French fries, but some cuts of French fries do not carry the OU symbol. Was that a mistake? If not, how non-kosher could these French fries be?

A: Excellent question, if I do say so myself! French fries which do not bear the OU symbol should not be assumed to be kosher, despite the ingredient statement not containing any obvious non-kosher ingredients. The reason is that there are non-OU factories which make French fries on the same equipment that they use to make beef tallow and beef tallow flavored French fries. The equipment in these factories is 100 percent non-kosher, as is the oil which is used on this equipment. It is sometimes necessary for someone who used non-OU French fries to kasher the pan on which the French fries were cooked, so it is critical to check the label every time. Some OU companies maintain non-kosher facilities where SIMILAR (but never the exact same) product is made without kosher supervision. These companies may distribute and sell non-kosher French fries right next to the kosher ones in the same refrigerator case at the supermarket, so extra diligence is critical when buying French fries!

Q: How does OU make sure the non-kosher French fries never have the OU on them?

A: We have a several-pronged approach to this issue. Firstly, we make sure the factories understand how critical it is that OU products are never made in a non-OU plant, and that non-kosher items can never be made in the OU plant. Secondly, we have mashgichim visit the non-OU plants, to make sure no kosher items are found there. Thirdly, we regularly check UPC codes to make sure items authorized to be OU certified are only made in OU plants. In addition, customers who wish to “double check” that their French fries are kosher can visit http://www.oudirect.org and check our database to make sure the UPC code matches the one on our database. Grab your ketchup and enjoy!

Wednesday, June 01, 2011

Ask OU Kosher: “What’s Bugging You? Checking Veg. for Insects”

June 2011

By Rabbi David Bistricer

OU Kosher Rabbinic Coordinator

To submit questions for future columns, please send them to , or call the Kosher Consumer Hotline, at 212-613-8241.

“What’s Bugging You? Checking Vegetables for Insects”

Q: Are there any kashrut concerns with plain vegetables?

A: Yes. Different varieties of certain fresh or frozen vegetables could potentially contain insects, which are considered not kosher and prohibited. Vegetables that have this concern must be checked before they are prepared or consumed, to ensure that there aren’t any insects hiding in cracks, crevices, or grooves of the vegetable. Moreover, canned vegetables could potentially be cooked in equipment that also processes genuinely non-kosher products, such as pork and beans. Vegetables that are from Israel are also subject to additional requirements of mitzvos hateluyos be’aretz.

The prohibition of eating insects is very serious, as multiple Torah level transgressions are associated with consuming even a single insect.

Q: What types of vegetables need to be checked for insects? Which kinds do not require checking?

A: The vegetables that most commonly require checking are the green, leafy vegetables or herbs. This commonly includes, but is not limited to: asparagus, cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, lettuces (bibb, boston, iceberg, and romaine), and spinach. The herbs that are most often found to contain insects include, but are not limited to: basil, cilantro, dill and parsley. Berries, such as blackberries, raspberries, and strawberries also must be checked beforehand.

Some examples of produce that are assumed not to require checking are fruits, such as apples or pears, or vegetables, such as potatoes and tomatoes. There are others; this isn’t an exhaustive list.

Q: What determines whether a fruit, vegetable, or berry requires checking?

A: This depends on the likelihood that the produce could contain insects. If there is a halachically significant chance that a particular type of fruit, vegetable, or berry may contain insects, it must be checked. However, if the probability is considered halachically insignificant, even if the theoretical possibility exists, checking is not required.

What is considered halachically significant or insignificant is a point of dispute. The underlying assumption is that in order to be considered significant, the occurrence must be consistent and expected. Rav Yaakov Karliner in Mishkenos Yaakov suggested that a chance of 10% or greater is considered significant. Other authorities take a more stringent approach and set the standard at an even lower rate of consistency.

Q: What about dry goods, such as beans, nuts, pasta, and rice? Is there an insect issue?

A: In the U.S., generally speaking no, assuming that they are stored properly. If kept under dry and clean storage conditions, there should be no problem. However, if someone is concerned, they should check for any visible signs of damage or lacking cleanliness, which could also be a sign for insects.

In certain parts of the world, dry goods routinely develop storage pests and require checking.

Q: Is it necessary to use a magnifying glass or light box to check vegetables for insects?

A: There are varying opinions amongst authorities whether it’s necessary to use magnification. Many respected halachic authorities, such as Rav Shlomo Kluger in Tuv Taam VeDaas, Rav Avraham Danzig in Chochmas Adom, and Rav Moshe Feinstein in Igros Moshe, write that magnification is not necessary. Nevertheless, there are authorities that disagree. That is the opinion of Rav Yaakov Emden and Chazon Ish.

A light box is intended to provide a good source of light to facilitate checking. It’s a useful tool that gives ample light, which is understandably important if you are looking for something. If a light box is not used, vegetable checking must be done carefully in a well-lit area.

Q: Can anyone check vegetables for bugs? How does one become qualified?

A: Yes, with enough experience. It’s important to become accustomed to know what you are looking for. This can be done through a neighbor, friend or relative who has experience. But some people are actually able to intuitively pick up this skill quite well on their own. It takes time and patience, though.

There are books and manuals available about vegetable checking that can serve as excellent guides and are very helpful. The OU published a guide entitled, “The OU Guide to Checking Fruits, Vegetables and Berries.” The book may be obtained on the OU Press website, http://www.ou.org/oupress/category/1676, or by contacting the OU Kosher Consumer Hotline at
212- 613-8241.

Thursday, May 26, 2011

Thou Shalt Not Commit Adulteration: Guarding Against the Dilution of Juice

The mission statement for the Technical Committee for the Juice Products Association, the major trade association of the juice industry, states that it is “dedicated to a level playing field for products containing juice” which means, as the statement goes on to say, that they “develop and validate methods for authenticating juice and juice products.”

The committee exists in response to the age-old problem of juice adulteration, which usually involves diluting “pure” fruit juice with other ingredients. Those ingredients may be water or sugar or sweeteners, as well as juices that are cheaper than the one being sold.

From a kosher perspective, the most serious concern is the (illicit) addition of non-kosher grape juice to a more expensive juice, such as pomegranate, raspberry, or cranberry juice that is marketed as “pure.” The incentive to adulterate is offset, of course, by the fact that adulteration is illegal. A tarnished name, especially in close-knit markets, can be enough to send a company into bankruptcy. Further, if a product is being touted as medicinal or therapeutic, a company will think twice before playing games.

Nonetheless, adulteration does take place. How would it be identified?

Contemporary laboratories have various methods to determine, or possibly determine, whether a juice product that claims to be one hundred percent juice is in fact that. Doing so requires the development of a “fingerprint” for that juice, which involves compiling a comprehensive database of a specific variety of juice and, based on that information, establishing a standard, or chemical profile,. That standard will be based on organic acids, sugars, proteins, and other constituents of a juice. Samples of juices that do not conform to the projection of what the juice ought to look like may be interpreted as being adulterated. To take a simple example: If the glucose content in a sample of apple juice exceeds the amount of glucose that is naturally in apple juice, a lab would conclude that glucose has been added to the apple juice.

The marker, or indicator, for grape juice is tartaric acid. Grape juice is rich in tartaric acid. Few other juices have any, and most have none.

There is no reported tartaric acid in raspberry juice. If a laboratory test on a sample of raspberry juice yielded the presence of tartaric acid, the laboratory would likely conclude that a) the raspberry juice has been adulterated and b) grape juice is the adulterant.

A juice’s “fingerprint” can also be developed through analysis of its pigment. Anthocyanins are a class of pigments that are red, purple, or blue. Grape juice has a distinctive anthocyanin profile (and that profile will differ depending on the variety). Pomegranate, raspberry, or strawberry juice each have a distinctive anthocyanin profile.
Tartaric acid and specific anthocyanins are the primary, and perhaps only, indicators for the presence of grape juice in other juices.

When a juice bottler suspects competitors of wrongdoing (usually because the price of a product is too good to be true) it will hire outside laboratories to analyze the product. Such testing is crucial in today’s regulatory environment, in which governments have limited capacity to test doctored products and policing is largely a function of self-regulation of industry. Testing not only discourages competitors from wrongdoing. It is a tool of quality assurance insofar as a corrupted or doctored product, even when it is someone else’s, can be disruptive for an entire industry.

It is important to note that the conclusions laboratories make are interpretations of data. The interpretations, to be sure, are based on norms hammered out through available literature and through discussions of, for example, the Juice Products Association’s technical committee. The presence of a non-conforming piece of data is not, however, proof-positive of adulteration. For example, high tartaric acid content in a sample of pomegranate juice could be interpreted to mean that grape juice is present in the sample. That conclusion would be based on the logic that there is no tartaric acid in pomegranate juice, and the only likely source for tartaric acid is grape juice.

What if, however, the database used to compile the chemical profile (the “fingerprint”) of pomegranate juice was not adequately comprehensive? What if the pomegranates used for the data were only of some varieties, and not others? Or only grew in certain types of soil, and not another? Or what if tartaric acid could be supplied from another juice, other than grape?

Generally, of course, laboratory interpretations are credible, or are thought to be credible in court. Recently, a juice company successfully sued another juice company for selling fraudulent product. The evidence used as basis for the judgment was the consensual conclusion of seven independent labs of wrong-doing. The defendant was severely penalized.

The global supply chain has created new challenges for beverage, food, and flavor manufacturers who expect the commodities they receive to cohere completely with the specifications they set forth to their suppliers. The most effective way to avoid problems with suppliers is to develop close-knit and long-term relationships with them.

Laboratory testing is not a great way to make sure your suppliers remain honest. But it is an important technique to be aware of, and invoking it from time to time is a way to make sure your product is exactly what it claims to be.

Rabbi Gavriel Price services the transportation, ingredients, and flavors industries at the Orthodox Union. He received rabbinic ordination from Breuer’s Rabbinical School in New York and a degree from Reed College, Portland, OR. A frequent contributor to BTUS, his “Vanilla, Hurricane Huddah, and the OU Flavor Department,” appeared in the Summer 2010 issue.

Filling a Void in a Deep Gorge

Filling a Void in a Deep Gorge: Gorge Estate Vineyards of Washington State Enables Royal Wine to Enter New Territory for Premium Kosher Wines

Wine lovers who keep kosher have been fortunate enough to have kosher wines available from many of the premier wine producing regions of the world. Bordeaux and Burgundy in France, Spanish Rioja, Australian Shiraz and the wonderful wines of Italy to name a few. But kosher wine lovers don’t end their quest for wine with the traditional wine regions — they seek out wine from more obscure locations such as South Africa, Portugal, Hungary and New Zealand.

Adding to their impressive portfolio of wines from around the world (yes, they import kosher wines from South Africa, Portugal and Hungary) Royal Wine Corporation, the largest importer, producer and distributor of kosher wines in North America, set out to produce Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand —hailed as among the best regions for this famed grape.

Around the same time, a New Zealand winemaker, Philip Jones, had a chance meeting with a California winemaker who had done some contract work for Royal Wine Corporation. Ever the entrepreneur, Mr. Jones realized that nobody was making kosher wines in New Zealand and began his research by talking to a rabbi in Wellington who was involved in certifying kosher foods. Ultimately, Jones met with representatives from Royal Wine in New York and the Goose Bay brand was born.

On the heels of five successful years in New Zealand (a Southern Hemisphere country where the grape harvest generally takes place between January and March) and high ratings by Wine Spectator, The Wall Street Journal and many Jewish and non-Jewish wine critics, Philip Jones sought to fill yet another void in the kosher wine marketplace. Together with his wife, Sheryl, and with cooperation from Royal Wine Corporation, the Jones’ established Gorge Estate Vineyards and winery, located on Underwood Mountain, in the Columbia Gorge in Washington State.

Unlike the New Zealand, facility the Washington winery will be a dedicated kosher winery. It has a capacity of about 7,000 cases. The plan is to start slowly with the inaugural vintage and produce about 2,500 cases from 2010, with plans to ramp up production as the brand becomes established.

These will be the first premium kosher wines made in the Pacific Northwest and will include a Walla Walla (Washington) Cabernet Sauvignon, a Washington Cabernet-Merlot and a Willamette Valley (Oregon) Pinot Noir. The first release will be the Oregon Pinot Noir, with release projection of mid- 2012.

The Orthodox Union, the world’s most respected kosher certification agency, will oversee all aspects of the wine production. The Jones’ and Royal Wine look forward to this first vintage and the ability to provide premium kosher wines from the Pacific Northwest to the world.