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Sweet-Talk: Inside the Kosher Bakery
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By: Rabbi Yisroel Bendelstein
Parenthetically, the OU will not certify a product as kosher if the facility where it is produced maintains both kosher and non-kosher versions of one or more of the product’s ingredients. An example of this would be a cheese cracker made with kosher cheddar cheese that won’t receive certification because non-kosher cheddar cheese is used in the same facility for a non-kosher product. Similarly, the OU will not certify a product as pareve if the facility stores a dairy ingredient that may accidentally be used in the pareve product. Hence, a chocolate chip cookie that is made with pareve chocolate chips will not be certified pareve if a dairy chocolate chip is used in the same plant for another product.
In view of this, even products that aren’t OU certified are still integral to the entire kosher program. Thus, if a company is changing the formula of one of its products—even if the product is not certified kosher—the OU will still need to review the list of ingredients. This policy is especially relevant to bakeries where recipes are constantly tested in order to develop new products.
How the Rework Works
To maximize efficiency, many bakeries “rework” surplus dough or batter from one product for use in another. (It’s like using leftover pasta at one meal for a tuna casserole at another.) As this rework is comparable to its “parent” in texture, color and taste, there can be kosher concerns. Bakeries may rework dough from a dairy product for use in a pareve one or rework non-kosher dough for use in a kosher product. The OU uses a variety of controls to prevent such situations from occurring.
