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Dairy Products
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Retail Dairy Products: Whats, Hows and Whys
Previous installments in this series have investigated dairy foods from the perspective of the posek, mashgiach and kashrus administrator. We delved into halachic and highly-technical material, attempting to gain insight into the many complexities of dairy kashrus.This presentation will address the kashrus of dairy products from a different perspective – that of the retail consumer, who shops the aisles and seeks practical advice and a basic, yet firm understanding of which dairy products do and do not pose kashrus concerns, how these concerns affect the kashrus of the products, and why the consumer should or should not exercise caution when purchasing these products.
It should be noted that although much of the information will be presented in brief – as this is a practical guide and not a research paper - this forum provides us with the flexibility to include some interesting products which heretofore were not addressed at all in previous installments of this series.
One more point: Consumers occasionally assume that the presence of an OUD symbol on a dairy product – especially milk - indicates that the product is chalav Yisrael (made from specially-supervised milk). Such products are not chalav Yisrael unless stated specifically on the label. The OU, as well as most national kashrus agencies, relies on the position formulated in Igros Moshe (YD 1:47-49) which rules that regular domestic commercial milk (in the United States and most developed countries) is acceptable. That having been said, OU-certified products which do bear a chalav Yisrael statement are produced with the most meticulous chalav Yisrael standards and are often supervised in active partnership with other well-respected kashrus agencies which cater exclusively to the chalav Yisrael consumer base. This presentation follows general OU dairy policy, but – as you will see - the issues addressed in the vast majority of the discussion pertain to chalav Yisrael products as well.
Enough introduction – let’s begin:
Milk
For those who consume chalav stam (regular commercial milk without special rabbinic supervision): Unflavored whole, skim and low-fat milk in the refrigerated section of one’s supermarket may be purchased without any kosher certification in the United States and most developed countries.
Although dairies which pasteurize, homogenize and bottle milk are at times also shared by kosher-sensitive products, there are several factors which alleviate concerns posed by possible sharing of equipment by milk and other products.
1. Use of regular milk production lines for other products is not the norm.
2. Milk plants’ “Cleaning In Place” (“CIP”) sanitization systems serves to kasher or nullify the effects of equipment’s shared use with other products.
3. Even in a situation where another product is manufactured on the milk line, the residual taste of other products in milk, if any, is (PLEASE KEEP IN WORD “OFTEN”) negative (nosain ta’am li-f’gam), resulting in no ta’am issur (prohibited absorbed taste) in the milk. (See Yoreh Deah siman 103.)
Commercial milk contains vitamins A and D. [how often are these not kosher?]Although these vitamins may be kosher-sensitive – as they can derive from non-kosher fish oil -, they are used in extremely miniscule quantities and do not affect the kosher status of the milk.
It must be noted that any milk which bears an OUD symbol means that the OU visits the milk facility and assures that the production equipment is either dedicated exclusively to milk or is formally kashered for milk production. Presence of the OUD symbol on milk also indicates that all vitamins in the milk are kosher. (The OU does not rely on bittul – halachic nullification – in its certification, and the appearance of an OU symbol indicates that an OU mashgiach personally visits the production facility on an ongoing basis to verify the kashrus of the certified product, even if it is milk, bottled water, or any other innocuous food.)
Flavored milk, such as chocolate milk, always needs hashgacha (kosher supervision). Aside from the not-so-innocuous flavors used, flavored milks also utilize stabilizers (kosher-sensitive ingredients which contribute to smooth texture) and sweeteners. Egg nog likewise needs reliable kosher certification, sharing the same concerns as flavored milk (and it also requires kosher-sensitive egg nog flavor or base).
Juice, Punch, Iced Coffee and Iced Tea
These products are often manufactured at dairies. The reason for this is that these beverages are usually pasteurized (heat-treated to destroy harmful bacteria), and their packaging requirements are similar to those of milk. Since these pasteurization and packaging requirements are somewhat compatible, dairies find it efficient (and profitable) to share their equipment with production of these non-dairy beverages.
In theory, pure orange, grapefruit and apple juice are always kosher (unless they are from Eretz Yisrael, in which case Terumah and Ma’aser must be taken). However, dairies which process these juices often share lines with various other products (most notably non-kosher grape juice and – of course - milk). Although the three rationales presented earlier which permit milk to be purchased without hashgacha apply here, the various factors involved in the case of juice production (such as the likelihood of non-kosher grape juice sharing juice equipment and the potential use of juice lines for other beverages) may be reason for the consumer to exercise caution. If one does purchase orange, grapefruit or apple juice without kosher certification, it is important to be sure that there are no additives. Ruby red grapefruit juice often has non-kosher carmine color added.
Iced tea and iced coffee contain various additives and need reliable hashgacha.
Punch is a blend of juices, flavors and often colors, and it needs kosher certification. (Punch frequently contains non-kosher grape juice or is made on equipment shared with non-kosher grape juice.)
Long Shelf-Life Beverages
Unlike refrigerated beverages, long shelf-life milk and juice box beverages are much more prone to share equipment with various other dairy and non-kosher products. These items are aseptically pasteurized at extremely high temperatures, and the plants which manufacture them are commonly multi-functional facilities which frequently process anything and everything – from milk to chicken broth to grape juice to (non-kosher pork and beef) gelatin-based confectioneries. Although the actual aseptic pasteurizer is sterilized at very high temperatures, related equipment is often not cleaned at temperatures which kasher, and caustic solution (to be pogem (embitter) non-kosher absorbed flavor and render it null) is often not used between all products. One should not purchase long shelf-life beverages without reliable certification.
Buttermilk
Most retail buttermilk is not at all the same as natural buttermilk, which is derived from the production of butter. Retail buttermilk is milk which is inoculated with lactic acid, and it may contain non-kosher emulsifiers or stabilizers. Please never purchase without reliable hashgacha!
Powdered Milk
Fluid milk is dried into powder on equipment called “spray-dryers”. In order for it to be instantly soluble, powdered milk is agglomerated, meaning that the powder’s particles are lumped together with moisture. This enables them to dissolve better into water. The equipment used for drying milk into powder and for agglomerating it is often shared with non-kosher foods; therefore, powdered milk should always be bought with kosher certification.
Condensed Milk
This product is often sold in small cans reading “Sweetened Condensed Milk”, and is particularly useful in many baking applications. Although it is not loaded with ingredients, it does require hashgacha. Here is why:
When products are condensed, much of their excess water is removed, thereby forming a concentrated version of the original product. Condensers (often referred to as “evaporators”) vacuum water out of liquids and operate at very high temperatures. Evaporators at dairies and other types of plants are often shared by a variety of different products and are not sanitized in a manner which constitutes a kashering. Hence, when purchasing condensed products, seek out those which bear a reliable hechsher (kosher symbol).
Half and Half
Half and half is presumed by some consumers to be automatically kosher. These consumers reason that since half and half is half milk and half cream, which are of course kosher, one can use half and half without concern. Whereas consumer presumptions are sometimes accurate, this one is surely not!
Half and half – from a kashrus perspective - suffers from two maladies:
1. Cream (dairy fat) is not always kosher. There are two types of cream: sweet cream, which is derived from milk (and is kosher), and whey cream, which is derived from cheese-making. Whey cream is often non-kosher, and the cream in many dairy products can be in the form of pure whey cream or a blend of sweet cream and whey cream.
2. Half and half contains emulsifiers which enable the milk and cream to mix properly. These emulsifiers may be animal-derived.
Bottom line: Half and half is not innocuous. Its kashrus needs a thorough interrogation and must be certified by a reliable agency.
Nutritional Fluids (Protein Beverages, Infant Formulas)
If you thought that half and half posed potential problems, wait ‘til you find out what these nutritional products contain.
Protein beverages usually contain casein – the predominant protein in milk, which is spray-dried into powder, and they also often contain whey proteins - which come from cheese-making. The casein in these products is usually spray-dried twice: once when converting it from its liquid state into a powder, and again after it is rehydrated and made into a soluble casein salt called a caseinate. The drying equipment used for casein/caseinate may be shared with anything, thus making casein/caseinate a kosher-sensitive product.
Whey is even more sensitive from a kashrus standpoint. Whey can become non-kosher in any of three ways (pardon the bad pun):
1. The cheese from which the whey is derived was made with non-kosher animal-based rennet (the enzyme which forms milk into cheese). Non-kosher rennet forms the cheese and whey and is a davar ha-ma’amid (an ingredient which gives form) in both the cheese and whey and is never batel (nullified) in them when non-kosher (ShuT Chasam Sofer Yoreh Deah 79), even though the amount of rennet used in cheese-making is very minute.
2. The whey is derived from cheese made at hot temperatures. As we will address later, cheese made without special on-site kosher supervision is deemed non-kosher; it is called “Gevinas Akum”. However, the whey which derives from Gevinas Akum is not per se non-kosher, as whey is the portion of the milk which did not become converted into cheese, and it is therefore not subject to the unique kosher stringencies of cheese. If otherwise-kosher whey has hot contact with Gevinas Akum, the whey is rendered non-kosher as well, just as any kosher food which has hot contact with a non-kosher substance becomes non-kosher. (Among the more common hot-temperature cheeses are some varieties of Swiss, plus Parmesan and Romano. It should also be noted that some Dutch and Scandinavian cheeses undergo a hot wash in their vats, along with their whey, right after these cheeses are produced. This process renders the whey non-kosher, as it causes the hot absorption of non-kosher cheese taste into the whey.)
3. The whey comes from Mozzarella or Provolone cheese production. Although these cheeses are not coagulated with very high levels of heat, they are transferred from their vats after coagulation to a hot cheese cooker. While being cooked, these cheeses are stretched and pulled, endowing them with an elastic texture, making them ideal for melting into Italian dishes. The cooker's water (now full of taste, fat and assorted residue from these non-kosher cheeses) is commonly salvaged and incorporated into whey, making the whey non-kosher.
Whey is clearly a kashrus minefield, and any product containing it needs very tight hashgacha.
Now that we have dealt with powdered milk, condensed milk, casein/caseinates and whey, touching upon emulsifiers as well, we are ready to address infant formulas - as they contain all of these ingredients and more. There is no rationale for purchasing uncertified infant formulas, as the kashrus risks they pose are immense. In the event of lack of availability of kosher formulas (or nutritional supplements, for those who truly require them), the consumer must consult a competent halachic authority for guidance.
Yogurt
The manufacture of yogurt begins with milk, plus the frequent addition of condensed skim milk and skim milk powder (to lower fat ratios) and cream (to raise fat ratios). Stabilizers, such as gelatin, gums and starch are dosed in, and the product is pasteurized. Subsequently, the yogurt is cooled, and it is inoculated with cultures and kept warm for several hours. Fruit blends and flavors are also commonly incorporated into the product.
It is clear that yogurt needs reliable kashrus certification. The potential use of cream (which may contain non-kosher whey cream), condensed skim milk and skim milk powder (which may be processed on non-kosher equipment) themselves warrant vigilance. Gelatin,- unless specially ordered as kosher and bearing reliable hashgacha - is from non-kosher animal sources, even when identified as ‘kosher gelatin’. Yogurt fruit blends sometimes contain carmine color, which is a deep red shade extracted from beetles. Yogurt cultures may be grown from non-kosher nutrients and may be processed in culture laboratories on equipment shared with all types of things (including proteins from animal organs). Unlike many dairy products which in previous times were often somewhat innocuous in terms of kashrus, yogurt was never considered to be free of kosher concerns even in its most simple, primitive form. Bottom line: don't purchase yogurt without a good hechsher.
Ice Cream
Ice cream is made from a base of cream, which - like yogurt - often includes skim milk powder and condensed skim milk to control fat ratios. The base (referred to as a "mix" in ice cream plants) is pasteurized and cooled, and stabilizers (to prevent ice cream from turning into ice crystals) and sweeteners are added. The mix is whipped (to incorporate air into the mix, so that it is not a heavy, think ice cube-like chunk), and flavors, variegates (soft syrupy materials, like fudge and caramel) and particulates (bits and pieces, such as nuts and chips) may be added. The ice cream is then immediately frozen.
Clearly, the cream, condensed skim milk and skim milk powder are issues, as are the stabilizers, variegates and particulates. There is no need to elaborate here on the need to only purchase ice cream with reliable kosher certification.
Sherbet and Sorbet
No, these are not two ways to spell the same product. Sherbet and sorbet are very different foods, and their differing halachic status is critical (yet sadly sometimes overlooked).
Sherbet (according to the legal definition, per the US Food & Drug Administration) is dairy dessert which has 1-2% dairy content. Sherbet is milchig, similar to ice cream, but the majority of its ingredients are fruit bases and flavors.
On the other hand, sorbet is officially a non-dairy frozen dessert. Because the words “sherbet” and “sorbet” sound similar, some consumers mistakenly assume that sherbet is a pareve food. By definition, sherbet is dairy.
Both sherbet and sorbet require kosher certification. Here is why:
Sherbet often contains skim milk powder and condensed skim milk. Both sherbet and sorbet contain stabilizers, which provide smoothness of texture and prevent the product from forming into ice crystals. Fruit bases, flavors and artificial colors used in sherbet and sorbet are likewise kosher-sensitive. In order to enable the various components of sherbet and sorbet to blend properly, emulsifiers are often used. As noted earlier, emulsifiers can be animal-derived. This is serious stuff…
Although the FDA defines sorbet as non-dairy, Halacha occasionally begs to differ. While in theory, sorbet should be pareve, and much of the sorbet on the market is indeed pareve, some sorbet is certified as dairy – even though it contains no actual milk. Why is this?
Two things can render sorbet dairy from a halachic point of view:
1. Production on dairy equipment: Sorbet is almost always manufactured on equipment used for ice cream. This equipment is often not koshered when transitioning from ice cream to sorbet, and the sorbet made after ice cream is therefore considered to be dairy. (One can eat such sorbet after a meat dish, but it may not be consumed with meat. It is halachically classified as “Nat bar Nat”, as it has absorbed dairy taste but no physical dairy content. See Remo in Yoreh Deah 95:2.)
2. Actual dairy content: Some sorbet ingredients may have dairy content. For example, berry flavors can contain milk, which provides for smooth mouthfeel.
Coffee Creamers
To the surprise of many, creamers are truly just about anything but cream. Although they may contain cream, these products are loaded with emulsifiers, starches, sweeteners, and often caseinates. It is quite common for such products to have no cream and to therefore bear on their packaging "Non-Dairy Creamer", while they really contain caseinates, which are purely dairy. The reason for this apparent deception is that casein is not manufactured in the United States, and the US dairy lobby - which seeks to keep casein out of the country and promote the use of domestic milk powder instead - has succeeded in compelling food labeling regulations which attempt to sway consumers away from products which contain casein and caseinates. These products are thus termed "non-dairy", so that consumers will have the impression that the products are not natural and contain some type of artificial chemical imposter rather than real, natural dairy ingredients.
Kosher consumers occasionally see "non-dairy" creamers INSERT “AND” assume that they are pareve. Unless these products (which obviously need hashgacha) bear a "pareve" symbol, they must be treated as dairy.
Butter
Traditionally, butter was made by taking a bucket of sweet cream and churning it, so that its fat coalesced and clumped together (into butter), and the excess liquid (buttermilk) was removed. Because milk from non-kosher animals does not churn into butter, many halachic authorities ruled that butter is exempt from the requirement of chalav Yisrael and that butter, therefore, can be purchased from anyone. (See Rambam Hilchos Maachalos Asuros 3:16 and Shulchan Aruch Yoreh Deah 115:3.)
For the most part, times have changed. Butter is often made from whey cream or from blends of sweet cream and whey cream; some butter, more common in Europe than in the US, contains cultures, and Europe also has something called "traced butter", which contains food-grade chemical tracers which can inform the recipient of the butter's cream source; these tracers are often non-kosher. Furthermore, butter often contains starter distillate, which is a flavor agent derived from whey and milk condensate. In short, butter today is markedly more complex than in the days of Chazal.
In theory, if one could determine that butter in a certain location were only made from sweet cream and had no additives, such butter would be kosher and would not require certification. European Union dairy regulations bar butter plants from manufacturing sweet cream and whey cream butter under the same roof. If one could ascertain that an EU butter plant is a sweet cream facility and that no additives are used, there is room to permit such butter without hashgacha. The problem is that one usually needs a kosher certification agency to make such verification; it is therefore not practical or accurate to say that one can purchase butter from EU facilities without hashgacha.
In the US, butter is graded according to its purity of taste and mouthfeel. AA grade butter is bland and smooth, while lower grade butter is more tangy and may be rougher to the palate. Some have argued that AA butter may be purchased without kosher certification, as only sweet cream can provide purity and blandness of taste (and AA butter does not contain starter distillate). Whey cream, which comes from cheese production, is naturally more tangy and flavorful. The truth is that even AA grade butter can contain some whey cream, so long as the whey cream doesn't detract from a pure and bland taste. The OU therefore does not accept or endorse butter without reliable hashgacha.
Hard Cheese
As noted earlier, Chazal forbade cheese which was not manufactured with supervision. (See Avodah Zarah 29b and 35a, Rambam Hilchos Ma'achalos Asuros 3:13 and Shulchan Aruch Yoreh Deah 115:2.) Although the Amora'im in the Gemara present various rationales for this ban (AZ 35a and 35b), the rationale advanced by Shmuel - that we fear that unsupervised cheese may have been coagulated via rennet from the stomach of a neveilah (non-kosher slaughtered) animal - is adopted by the Rambam and Shulchan Aruch. The Shulchan Aruch rules that even if one knows that a certain cheese was not manufactured with non-kosher rennet, such cheese is nonetheless totally prohibited. This is the Halacha.
The Remo (YD ibid.) rules that for a cheese to be kosher, there must be supervision; the mashgiach thereby verifies that only kosher enzymes were used. However, the Shach (ibid. s.k. 20) and the Gra (ibid. s.k. 14) argue with the Remo and postulate that the supervisor must himself physically add the (kosher) rennet to the milk to form the cheese. These authorities maintain that the requirement for Gevinas Yisrael is akin to those of Pas Yisrael and Bishul Yisrael, such that there be physical action by the Yisrael in creating the food. Many poskim rule like the Remo and several rule like the Shach and the Gra; most recognized kashrus agencies are careful to make sure that both opinions are satisfied when certifying cheese.
It is imperative that consumers know that all hard cheese requires reliable hashgacha. It is unfortunate that many cheeses bear unreliable kosher symbols – some of which appear to be very elaborate, religious-heimishe hechsherim – but are actually representative of agencies which have inferior standards (such as relying on an extreme minority opinion – rejected by most Rishonim and poskim - that hard cheese does not need a mashgiach present – see Remo in Yoreh Deah ibid. s. 2), [ can you give examples of lower standards?]or represent agencies with a lack of adequate and trained mashgichim. Never purchase cheese unless you are fully sure that the agency which certifies it is reliable and maintains acceptable halachic and supervisory standards. Cheese without proper hashgacha is Gevinas Akum and is considered by Halacha to be wholly non-kosher, even if its ingredients are themselves kosher.
Soft Cheese
Some poskim rule that even soft cheese, such as cream cheese and cottage cheese, is subject to the special Gevinas Yisrael requirements explained earlier, and that lack of fulfillment of these requirements renders such cheese Gevinas Akum. Other poskim hold that only hard cheese is encumbered by these special regulations, but that soft cheese is automatically kosher so long as its ingredients are kosher and it was made on kosher equipment. (See Aruch Ha-Shulchan YD 115:16, Chochmas Odom 53:38 and Igros Moshe YD 2:45.) The OU and most national kashrus agencies adopt the latter position.
Regardless of the position adopted, soft cheese does have many basic kosher issues. Many soft cheeses (cream cheese in particular) use cream as an important ingredient. Soft cheeses utilize many stabilizers, necessary for a smooth and uniform texture. (For example, cottage cheese is often thickened by using gelatin, and cream cheese is made dense and smooth by the use of powdered gums.) Whey powder is likewise a common additive in the manufacture of these products. Thus, even if one does not require Gevinas Yisrael for soft cheese, it cannot be purchased without kosher certification, due to its many kosher-sensitive ingredients.
(It should be emphasized that the terms "hard cheese" and "soft cheese" are not precise. What we call "hard cheese" refers to cheese which can only be made by using rennet - which itself can be animal-derived or artificial. Some rennet-set cheeses (such as Danish bleu cheese, feta and many goat milk cheeses) are indeed soft to the feel but are classified as Gevinas Akum in the absence of rabbinic supervision or involvement, as these cheeses require rennet to form. "Soft cheeses" are those which coagulate via acidification; no rennet is needed. These acid-set cheeses are often actually hard, but they are not subject to the rules of Gevinas Yisrael and Gevinas Akum according to many authorities, as they do not use rennet and were therefore never included in the gezeirah (rabbinic decree) on cheese.)
Imitation Cheese
There are two types of imitation cheese. One type is totally not a cheese product; rather, it is a concoction of soy, oils, flavors and stabilizers. This type of imitation cheese may also contain dairy ingredients. In any case, its many ingredients are quite kosher-sensitive, and kosher certification of such product is necessary.
A second type of imitation cheese is made from rennet casein. Rennet casein is milk's casein protein when curdled via rennet, exactly like rennet-set cheese. Rennet casein has the same halachic status as hard cheese. Imitation cheese made from rennet casein surely requires tight hashgacha.
Imitation cheese of all types is made at very high temperatures and is often made on equipment shared with non-kosher products. Supervision of these items commonly entails kashering and very careful monitoring by the mashgiach.
It is interesting that kosher rennet-set cheese and imitation cheese made from rennet casein is more costly than its non-kosher counterpart. This is because the cost of the full-time on-site rabbinic supervision which is necessary to manufacture these products as kosher is passed on to the consumer (as is the case with kosher meat and wine, which likewise require full-time on-site rabbinic supervision). Kosher-certified acid-set cheese (and some imitation cheese which does not contain rennet casein - when made in all-kosher facilities) is not usually more expensive than non-kosher varieties of these items, as full-time on-site supervision is often not needed.
The kosher concerns of retail dairy products are many and complex. It is hoped that this presentation assists in clarifying these concerns and assisting in their understanding on a practical level.
Rabbi Gordimer is a Rabbinic Coordinator at the Orthodox Union, and specializes in dairy products.
Dairy Products • Consumer Kosher • (1) Comments •
Monday, December 31, 2007
Cabot Quality Gets Stronger with OU Kosher Cheese
Kosher has its roots in Judaism, but its future has a much broader audience, as the term has come to be synonymous with quality. And in today’s America, with food safety recalls occurring on what seems to be a regular basis, many Americans are turning to well-recognized kosher certifiers such as the Orthodox Union for the reassurance they need to once again have faith in their food supply.
For Jew or non-Jew, OU kosher certification is all about quality through purity. Such foods are produced under the strictest of standards, providing a safeguard against the presence of food-related illnesses. In fact, the kosher rules on hygienic preservation make certification a quality control seal.
Sharp and Certified
With the demand for kosher in America at an all-time high, and showing no signs of abating, Cabot Creamery Cooperative of Vermont now offers Cabot OU Kosher Sharp Cheddar directly to consumers through their catalog and online store. “Our Sharp Vermont Cheddar was a blue-ribbon winner again at the most recent World Championships. Given the demand for upscale kosher hard cheese, it makes sense to offer ‘The World’s Best Cheddar’ with Orthodox Union certification,” says Clay Whitney, direct marketing manager at Cabot.
Cabot Creamery Cooperative has been in continuous operation in Vermont since 1919 and makes a full line of traditional, specialty, reduced-fat and flavored Cheddars, as well as butter and cultured dairy products. Best known as makers of “The Worlds Best Cheddar,” Cabot is owned by the dairy farm families of Agri-Mark, the Northeast’s premier dairy cooperative.
Cabot’s OU Kosher Sharp Cheddar is aged for about eight months. The initial production debuted in 2005 and was well received, especially by the kosher community. The company doubled its production in 2007 to meet demand. “Consumers frequently contact me to learn more about the Cabot OU Sharp Cheddar,” adds Whitney. “People want to know where they can buy it and when another batch will be made.” The next batch, which is also certified Kosher for Passover, will be available in late January 2008.
Cabot Kosher Sharp Cheddar is available in random weight deli bars weighing approximately 10 ounces each. These bars are clearly marked with OU’s hologram sticker. Due to its limited production and unique customer base, Cabot sells the OU Kosher Sharp Cheddar online to both retail and wholesale customers only via its mail order website (www.shopcabot.com).
As is the case with all kosher hard cheese, Cabot’s OU Kosher Sharp Cheddar is made on an exclusive production basis, explains Rabbi Andrew Gordimer, rabbinic coordinator at the OU. The OU rabbinic field representative (RFR) goes to Cabot’s cheese plant for each production run of the cheese seeking OU certification. He supervises the entire production of the cheese, from milk receiving to when the curd is packed and sealed into blocks for the aging room. “The RFR activates the coagulation process by adding the rennet to each vat. This is stipulated by kosher regulations,” says Rabbi Gordimer.
The RFR marks every block of cheese prior to aging. No one touches that cheese until it is ready for cutting and packaging. The RFR comes back to supervise that final step in the manufacturing process.
“Since Cabot Creamery is considered a mixed cheese plant, meaning not all products are certified kosher by OU, each block of OU-certified cheese must bear a special OU hologram security seal. In compliance with OU label policy, which precludes certification of kosher and non-kosher products with the same exact label and brand name, Cabot developed special labels for this product, which accommodate the hologram seals and note that the product is not certified unless the holograms are present,” explained Rabbi Gordimer.
Whitney elaborated on the utility of Cabot’s hologram system. “This provides added authenticity for the consumer. An identical system is being developed for the kosher meat industry as well.”
“This is the only national brand Cheddar we certify,” Rabbi Gordimer says. “Cabot’s Cheddar is renowned and is the recipient of cheese awards throughout the world and it is quite novel for there to exist an OU variety of an item that would otherwise be totally inaccessible to the kosher market.”
Rich Stammer, president of Cabot Creamery, adds, “Our kosher products are in keeping with our commitment to provide our consumers with award-winning dairy products that fit their desires and lifestyles.”
The Booming Kosher Lifestyle
Stammer is definitely right on target with offering products for different consumer lifestyles. Today’s consumers want their individual preferences and needs met, and are willing to seek out products, even if that means special shopping trips, and higher prices.
The results of a study profiling kosher food shoppers by Cannondale Associates, Evanston, IL, shows that kosher consumers are not driven by deep discounts. Key findings include that there are many faces of the kosher consumer, not just one. They want broader selection of categories, not multiple brands. Kosher consumers also spend about $1,000 more annually than the average buyer. In other words, many types of consumers are seeking out kosher foods, and they are willing to pay for this quality seal. Manufacturers should heed this data and offer kosher consumers more variety.
“It is estimated that fewer than one-third of consumers who buy kosher are Jewish,” says Rabbi Eliyahu Safran, vice president of communications and marketing with the OU. “Other kosher consumers include Muslims, Seventh Day Adventists, vegetarians, people with various types of allergies and consumers who simply value the quality of kosher products.”
According to an annual kosher food company survey conducted by Lubicom LLC, a marketing consulting company based in Brooklyn, NY, kosher food companies are growing at a rate of 10 percent to 15 percent.
Supporting this research was the number of exhibitors featuring kosher foods and beverages at the 2007 Anuga food show in Cologne, Germany. This figure increased substantially since Anuga 2005, rising from 605 to 902. Held every other year in October, Anuga is the world’s largest food show. It’s where food and beverages marketers go to be recognized. It’s where trends are born. This year there were more than 6,607 exhibiting companies from 95 countries. For many, kosher is a very important element in their marketing program.
In the States, food and beverage marketers are finding that not all kosher labeling is created equal. A new survey indicates that the OU symbol is preferred by U.S. consumers. Jewish respondents consistently named OU their top choice for ensuring the food they purchase meets the most stringent kosher certification, while non-Jews perceived the OU to signify the highest level of product safety and cleanliness.
“This study confirms the tremendous value of kosher certification in general, and of OU certification in particular,” said Rabbi Moshe Elefant, Chief Operating Officer of OU Kosher. “These findings clearly show that the OU is the symbol most widely recognized and trusted by consumers, and demonstrates the power of OU certification as a highly marketable tool.”OU Senior Rabbinic Coordinator and Marketing and Communications Vice President Rabbi Dr. Eliyahu Safran, concludes, “No longer just gefilte fish and matzoh, kosher has long been mainstream in terms of the range of certified products available. Now we know that the OU certification is mainstream as well in terms of the diverse mix of consumers who actively seek it out. This study clearly demonstrates that whether they’re Jewish or non-Jewish, averse to eating meat or dairy, or simply want a healthy lifestyle, consumers reach for the OU before other kosher symbols to meet their dietary needs.”
The OU symbol, it’s a quality stamp for safety.
Donna Berry is an editor in the food formulating industry. She was on the staff of Dairy Foods for eight years, starting as technical editor and moving up to senior editor. In 2001 she opened her own consulting and communications firm, with Dairy Foods her largest client. She continues to write for Dairy Foods on the topics of new products, marketing, ingredients, packaging and technology, as well as for other non-dairy publications and associations. Prior to Dairy Foods, Donna worked in product development at Kraft Foods for three years. She has a B.S. in Food Science from the University of Illinois Champaign-Urbana and is a native of Chicago, where she currently resides with her husband, two sons and dog. Donna enjoys traveling, both domestically and abroad, and makes grocery store visits a priority in every city she visits, which enables her to stay on top of new product trends.
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ESP at DSP? How a State of the Art Automated System Revolutionized Dairy Processing
In the farm country of Reading, PA, a kosher wonder has been born. Created with what can only be termed “Kosher Intelligent Design,” Dietrich’s Specialty Processing, LLC has sharpened and reshaped the cutting edge of kosher systems, setting an example that is hard to match.
Dietrich’s Specialty Processing (hereafter referred to as “DSP” ) is the brainchild of Tom Dietrich and Robert Kline. Although it is in its final stages of construction, DSP opened for business in 2006 and has made quite an impact on the dairy and food ingredients industries. Featuring an array of dairy products (regular and organic milk, butter, buttermilk, cream, ice cream mixes) and innumerable spray-dried offerings, the plant is a one-stop dairy and spray-dried ingredients provider, fully integrated from head-to-toe. With two general processing rooms equipped with liquefiers and full pasteurization lines, a dairy room and two spray-drying systems — all brand new and fully interconnected — DSP has made major strides in the dairy and drying industries in a remarkably short time.
What really brings DSP to the attention of BTUS, however, is its OU program, which is unlike any other.
Prior to constructing DSP, its management — led by Jeff James, DSP’s operations manager — contacted Rabbi Richard Levine, the OU’s rabbinic field representative, for input on the design of a kosher system for the projected new plant, which would process dairy, non-dairy (pareve) and even non-kosher materials, and be kosherized with utmost ease. Mr. James had extensive experience and training on the intricacies of kosher programs, and he had previously worked with Rabbi Levine in such a format. Rabbi Levine and Mr. James labored, with the guidance and cooperation of OU Kosher headquarters, to create a system in which every piece of equipment was designed to be part of an automated, integrated kosherization protocol, with kosherization being part of the defining specifications of all plant mechanisms and operations.
For example, each of DSP’s three processing rooms was equipped with its own, fully-independent CIP system. The CIP automatically runs through each room’s entire piping line, pre-programmed to operate at kosherization temperatures as needed.
Similarly, the spray-dryers were designed to undergo kosherization via CIP, in which boiling water floods each chamber through high-power spray-balls, with the CIP water being automatically re-circulated through each drying system’s dedicated heat exchanger, from which the boiling water again flows through the spray-balls so as to establish a continuous kosherization loop in each chamber. This is an ideal, dream-like kosherization system for most plants; at DSP, it is part of everyday operations.
The most exciting facet of DSP’s kosherization is that it is a totally digital and web-based system.
But first, a very relevant story.
Last winter, when Rabbi Levine braved his way to Reading through a snowstorm to supervise kosherization at DSP, he jokingly remarked, “If only I could do this from home.” Mr. James and his colleagues at the company replied in unison, “You can!” How so? Please keep reading.
DSP’s computer system enables one logged in to the system to view the operation of every piece of equipment, with all details imaginable — temperatures, connections, holding information and more — all in blazing, high-resolution color. It is most similar to watching a video of the plant’s operations. Whereas in most similar facilities the RFR must be present for kosherization, DSP has enabled Rabbi Levine to log in from home and to monitor the plant’s operations at any time. Thus, he can supervise kosherization from out of the plant and be as informed and involved as an RFR or plant operator on the production floor or in the operations room!
Although Rabbi Levine normally supervises kosherization in person, he occasionally — without prior notice — will log in from elsewhere as kosherization is about to begin, suddenly letting the DSP staff know that today’s supervision will be done on-line. And so the kosherization proceeds, with the RFR’s supervision and guidance, working together through each step with the plant staff, as if the RFR were there in person.
There are many more aspects of DSP which are designed for optimum kosher-friendliness and usability.
DSP has already attracted a major clientele, and the list is growing. The OU hopes that DSP’s ultra-flexible kosher program has contributed at least in small measure to the attractiveness of doing business with DSP – and of course, with OU Kosher.
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From the President’s Desk: How Dietrich’s Dairy Became DSP
The Dietrich family started in the milk business in 1926 as Dietrich’s Dairy, a retail fluid milk products company. From that starting point, Dietrich’s Milk Products (DMP) was formed in 1952 to make milk powders. In 1969, Dietrich’s Dairy operations were discontinued and the family continued to own and operate DMP through 1998, at which point it was reorganized as an LLC (limited-liability company) with two large dairy cooperatives as equal partners with the family.
Starting in 1990, Tom Dietrich and DSP’s key management and processing staff began to develop DSP’s specialty food ingredients processing business while at DMP. Since 1998, DMP’s two older dairy processing facilities and a growing need to focus energies and staff on supporting the unpredictable milk marketing activities of the dairy cooperatives made it very difficult and expensive to service the growing needs of this specialty processing business.
DMP’s inability to adequately serve this market led to the formation of DSP in 2005. In many respects, DSP represents a logical evolution of the family’s role in the dairy and food ingredient spray drying industries.
In choosing a site and planning the DSP facility, we designed to be able to efficiently shift between or simultaneously process under organic and non-organic, kosher pareve, kosher dairy and non-kosher conditions. Secondly, we designed for the flexibility to efficiently and safely process an ever growing list of food allergens. Finally, we incorporated a control system to allow us to accomplish all this work with a minimum of staff, yet still be able to provide adequate documentation that all processing, cleaning and kosherizing was completed according to established protocols.
Kline Process Systems, Inc. (KPS) provided the design, equipment selection, process layout and automated process control systems for the DSP facility. (KPS was formed in 1990 and is jointly owned by Bob Kline and Tom Dietrich.) KPS provided a critical role in the development of these specialty processing capabilities for both DMP and DSP. In addition to creating the wireless process control environment for the facility, KPS staff created the ability for the OU to “remotely supervise” the processing and koshering activities.
DSP’s custom blending and spray drying capabilities include conventional and organic dairy powders, infant formula powders, sweetener powders, nutritional ingredients, soy powders, and meat, vegetable and dairy flavor powders. DSP can also produce conventional and organic fluid milk products and butter.
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Friday, October 19, 2007
Milk Products
Milk is the most basic source of all that is dairy. Milk is also pretty basic from a kashrus perspective; so long as it is not cholov beheimah temei’ah (milk from a non-kosher species) or cholov akum (milk which is unsupervised or of unverified origin), milk is always kosher. Thus, most dairy materials made directly from milk would appear to be simple from a kashrus standpoint.
However, there is a second, perhaps more common source of dairy materials and by-products: cheese. The cheese-making process yields by-products which serve as essential and very common dairy materials and components.
Thus, there is a conceptual bi-directional chain of dairy materials manufacture: milk is developed or elevated to cheese, and cheese becomes a source of dairy components and by-products.
Although milk may appear to be a simple and innocuous item, its constitution is extremely complex. This complexity attests to the Creator’s purposeful planning, such that each facet of milk serves a specific goal and is clearly intended to be used for special and often sophisticated processes. Let’s take a look.
Milk is a wondrous compound of water, fat, proteins, sugar, minerals and bacteria. Milk’s water – referred to in technical dairy literature as its aqueous phase – is the venue where the balance of the above materials is suspended.
Fat floats through the aqueous phase in the form of globules; these fat globules miraculously do not stick together, as they are covered with a membrane which prevents their adhesion.
The protein which is suspended in milk’s aqueous phase takes two general forms – casein and whey. Casein is the predominant protein in milk, and it is present as microscopic micelles – particles. Casein micelles are hydrophobic – they do not like to be in water; they therefore seek to separate from the aqueous phase, and – if possible – they would prefer to bunch together and not be intermingled amidst the milk. If they could, casein micelles would aggregate and form their own clusters, leaving behind the milk that suspends them. However, in order that this not occur and that milk serve as a stable and rich form of drinkable protein, Hashem did two things to the casein micelles: (1) He endowed them with a negative electric charge, so that they repel each other and therefore remain scattered in milk, and (2) He covered them with a hairy coating called kappa casein, which further prevents casein’s aggregation and separation from milk.
Raw milk is commonly separated into its water and fat segments. When put through a separator, raw milk yields cream – milk-fat, industrially termed sweet cream – and skim milk, which is merely milk without fat.
Skim milk is often condensed, meaning that its excess moisture is removed. Similarly, skim milk can be run through ultrafiltration equipment to remove its proteins, which are then concentrated and used to fortify high-protein foods.
Skim milk powder – referred to in the dairy industry as “NFDM” (non-fat dry milk) – is produced by drying skim milk into powder in spray dryers. Whole milk, too, can be converted into powder, but this is less common, as the fat content of whole milk makes it more difficult to dry and less desirous from a nutritional standpoint. (Whole milk powder is of special utility in the manufacture of upscale milk chocolate, which uses whole milk to attain a rich, creamy texture.)
Thus far, there would appear to be few kashrus issues. So long as the raw milk is kosher, one would assume its derivatives to be kosher as well. The truth is that this apparently naïve concept is largely true, as most derivatives of milk face no kashrus challenges. However, some important exceptions must be noted.
Some dairy plants, particularly in Europe, enrich milk power with fat and protein from various sources. This is a real concern, and milk power thus needs reliable kashrus verification.
Furthermore – and this applies in the United States as well – spray drying equipment used for milk powder production is sometimes shared with other varied materials. This author is familiar with spray-dry firms which use the same equipment to dry milk powder, non-kosher cheese, whey coated with lard, grain liquids, and other foods. Although this does not reflect the majority of cases, the kashrus of milk powder obviously needs tight monitoring. This is particularly true when it comes to whole milk powder, as it is often dried on smaller dryers called roller dryers; roller dryers often service a large spectrum of varied food manufacture.
Condensed skim milk is also of slight concern as well, for the equipment used to remove its excess liquid can potentially be used for non-kosher processing as well. This author has experienced such occurrences.
Cheese is made by separating milk’s casein micelles and forming them into a curd – an aggregate or structure of casein. There are two methods by which cheese curd is formed. One is by neutralizing the negative charges of casein micelles, enabling the micelles to bunch together. The second method is to remove the micelles’ hairy kappa casein layer that disables the casein from bunching together, such that the gelatinous under-layer of casein micelles becomes exposed and the micelles literally stick together.
The above two processes represent the two basic methods of cheese-making (and the two principal categories of cheese). Acid-set cheese is produced by acidifying milk to a pH of 4.6, such that the casein’s negative charges are removed and they can aggregate and be separated from milk in bunches. This acidification is accomplished by milk’s bacteria converting the milk’s sugar – called lactose – into lactic acid; this occurs naturally when milk is warm. Alternatively, lactic acid cultures (bacteria) can be added to milk, where these cultures convert the milk’s lactose into lactic acid to acidify the milk; or – as is done with ricotta cheese – milk can be dosed with vinegar or other acids in order to generate direct acidification. (The conversion of lactose into lactic acid, precipitated by bacteria present in milk, resulting in cheese, is a wondrous testament to the Divine scheme. The entire system of cheese development was pre-ordained by milk naturally containing the elements of cheese production and these elements reacting together in beautiful orchestration.)
The second method of cheese-making involves the use of an enzyme to remove kappa casein and expose casein’s gelatinous under-layer, enabling the micelles to stick together and form a curd. To do this, rennet must be used. Rennet is a enzyme extract that occurs ‘naturally’ as a lining in the fourth stomach of calves. (The function of rennet – called rennin in its original state – is to convert milk that calves drink into protein-rich cheese while yet in their stomachs, quickly building muscles. Such nifla’os Ha-Borei – wonders of the Creator!) When rennet cleaves off a significant portion of kappa casein (which is rennet’s only use in nature), rennet-set cheese curd is formed by the casein micelles that bond together and separate from the aqueous phase.
Rennet cheese-making requires the use of bacterial cultures in order to acidify the milk to prepare it for rennet to act with greater ease. The cultures, which result in a souring of the milk, also help determine the final taste of the cheese.
Temperature likewise plays an important role in cheese production. Rennet works faster with heat application, and heat assists in casein separation as well.
Acid-set and rennet-set cheeses have major differences. Acid-set cheeses, such as cottage, quark, farmer’s and cream cheese, have a course curd, as their kappa casein is still intact, and the gelatinous layer of casein is not exposed. Thus, these cheeses lack a cohesive texture; they are merely bunches of casein micelles along with fat, sugar and some water taken from the milk. Acid-set cheeses therefore drip when lifted, as they are not one unit. (They are thus often referred to as ‘soft cheeses’, as they lack firmness or solidity.) Rennet-set cheeses, however, have a rubbery or smooth consistency, as their gelatinous casein surfaces stick together to form a lattice, where fat and water are entrapped. (These cheeses, such as cheddar, mozzarella, gouda, Swiss and edam are popularly referred to as ‘hard cheeses’, due to their cohesive and often firm structure.)
As was described above, both types of cheese production involve casein precipitating from milk. When the casein micelles coagulate, the liquid, casein-deficient liquid that remains is called whey. Since milk consists mostly of aqueous phase, the majority of milk in a given cheese production results in whey.
Whey proteins are an increasingly valued nutritional material. They are collected as follows: Whey, like milk, is put through a separator, where its fat is removed. (This fat, called whey cream, is often mixed with sweet cream at dairy plants.) The residual whey liquid can then be filtered, where its protein is extracted and often then concentrated. This concentrate is called whey protein concentrate, or wpc. Lactose is also frequently filtered out of whey, as are the minerals found in milk.
One more point about whey: Some Italian-style cheeses are cooked and stretched in a bath-like vessel after they are formed; this cooking and stretching endows the curd with an elastic texture that enables it to melt smoothly and remain intact when heated. The water in which these cheeses are cooked (called cooker water) is commonly salvaged and put through a separator to remove its fat (called cooker cream), which is compatible with whey cream and may be mixed with it; the remaining liquid is often subsequently added to whey.
Now, to the kashrus (finally!). Halacha stipulates that cheese made by nochrim is non-kosher. (Gem. AZ 35a; Rambam Hil. Ma’achalos Asuros 3:13; Tur and Shulchan Aruch YD 115:2) This cheese, termed gevinas akum, was prohibited for one or more possible reasons as enumerated in the Gemara (AZ ibid., 35b); the reason adopted by the Rambam and Shulchan Aruch (and likely the Rif – AZ d.h.r. 13) is that advanced by Shmuel, who explained that fear of cheese coagulation via non kosher-slaughtered (neveilah) veal rennet was what precipitated the gezeirah (ban). Although the amount of rennet used to make cheese is miniscule, since rennet turns milk into a firm curd, it is a davar ha-ma’amid (ingredient that creates form) and is therefore never botel (nullified). (Shulchan Aruch YD 87:11)
The truth is that standard cheeses made in the US and UK do not use animal-based rennet, with few exceptions; microbial (artificial) rennet has become the norm in these nations. (Organic cheese is made with meat-based rennet, as artificial microbial rennet is deemed not natural and it thus does not meet organic standards.) Does the gezeirah of gevinas akum apply to hard cheeses that do not use real rennet?
The Rambam (ibid. with Kesef Mishneh), Shulchan Aruch (YD 115:2) and seemingly the Tur (YD ibid.) rule that the answer is yes, as do latter poskim. (Chochmas Odom 67:7, Aruch Ha-Shulchan YD 115:16.) The Ge’onei Narvona (see Tos. AZ 35a, d.h. ‘Chada’) permitted cheeses of akum in locales that do not use animal rennet, but their position was largely not adopted.
This machlokes hinges on whether or not the gezeirah of gevinas akum was declared as a davar she-b’minyan (a rule that applies to all cases, regardless of circumstances). The Maggid Mishneh (Rambam ibid. hal. 14) posits that the gezeirah was made on cheese of akum irrespective of its rennet source, as the prohibition was all-inclusive. The Ge’onei Narvona held that the inapplicability of the gezeirah to certain circumstances permit cheeses which do not fit the ban, and these talmidei chochomim therefore permitted gevinas akum in their region, where cheese was made with flowers (likely thistle buds, as are used in some Portuguese cheeses).
What about acid-set cheese? Does the gezeirah of gevinas akum apply to it?
Rav Yosef Eliyahu Henkin held not, and Rav Moshe Feinstein explained the rationale for this (Igros Moshe YD 2:48), writing that since acid-set cheese does not use rennet, and – in fact – it can be produced without any added ingredients by allowing milk to acidify on its own, there are grounds to say that such cheese it totally outside the definition of cheese upon which Chazal declared their ban. Most national kashrus agencies adopt this position. On the other hand, the Chochmas Odom (53:38) and Aruch Ha-Shulchan (ibid.) hold that all cheese of any type is subject to the rule of gevinas akum – period. Although this position carries much weight, it is clear that the very distinct methods of cheese-making as detailed above may bear consideration in favor of the lenient position.
(Reb Moshe (ibid.) also argued that rennet occasionally added to acid-set cheeses to hasten their production does not pose a gevinas akum problem, as the rennet is not essential and cannot form these cheeses independently. Based on this logic, a recent meeting of kashrus agencies with poskim concluded that baker’s cheese, which needs trace amounts of rennet to form, is not gevinas akum, as baker’s curd is acid-set, and the rennet on its own cannot coagulate this cheese.)
To be kosher, cheese must be gevinas Yisroel. The Remo (YD 115:2), Noda B’Yehuda (ShuT. Tin. OC s. 37) and many poskim adopt the position of the Rambam in the Peirush Ha-Mishnayos (AZ ch. 2) which requires a Yisroel to oversee the cheese-making process. This assures that only kosher rennet is used. (A Teshuvas Ha-Rashbo that concurs with this is noted in one very late source, but this author was unable to locate or verify it.) However, the Shach (YD 115 s.k. 20), Gro (ibid. s.k. 14), Chochmas Odom (67:7) and – quite apparently – the Rambam in the Yad (ibid.), as well as the Tur (ibid.) and the Mechaber in Shulchan Aruch (ibid.), posit that a Yisroel must actually add the rennet to the milk. That is, a Yisroel must make the cheese. (The Aruch Ha-Shulchan (ibid. s. 19) concurs with the Remo but advises that one follow the Gro’s opinion.) The Gro derives this from a reading in the Tosefta (AZ 5:5) which compares cheese to pas and bishul akum (bread and cooked foods of nochrim), which are permitted only when a Yisroel actually participates in their production; overseeing by a Yisroel is insufficient. In practice, most accepted kashrus agencies (including the OU) require a mashgiach to both oversee and add the rennet for kosher cheese productions, fulfilling all requirements. (Those kashrus agencies which are not widely accepted often certify cheese based on the approach of the Ge’onei Narvona, providing little or no on-site supervision during cheese-making.)
Despite the above, poskim rule that whey from gevinas akum is kosher. This is because Chazal were gozair (decreed a ban) on the cheese; the whey, which represents the portion of milk that did not become cheese, remains permissible.
Nonetheless, whey can very easily manifest kashrus problems. This can occur if the cheese is made with non-kosher rennet or other non-kosher ingredients (such as non-kosher cultures, wine vinegar, or lipase – an enzyme that decomposes cheese fat and is commonly derived from animal tongue-roots). So, too, if the cheese vat is hot (yad soledes bo), as is the case with many varieties of Swiss, parmesan and Scandinavian cheeses, the non-kosher flavor of the hot curd transfers into the whey, which contacts the curd in the vat. Furthermore, cooker water from Italian cooked gevinas akum cheeses is non-kosher, and its incorporation into whey renders the whey of like status.
For these reasons, whey and its derivatives are very kosher-sensitive, and this sensitivity affects many basic milk products. Whey cream, lactose, whey protein concentrate and milk minerals, all of which are extracted from whey, suddenly become of concern, as the whey from which they are sourced must be kosher. Sweet cream, culled from fresh milk, also becomes of concern, as it is interchangeable with and often contains blends of whey cream and cooker cream. Butter, which results from churning cream to clump together its fat while excess fluid is removed, is very much affected as well, as butter’s cream can be in the form of whey cream or its blends.
The wondrous technology of milk and cheese attests to so much Divine Hashgacha, while the halachic issues engendered necessitate advanced and aggressive kashrus hashgacha.
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