OU Kosher Staff

Kosher Travelers Advisory

Domestic flights in the US no longer serve meals.

Shabbos Shaylos: Placing Salt Into Hot Cholent Or Soup On Shabbos

May one place salt into hot food on Shabbos?

Shabbos Shaylos: Arranging Fruit On A Skewer On Shabbos

Can one arrange fruit on a skewer on Shabbos?

Shabbos Shaylos: Moving Cholent From The Top Of A Pot Onto The Blech

Can on move cholent from the top of a pot onto the blech on Shabbos?

Shabbos Shaylos: The Shabbos Light

Can one use a “Shabbos light” on Shabbos?

Shabbos Shaylos: Washing Dishes, Dishwashers, Slicers, & Mixers

What are the rules for asking non-Jews to do work on Shabbos at hotels and catering establishments?

Shabbos Shaylos: Food Preparation

Some of the rules about food preparation on Shabbos for food establishments and caterers.

Shabbos Shaylos: Shabbos Miscellany – Amira L’Akum

What are the laws of Amira l’akum in a hotel?

Shabbos Shaylos: Mopping

Can a caterer ask a non-Jew to mop the floor on Shabbos?

Food Service Hashgacha

There is a common misconception that being a mashgiach in a food service establishment is a simple job, and that the mashgiach in such establishments has minimal responsibilities. In reality, the food service industry, which includes restaurants, caterers, hotels, hospitals, yeshivos and nursing homes, has always been a challenging area for kashrus organizations and the onsite mashgichim that perform the actual supervision. Demands on a food service mashgiach are multiple, unpredictability is the norm, and evaluations have to be executed immediately. To help appreciate the above, I am sharing with the reader some of the intricacies that must be dealt with in a food service establishment.