OU Kosher Staff

Lo Basi Ella L’orer – Kavush II

The Gemarah Chulin 111b tells us that כבוש הרי הוא כמבושל. The Chochmos Adam (58:4) explains that this is a הלכה למשה מסיני, and therefore in cases of safek one must be machmir, ספק דאורייתא לחומרא. Therefore great care should be taken when dealing with even possible situation of kavush, and in any situation of doubt shailos should be asked.

Dream Foods International Has All Products OU KOSHER Certification

Italian Volcano® Juices, Lemonade and Limeade , and Volcano Lemon Burst® and Volcano Lime Burst® have recently been OU kosher certified by the Orthodox Union. Dream Foods International is delighted to have the widely recognized OU kosher certification. Consumers will start seeing the OU symbol on the product labels in the first quarter of 2011

Lo Basi Ella L’orer: Creating Mirsas

The Gemara Avoda Zara 61b teaches that if one is מטהר יינו של עובד כוכבים ברשותו (produces kosher wine for a non-Jew in the non-Jew’s premises) even a double chosem is inadequate to protect the wine against possible tampering. The wine requires as an additional safeguard the presence of a mashgiach who sits and watches or who makes periodic unannounced visits ((שאינו בא לקיצין. Rav Belsky often quotes this Gemara as the basis for hashgacha today. We see how great was the view that Chazal had for unannounced visits that they equate it to having a mashgiach sitting and watching!

OU Kosher’s Rabbi Merzel To Present Seminar At October 26 Food And Beverage Show In Miami

Rabbi Mordechai Merzel, rabbinic coordinator for the Orthodox Union Kosher Division, will be a presenter at the 14th Americas Food and Beverage Show and Conference on Tuesday, October 26 from 3-4 p.m. at the World Trade Center Miami.

Orthodox Union Approves Placement Of Kosher Symbol On Old World Kosher Sausage

Old World Kosher Sausage today announced that it has been certified kosher by the Orthodox Union, the world’s largest kosher certification agency. The new variety of kosher chicken sausage bearing the OU symbol will be distributed nationwide beginning in the next few weeks

Lo Basi Ella L’orer: Bitul issur Lechatchila

In general, one is not permitted to be mivatel issur lichatchila. There is a machlokes whether this is an issur d’oreisah (Ravad) or an issur d’Rabbanan (Tosfos). Though most poskim hold that it is only an issur d’rabbanan[1], yet many[2] (including Rav Belsky) feel that one should be choshesh for the opinion of Ravad.

OU Kosher Marketing Tips: If you’ve got it – flaunt it

It’s a textbook of sophisticated food technology that is utilized in refining oil, a compendium of kosher law, and therefore, a remarkable combination of centuries-old halacha and the most up-to-date developments. After a long production process, it is now available to set kashrut standards for the entire industry.

If It’s Monday, It Must Be Latvia (With Tuesday In Lithuania And Wednesday In Estonia)

Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, the Baltic States, the frozen north, and particularly in Lithuania, home to great Jewish communities — now these communities are gone and only memories remain. I share these memories — my grandparents trod this ground 70 years ago.

A Kosher Formula

I have heard it said that running a successful kosher program is as easy as PIE: Products, Ingredients and Equipment. One must keep an updated schedule B (products) an updated schedule A (ingredients) and have a proper system for keeping track of the kosher/pareve status of equipment. I would like to add another interpretation to this wise adage. Running a successful kosher program is as easy as π (as in 3.14159…).

Decay? No Way! Kosher Preservatives To The Rescue

“May I have a steak well done, please, and a fruit cocktail?” is a request that is commonly heard in a restaurant. It’s very rare to hear someone in a restaurant say, “Waiter, I’d like an order of rotten fruit, please, and do you have any steak that causes botulism?”