Bishul Akum: Tzuras hapas
Baked items made from the five grains usually fall into the category of bread and as such are not subject to the issur of bishul akum. The Beis Meir and the Pri Chadash (Y.D. 112:6) offer the following definition for bread. Any food on which one would recite Hamotzi if eaten bikvias seuda, as outlined […]
Jelly Belly Candy Company Steps up to OU Kosher Certification: Sunkist Fruit Gems and Fruit Slices
Jelly Belly Candy Company Steps Up to OU Kosher Certification: Sunkist Fruit Gems and Fruit Slices Are Now Made by the Company Known for the Finest Jelly Beans
Spangler and the OU Make a Dandy, Candy Combination
The addition of the OU symbol on Spangler Candy Company packaging as a result of its Orthodox Union certification has had positive results on Spangler Candy’s flagship brand, Dum Dum Pops®, and paved the way for potential sales to additional consumers with special dietary needs.
Zachlawi Fig Arak: Personal Notes
HAVING BEEN NURTURED in the Ashkenazic (Eastern European) Jewish tradition, as both my parents were born in Romania, it was always a special treat for me as a little boy to accompany my late father, a much sought-after rabbinic speaker in the early days of Israel’s statehood, whenever he was invited to deliver lectures in Tel Aviv’s most prominent synagogues — including the Sephardic (Middle Eastern) synagogues.
Transitioning Traditional Kosher Brands to the Mainstream
Last year more than 3,200 new foods products were certified kosher, according to a report by the Mintel International Group, a consumer, media and market research firm. Today’s kosher consumer looks for and finds wasabi horseradish sauce, frozen wraps and whole grain noodles on supermarket shelves.
OU Kosher Supervisor in Louisville Plays Matchmaker
Rabbi Yosef Levy’s official job is as a Rabbinic Field Representative (RFR) in Kentucky and Indiana for the Orthodox Union, in which he certifies food plants as kosher, but in his spare time he uses that position for another, altruistic pursuit: playing matchmaker between the OU-certified companies he supervises and Louisville’s Jewish Family and Vocational Service’s (JFVS) Food Pantry.
Lo Basi Ella L’orer: Waiting 24 Hours To Do Hagalah
Ordinarily, we require waiting 24 hours before doing hagalah on utensils that had absorbed non-kosher. This is because before 24 hours the ta’am that is absorbed inside of a utensil is still nosain ta’am lishvach. The water that one tries to use to kasher the utensil will receive the non-kosher ta’am and it itself will […]
Lo Basi Ella L’orer: Calculating Bitul
We are often confronted with situations in which we must determine if issur is batel in heter. Sometimes this is very easy to figure out. Under normal circumstances if 10 grams of issur is used with 5,000 lbs. of heter it will be batel.1 Other times it might be more complicated and we must take out […]
non food
No household is complete without a basic toiletry, toothpaste. Although the use of modern forms of toothpaste became widespread by the early 20th century, tooth applications in crude forms have existed for hundreds of years. Today, toothpastes have come a long way and its manufacturing process is fairly sophisticated. Toothpastes, even the simplest kinds, contain […]
New Concern for Kosher Pizza Eaters Prompts OU KOSHER
Kosher pizza, anyone? Those who keep the laws of kemach yashan must check whether their favorite pizza stores certify that the wheat used to bake the pizza is kemach yashan, the Torah law that states that only grains (barley, oats, rye, spelt and wheat) that took root prior to Passover may be consumed in the current year. Jewish law mandates its observance in Israel, while allowing for leniencies outside of Israel. Nonetheless, there are people who observe this law even outside of Israel, and they are facing problems.