Articles
Bowery Farming: Marrying AI with Sustainable Produce for the Kosher Market
Bowery Farming is a New York-based vertical farming company that is using proprietary technology to produce fresh, local produce year-round. The company’s farms are located in climate-controlled warehouses, where they use nutrient-rich water, and computer-controlled climate systems to grow crops in a sustainable way. Bowery Farming’s vertical farms have a number of advantages over traditional […]
Kosher Manufacturing’s Unsung Hero: The Role of Bitrex®
Bitrex®, a product produced by Veranova, is an important player in the Kosher manufacturing industry. Bitrex, chemically known as Denatonium Benzoate has the distinction of being recognized as the most bitter substance on earth. This unusual characteristic has found an essential application in the Kosher food industry. Kosher manufacturing processes demand stringent cleaning protocols so […]
Introducing the New Search Page for OU Kosher Letters of Certification
OU Kosher has introduced a new search page for Letters of Certification (LOCs), making it more convenient for businesses to display accurate information regarding the kosher certification status of their products. The updated LOC search engine page enables businesses to search for products by name, company, category, or keyword. Enhanced User Experience The new LOC […]
A Healthier Twist on Kosher Snacking: New Trends from Expo West 2023
A Healthier Twist on Kosher Snacking: New Trends from Expo West 2023 Natural Products Expo West is an annual event that brings together brands, innovators, and industry professionals in the natural, organic, and healthy products sector. Since its inception in 1981, Expo West has grown to become one of the largest trade shows in the […]
Celebrating 100 Years of OU Kosher – A Brief History
The opening of a kosher cafeteria on an American college campus is not the kind of news that a major US newspaper ordinarily deems worthy of coverage. But when the Orthodox Union inaugurated a kosher dining facility at Harvard in 1926, America’s most influential daily considered the story “fit to print” precisely because the Harvard […]
Curtice Brothers: A Condiment Startup Takes On the Giants
OU Kosher: I’d like to start by asking you for a general overview of Curtice Brothers and about you and your role as head of international sales. Curtice Brothers History Alex Fisher: Curtice Brothers makes organic and natural condiments. The company actually started in 1868, and we are proud to say that we are the […]
Is Lab-Grown Meat Kosher? OU Kosher CEO Rabbi Menachem Genack Discusses in Washington Post, Other Media Outlets
As food technologies develop, so do new halachic issues. In recent days, OU Kosher CEO Rabbi Menachem Genack has taken on questions about whether lab-grown meat, created from animal stem cells, is kosher. While Israel’s Chief Rabbi David Lau recently declared it kosher pareve, Rabbi Genack disagrees. Read more in a front-page piece in The […]
The Hanover Foods: Quality, Kosher Certification, and Connecting with Consumers
Q: Is it important to have the OU Kosher symbol prominently displayed on Hanover products? Russel Smith: It’s always on the front panel or the front of the bag, whether it’s frozen or canned. We make sure it’s prominently positioned. We call them buttons, you know, if it’s vegan, or if it’s grown in the […]
What Kosher, Vegan and Plant-Based Label Claims Really Mean
“Dairy-free”, “non-dairy”, “plant-based”, “kosher”, and “Vegan” labeling are all voluntary label claims, and while the FDA has no meaningful regulation for these meaningful marketing claims, OU kosher and BeVeg Vegan certification standards exist to clear consumer confusion. It would seem that dairy-free and non-dairy, Vegan, and kosher pareve mean a product has no dairy, right? […]
How Chickpeas Went From a Dream to Pareve Yogurt
Noam Sharon was a corporate and securities lawyer in Israel before he began working on the idea that would become CHKP Foods, a company that makes OU kosher pareve yogurt from chickpeas. It wasn’t as radical a move as it may sound, given that hummus was an essential part of his diet growing up […]