Consumer Kosher Articles

OU Kosher Symbols Explained

A complete list of all of the OU Symbols and their meaning.

Etrog Jam & Schnapps Are Recipes For the Righteous

One of the quintessential symbols of the holiday of Sukkot (Festival of Tabernacles) is the Etrog (citrus fruit). Often yellow or greenish in color, it is primarily imported from Israel, Italy, Greece, Morocco, or Yemen. The holiday of Sukkot falls out after Yom Kippur for good reason. After reaching levels of angelic purity we return to a holiday […]

OU Kosher Q & A For Rosh Hashana

OU Kosher presents popular Q&As in preparation for Rosh Hashana. Additional questions can be asked by contacting the OU Kosher Hotline (212-613-8241) or by submitting them to kosherq@ou.org.  Alternatively, CHAT LIVE with an OU Kosher expert on www.oukosher.org via the chat icon located at the bottom right-hand corner of the screen. This Yom Tov season (5778) we have the oppertunity […]

The Many Lives of Kosher Salt 

What exactly is Kosher salt?    Kosher salt is really a misnomer: it should be called koshering salt. This is salt that was used to ‘kasher’ chicken and beef, by removing the blood from the flesh.   Remember the familiar red and yellow box of kosher salt in Bubby’s pantry? While its use in kosher processing has moved out of the kitchen, it’s […]

Expo East

Every year in downtown Baltimore, just off of the harbor, executives and marketers from across the natural food industry gather their organic cotton bags and pack quinoa-kale lunches for two days of health food nirvana. Expo East brings together food and health product companies who line up in hundreds of booths, creating an opportunity for […]

OUKosher Visits the Thaifex World of Food Show 2018

For the last 15 years, the Thaifex World of Food show in Bangkok has been the ultimate food show for innovation. Vendors and visitors travel from across the globe to show off their food and beverage products or to sample some of the products that may not have even hit the market. Some of the […]

Checking Fruits & Vegetables: Halachic Positions of Rabbi Chaim Yisroel Belsky zt”l

  Buy the new 5th Edition Guide to Fruits and Vegetables 1. One is obligated to inspect fruits and vegetables that commonly contain insects prior to use. A 10% likelihood of infestation is a guidepost to help assess what is considered common. If people generally expect to find insects in certain fruits or vegetables, infestation is […]

OU Kosher Cheese: Why some of America’s top cheese brands are now going kosher

It’s early morning in the Sardinian countryside and a farmer is milking his sheep while an Orthodox Jewish kosher supervisor looks on. The supervisor, known as a mashgiach, is sleeping in the farmer’s barn, and he’ll be there all week. Welcome to the world of kosher cheesemaking. The weeklong kosher cheese run in Sardinia is […]

What’s Booming in Kosher Beverages?

OU Kosher Supervision has a Presence in Almost all Packing Plants Making Most Beverages Kosher With all the ready to drink  products flooding the market these days, you’d think that people are drinking a lot more. But according to a top CEO in the beverage industry, consumers are drinking the same amount as they always […]

OU Kosher Halacha Yomis: Chanukah

Which oils or candles should be used to light Chanukah lights Whether olive oil and wax candles can be used at the same time The types of oils or candles which should not be used for Chanukah lights Whether one can use wax candles after using olive oil the first night of Chanukah Which Oils […]