Industrial Kosher Articles
OU Kosher Offers Marketing Support for Certified Companies
The Orthodox Union was founded in 1898 as a non-profit community services organization that would help unify the growing and increasingly fragmented American Jewish community. It would quickly become a powerful force within the United States through its support for education, European immigrants and political advocacy. As a result of these efforts the OU earned […]
Why Plant-Based Products Need Vegan Certification
Did you know that plant-based does not mean Vegan, but Vegan means plant-based and cruelty-free? Plant-based is a diet that strives for animal-free ingredients, but the consumer expectation from a plant-based claim is that it is not animal product and cruelty-free, like that of an official Vegan claim. In fact, the plant based certified standard […]
How the OU Is Helping in Ukraine
When the Russian invasion of Ukraine began in late February, OU Kosher, in close contact with the Jewish community there, began coordinating relief efforts. Over the past month, food shipments and fundraising efforts have helped provide the Jewish people of Ukraine with food, transportation and evacuation, hotels and shelters, medical supplies, resettlement and more. […]
OU Kosher Meets the Challenge of Certifying the Beverage Industry
A discussion of the challenges and opportunities of Kosher Certification within the beverage industry.
Kosher Fish Production: Getting Into the Stream of Things
A Q&A on Kosher Fish Production So your fish processing company is thinking about becoming OU kosher, but you have some questions? We can help! All kosher fish must have (fins and scales). Furthermore, the scales must be capable of being removed without tearing the fish’s skin (See Rema Yoreh Deah 83:1). It is not […]
The Life and Times of an Application for OU Kosher Certification
In the beginning – the first step to kosher certification When a new company submits an application for kosher certification it sets a number of people and processes in motion. This article will take you behind the scenes at OU Kosher, from the time an application is received until the letter of kosher certification (LOC) […]
Who’s Who at OU Kosher
Key Administrative Duties and Terms OU Kosher–certified companies have two main contact points at the OU: the RC (Rabbinic Coordinator) and the RFR (Rabbinic Field Representative), who reports directly to the RC. Both can help source ingredients, market products and services, and solve problems. In short, they make the kosher production program as smooth and […]
Kosher Nutraceuticals and Supplements: Principles and Process
Kosher supervision demands that both ingredients and the production process are required to be kosher. The growth of the global ingredients supply chain for nutritional ingredients, and the many manufacturers pursuing kosher certification for those ingredients, has required OU Kosher to apply these principles of kosher law to a variety of production scenarios. Besides the […]
Newly OU Kosher-Certified Bellarise Oil Reducer Helps Cut Baking Costs
Transitory or not, inflation has become the face of supply chain disruption. According to the USDA, the consumer price index rose by 6.8% in November 2021 from November 2020. To help its customers reduce production costs, the Pak Group, owner of the Bellarise brand, launched OU Kosher-certified, Bellarise oil reducer. This new product is an […]
Online and On Site: A Hybrid OU Kosher Plant Inspection at Angel Yeast in China
The OU recently inspected Angel Yeast, a dry-yeast plant in the city of Chifeng, in Inner Mongolia, thanks to a midnight (U.S. East Coast time) and 1.p.m. (in China) Zoom conference by a rabbinic coordinator working from an office in the United States and Mandarin-fluent Field Rabbi Yonatan Zhook, an OU Rabbinic Field Representative (RFR) […]