A Viral Celebration
OU Kosher has just announced that Mars Skittles are certified kosher. The reaction has been instant and electric. For years, kosher consumers had been asking when the beloved candy would become available to them. Now, with the news, the kosher community has let out a collective cheer—and the excitement has spread worldwide.
On OU Kosher’s social media accounts, the announcement “blew up” within hours. “On Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, and Twitter, it quickly reached nearly half a million views with thousands of comments and shares,” says Nechama Eventsur, OU Social Media Coordinator. “People are thrilled—many said their kids had been asking for years when Skittles would become kosher.” Friends tagged friends, parents tagged children—the excitement has been contagious.
Influencer Miriam Ezagui, who has over a million followers, reposted the OU advisory, pushing the news to a global audience. From WhatsApp groups to Instagram stories, posts celebrating kosher Skittles spread across the internet. “It has truly gone viral,” Eventsur noted.
Background
Mars, Incorporated has partnered with OU Kosher for more than three decades, building one of the most extensive kosher portfolios in the global food industry. Today, nearly 1,500 Mars products carry the OU symbol, spanning iconic brands like Snickers, Twix, Milky Way, 3 Musketeers, and Dove.
Until now, however, one of Mars’ most recognizable candies—Skittles—remained out of reach for kosher consumers. Jeremy Rosenthal, Director of Global Strategy at Mars Wrigley and a lifelong kosher consumer, explains:
“This is a meaningful milestone. Adding Skittles to Mars’ kosher-certified portfolio expands access for consumers and reflects the tremendous collaboration between Mars teams and OU Kosher.”
That celebration resonated far beyond Jeremy. Hundreds of thousands of people online expressed joy, excitement, and gratitude—an outpouring that underscores how powerful this moment is for the kosher community.
The Turning Point
Rabbi Kalman Scheiner, OU Rabbinic Coordinator and account executive for the Mars family of products, explains that Skittles posed a unique challenge: for many years the candy contained gelatin, which made certification impossible. About a decade ago, Mars began reformulating the candy, first removing gelatin and other ingredient modifications.
This opened the door for OU Kosher to work with Mars on full certification. In January 2025, the main Skittles plant in Waco, Texas was kosherized. “It was the culmination of years of quiet but steady collaboration,” Rabbi Scheiner recalls.
Inside Mars, Jeremy Rosenthal helped navigate the process, working with colleagues across manufacturing, packaging, and marketing functions. “It was truly a cross-functional effort,” he says.
The Advisory
Even after certification, a challenge remained. Kosher Skittles were being produced, but non-certified packages were still on shelves. To protect consumers, OU Kosher issued an official advisory in August 2025:
OU Kosher Advisory: Skittles
August 20, 2025
Brands: Skittles
Products: Skittles (various sizes and varieties)
Company: Mars Wrigley
Issue: Clarification of Skittles Kashrut Status
At this point, some Skittles are certified kosher pareve even when not bearing the OU symbol—others are not. To determine if you have a certified product, please look at the ink-jetted codes printed on the package.
- If the production code contains “YRV” in it, or it
- Contains “WAC” and has a best-buy date of June 2026 or later—then those products are certified kosher by the Orthodox Union.
Eventually, the OU symbol will appear on the packaging.
“The advisory was essential,” Rabbi Scheiner explains. “It gave consumers clarity and confidence, while giving Mars time to roll out new OU packaging nationwide.”
The advisory itself became part of the online celebration. Posts explaining how to identify kosher Skittles were shared thousands of times, as consumers rallied around the milestone.
Conclusion
The Skittles certification has been more than a technical achievement. For consumers, it represents the availability of a candy once thought forever off-limits. For Mars, it reflects a commitment to consumer trust and inclusion. For OU Kosher, it highlights how certification and communication come together to serve the community.