Spring 2017


HIGHLIGHTS

How to Avoid Costly OU Symbol Labeling Errors

We al make mistakes.  If you can follow these basic steps your kosher program will run smoothly and you will avoid errors that can be costly in time and reputation. Here are a few tips to ensure your company’s packaging material is correct and in compliance.  Make sure you get the purchasing department and receiving […]

New to the OU: Hawthorne Valley Farms: Puts the “Culture” Back in Agriculture

Hawthorne Valley Farm is one of the first farms in the US to produce and market certified organic and Biodynamic® yogurt. The company wants as many people as possible to enjoy the yogurt. You included! Made from milk of grass-fed cows, fresh from the farm and Plain, Maple and Honey whole milk yogurts are now certified […]

New to the OU: Spirit of Kentucky Rises Again! Boone County Distilling Company Responsible

Boone County (Kentucky) Distilling Company has successfully revived a distillery region in Northern Kentucky that dates back to the 1800s. For over 100 years, bourbon production had ceased in Boone County. The dry spell is over. Today, the number of bourbon barrels in Kentucky is greater than the number of people in the Bluegrass State! […]

New to the OU: Java Like No Other: Zicaffe!

It’s unanimous. A day without Zicaffe coffee is like a day…without coffee. Back in 1929, Vito Zichittella, a coffee lover and connoisseur, opened a small coffee-roasting shop in Marsala, Western Sicily. His business was so successful, he started selling his delicious Caffè Zichittella all across Western Sicily. Four generations later, Zichittella’s coffee success continues satisfy. […]

New to the OU: Maruyama Tea Corporation: Tasty Cups of Tradition and Health

If you’re among the health conscious, you’ve no doubt heard about the benefits of green tea. While many are first discovering this antioxidant powerhouse, the Japanese have long considered it their favorite beverage. Apparently, consumers across the globe are joining the green tea party. Thanks to Maruyama Tea Corporation, millions of green tea lovers in 50 […]

Exotic, Healthful and Kosher Tea Anyone?

The West is waking up to what the East has been aware of for centuries! The abundant benefits of drinking tea. According to recent reports, teas can help prevent illnesses such as specific cancers, heart disease, diabetes and that some teas may actually encourage weight loss, lower cholesterol and improve mental alertness. One caveat. The […]

An Old Product – A New Way

Summer Camp friends Ashley Albert and Kevin Rodriguez, founders of The Matzo Project, set out to try a new take on the culturally beloved, but frequently bland matzo cracker. They came up with a super-snappy, extra-sturdy, crazy-versatile snack that goes with everything they’ve tried to put on it. Ashley (who also happens to own The […]

Keeping it Kosher: Hot dog processing is a religious undertaking for Abeles & Heymann

While growing up in Austria, Oscar Abeles learned about meat and provisions through butcher apprenticeships. He even kept a book where recipes and notes showed the proper techniques for crafting hot dogs and salamis. After moving to the United States, Abeles founded Abeles & Heymann in 1954 with his nephew, Leopold Heymann. The company initially […]

The Story Behind Kosher Soap

The Story Behind Kosher Soap    Soap production has historically used animal fats that are then processed with a strong alkali, such as sodium hydroxide (caustic soda). Due to the many kosher laws that govern what types of fats may and may not be eaten, and the multiplicity of laws as to how the fats must […]

Kosher Thailand?

At first glance, those words do not go together. However, nothing could be farther from the truth. OU Kosher currently certifies 57 companies and 137 plants in the “land of smiles,” as it is affectionately known. In fact, the OU certifies divisions for some very large companies in Thailand including Dole Foods and Jelly Belly. […]

The Sleeping Giant: The Kosher for Passover Market

The scene in my local supermarket is a familiar one each year. A few weeks before Passover, an eight-day holiday that falls sometime in March or April (the Jewish calendar is lunar, and that’s why the date varies from year to year), the first shipment of OUP (P=kosher for Passover) Coca Cola arrives and is […]

“Do You Want Fries With That…?” We Are More Than What We Eat

Sandwiches are beautiful, sandwiches are fine, I like sandwiches, I eat them all the time. I eat them for my supper, and I eat them for my lunch. If I had a hundred sandwiches, I’d eat them all at once. – Peter Alsop, “Sandwiches”                     Recently, I got a phone call from an old friend. We chatted […]