About ASK OU
As the leader in worldwide kosher certification, the Orthodox Union takes additional steps to serve as a leader in educating the public in matters of kosher law. Over the past several years, OU Kosher, in partnership with the Harry H. Beren Foundation of New Jersey, has developed numerous kashrus educational programs for the benefit of […]
The Color Switch Is a Also a Kosher Question
The dye phase-out has moved from planning to execution The move away from synthetic dyes has shifted from planning to execution. The FDA wants the six remaining petroleum-based colors — Red 40, Yellow 5, Yellow 6, Blue 1, Blue 2, and Green 3 — out of the U.S. food supply by the end of 2026, […]
When Whey Runs Short, Scale Is an Advantage
The Whey Squeeze Whey — once a low-value byproduct of cheesemaking — has become one of the food industry’s most sought-after ingredients, and supply has not kept pace. By mid-June 2026, whey protein concentrate was trading above US$13 a pound, up roughly 250% from a year earlier, according to AgTech firm Ever.Ag, while whey protein […]
‘It’s been a pretty long run,’ says rabbi retiring after 45 years running OU kosher, ‘it’s time’
Jun 18 7:23PM EDT By Rikki Zagelbaum Rabbi Menachem Genack, 78, had been speaking to JNS for about 45 minutes when, with a smile, he recalled a story about Rabbi Yosef Kahaneman, a Lithuanian rabbi known as the Ponevezher Rav, who often received backlash for his dream of rebuilding the famed Ponevezh yeshiva after the […]
An Eruv Tavshilin Q&A
Q: What is the reason for Eruv Tavshilin? A: When the second or eighth day of yom tov falls on Shabbat, or if Shabbat falls immediately after yom tov, it is rabbinically forbidden to cook or prepare on yom tov for Shabbat. When executed properly, an Eruv Tavshilin allows one to prepare food for Shabbat on yom tov. Interestingly, there is no Torah prohibition to […]
Pesach Q&A With OU Kosher
OU Kosher Rabbanim Field Thousands of Consumer Pesach-Related Shaylos NEW YORK (Press release) — On any given day, Rabbi Zvi Nussbaum, the rabbinic coordinator responsible for managing OU Kosher’s year-round consumer hotline, fields about 150 kashrus-related phone calls. With less than a month until Pesach — OU Kosher’s busiest season — that number will double […]
