Kosher Cheese
What is Kosher Cheese?
In order for cheese to be certified kosher, the product must be made under special rabbinical supervision, as stipulated by the Talmudic prohibition of Gevinat Akum.
Due to the use of the rennet enzyme (which traditionally comes from calf stomach lining) in cheese-making, Halacha (Jewish Law) forbade cheese that is manufactured without onsite rabbinical supervision, so as to avoid the possibility that the cheese contains non-kosher calf flesh rennet.
Although much of the rennet used today is synthetic, the Shulchan Aruch (Code of Jewish Law) nonetheless rules that cheese is considered kosher only when it is made under special onsite rabbinic supervision. (This requirement is unrelated to the halacha of Chalav Akum - unsupervised milk - and applies even to those who drink milk without special rabbinical supervision.)
Learn more about kosher cheese:
Learn about whey and cheese making as well as hard cheeses.
Which Cheeses are Kosher?
Over the past several years some of the top brands in the US have become kosher.
Listed below are kosher cheese products certified by OU Kosher. All of these cheeses are manufactured with special onsite rabbinical supervision, as required by Halacha.
Any cheese product that is certified kosher will bear the OU-D symbol - Kosher Dairy. Kosher for Passover cheese products are only those products where the OU-D-P symbol is displayed on the packaging.
Please note: A product’s kosher status may change at any time and will be updated in these pages accordingly. Please always be sure to check each product’s label for the correct kosher symbol, and make sure to sign up for OU Kosher Alerts in order to receive instant updates and alerts on kosher certification status.
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