It’s All Kosher:
Understanding the World’s Oldest Food Certification

By Rabbi Reuven Flamer


Although kosher certification has been around since the biblical days, today kosher products have become one of the fastest growing trends in food processing. In fact, Mintel data indicates that in 2008 “kosher” and “organic” were two of the top 10 claims for new products.

But what does “kosher” mean? What will it take for your products to be kosher certified? Is the process time consuming? Is it cost effective? Are organic products (especially vegan-certified products) kosher by nature?

The Meaning and History of Kosher
The word kosher is defined as “foods prepared according to Jewish dietary laws.” The biblical history of kosher dates back to the days of Adam and Eve, but developed mainly during the Jewish experience in Egypt (3,400 years ago), when kosher expanded to a myriad of food laws touching on all aspects preparation of meats, fruits and vegetables, as well as agricultural practices.

The Hebrew word kosher literally means “permissible” or “fit for use.” The Bible contains the basic outline of kosher parameters, including the animals and fish that are kosher, the prohibition of mixing milk and meat, and a host of agricultural laws that affect planting, care and harvesting practices (which primarily pertain to the land of Israel, for example the law of letting fields lie fallow for a full year every seven years.) An elaborate system of certification guidelines for kosher foods developed from then on. Eventually, the story of kosher certification came to America in 1652, when 23 Spanish Jews from families fleeing the Spanish Inquisition made their home in New York.

It was difficult to find kosher foods in early America. Certain American Indian tribes referred to Jews as “egg eaters” because the lack of available kosher meat limited their protein intake to heavy egg consumption. Needing to meet their religious needs, they eventually developed the first kosher meat production in North America. Kosher certification grew, and today has become a universal—and nondenominational—“seal of approval,” reaching further than its original biblical mandate. There are now more than 100,000 kosher- certified products in the marketplace.

Kosher in Today’s Marketplace
The kosher label has proven to be a powerful branding influence, affecting the choice of the kosher shopper and the everyday consumer. Recent surveys by Mintel reveal that 55 percent of consumers who shop for kosher do so because of health and safety concerns; 38 percent are vegetarians. Kosher rules demand strictest separation and labeling, across separate categories, for dairy, meat and pareve production in food processing. A “pareve” labeled product contains no meat or dairy ingredients. (Though it can include eggs or fish products. If it includes fish it must be labeled as such). Those with dairy allergies or intolerances are also drawn to these foods because of the strict separation between dairy and non-dairy items.

Today, you can find kosher marks on everything from sushi to baby food. Core kosher shoppers will even choose a bag of raw carrots with a kosher label over one not labeled as kosher. Ironically, according to kosher law, raw carrots and many other types of fresh produce and non-processed goods (from areas other than Israel) such as grains, honey, non-flavored tea and beans are often not required to have kosher certification.

The Kosher Perception. There is a definite perception that kosher certified products are healthier and perhaps even safer than conventional products. In truth, however, the kosher process and designation is a separate compendium of laws and steps to themselves and does not concern itself directly with either of these two concerns.

So, where does this perception come from?

The kosher process does call for frequent inspections (as will be explained below). Kosher beef slaughter and food preparation is the most regulated segment of the kosher certification process. Kosher meat production also looks at the health of the animal prior to processing. Even before modern safety concerns, the kosher meat industry tracked every step of production meticulously. As well, kosher meat must be salted before sale (and within a very short time after processing). The salting process removes blood from the meat and has been shown to have antibacterial effects. Most likely these elements helped create the kosher safety mystique.

The Kosher Certification Process
The kosher certification process may remind you of the organic certification process, however, there are fundamental differences. Many of the initial steps are similar; for instance if you consider “going kosher” in your facility, it’s important to look at the raw materials of the product you want certified and make sure that each ingredient is kosher certified. Your supplier should be able to provide kosher certificates. A kosher certifier will need to see a list of all ingredients brought into your facility, both for kosher products and any non-kosher products made in the same facility. Also, much like putting together an Organic Systems Plan (OSP), you should have an overview of your facility layout and a processing flow chart ready to give to a potential kosher certifier for review.

After looking over the details, a certifier will first determine if you are certifiable. Some processors, particularly those that are operating in a shared kosher/non-kosher facility, may be turned away. For instance, if you are making kosher lox and there is another company making a frozen meal that includes shrimp (a non-kosher food) in the same facility. Or some items, such as frozen organic broccoli or frozen organic raspberries may not be certifiable because of known insect issues (insects are also highly non-kosher). Prior to agreeing to work with you, a certifier will often want to do an initial inspection to verify that the application is accurate in every detail.

Process Versus Product. The real difference between organic and kosher certification comes down to the overall approach. Organic certification is process-based; in other words, a facility must produce in an environment and with ingredients that meet the standards of the organic certification process. The end result is that you have an organic product.

Kosher certification is a product-based certification. Although the process must meet the standards to ensure kosher status, extra steps are taken to ensure that the actual product (sometimes even as it’s being made) is verified as kosher by a third party (the kosher inspector).

The differences in the two approaches may seem subtle (with both certifications, in the end you have a final product with a certification mark) but the approach can lead to important changes in everything from processing and packaging to inspections.

One major difference in process versus product certification is that product-based certification often requires more inspections. In organic, a manufacturer submits an OSP that contains standard operating procedures (SOPs), an audit trail system and other documentation that ensures organic materials will retain organic integrity and after being approved, the norm is a once-a-year visit that confirms the system is functioning properly. If non-compliances are found, the manufacturer must revisit the program and realign it with the standards. The system is now back in order and can keep producing. (When there are egregious breaks with the standards, the certifier may revoke the certification).

On the other hand, as a product-based certification, kosher doesn’t rely as much on auditing the system as it does on hands-on inspections. The kosher level of your facility impacts the frequency of the inspections. A 100 percent kosher facility, with only approved raw materials can expect anywhere from yearly to even monthly inspections.

The facility that contains both kosher approved and non-kosher raw materials may have more frequent inspections, and may sometimes be required to have an individual inspection for each kosher production.

In addition to taking the facility into account, the frequency of inspections is also determined by the ingredients. Simple products with minimal processing, such as roasted organic coffee or dried goji berries, are going to have much less inspections than products with highly sensitive (from a kosher perspective) ingredients such as meat, cheese, wine, glycerin and flavors.

It is also important to know that a reputable kosher agency does not disclose how often “drop-in” inspections will take place. These can theoretically happen at any given time—this is built into the kosher inspection process to ensure that the manufacturer will comply with the kosher protocols when the agency is not on premises. Agencies are careful to visit only as necessary, and will gauge a compliance record. A facility that gives more cause for alarm will have increased inspections.

Differences in Processing. Kosher rules stringently avoid co-mingling of allowed and prohibited raw materials (as organic does) down to the production equipment that kosher and non-kosher (or meat and dairy and/or pareve materials) share, which means categorizing equipment used in each stage of processing.

Raw materials are considered as having been absorbed into the equipment down to a molecular level during the heating process. (If you take a clean stainless steel pot and boil clear water in it, you will eventually see the water change color. The hot water purges the materials absorbed in the sides of the pot’s walls from previous cooking.) Equipment using non-kosher materials is defined as non-kosher and renders anything made in it, on it or with it (i.e. steel prep tables, utensils and cutlery etc.) as non-kosher as well.

For example, a facility may produce two kosher tomato sauce recipes, one with meat and one without (pareve). After the meat sauce is produced, the kettles, pipes and other equipment used in the process are categorized as “meat” (standard CIPs may not change things either). Prior to production of the pareve sauce, a Kosher Sanitation Process (KSP) is conducted. In this, a kosher inspector verifies the equipment is clean, and in most cases a boiling-water purge is performed. The KSP extracts any residue absorbed during the previous meat production. This same process separates equipment designated as non-kosher from kosher as well.

The kosher certification process may sound daunting but it shouldn’t be; the professional certifier will be able to smooth out any confusion. After an analysis is made of your facility, a certifier will explain the kosher protocols that need to be instituted in your facility.

Choosing Certifiers
There are hundreds of reputable certifiers worldwide. While there is no organization such as the USDA or the National Organic Program for kosher, you can find an international listing of well-respected kosher certifiers at kosherquest.org, which is run by the Kosher Information Bureau.

Today, because of the rise of consumers looking for both organic and kosher goods, there are kosher certifiers who specialize in organic and natural foods as well as dual kosher-organic certifiers. Because the organic and kosher application processes have many parallel steps that can be done simultaneously, this can save time and money. However, companies may choose to go with separate kosher and organic certifiers because they have a relationship with a particular certifier or the certifier has been highly recommended, or because the certifier offers expertise in a certain area.

No matter what, it’s essential to do your homework on a certifier before settling on one in particular. Do an internet search and talk to other companies that work with the certifier, or even do a little field research—talk to some of your friends or co-workers who are kosher consumers and ask about which certifiers they trust.

Establishing open lines of communication with your certifier is extremely important to your end goal: a smooth and well-run kosher program. You will be working with your certifier on an ongoing basis (especially in a facility that does both kosher and non-kosher production, or pareve and dairy). A forged bond and trust between certified entity and certifier is especially important in those “stress moments” of production—such as when you realize that the kosher production is to be run at the end of the week and you forgot to schedule it with the certifier. Or, you begin production at 5 a.m. and one ingredient is not on the approved list.

Costs of Kosher Supervision
Each certification company has its own schedule of fees. While certifiers may be able to give you an estimate of costs over the phone, the more complex a product and manufacturing system is, the more the likelihood the certifier will need to make an initial visit.

An initial visit will allow the certifier to evaluate what protocols will be needed. Will manufacturing equipment need to go through the KSP process at every production? How many inspections will there be throughout the year? Will there be an initial KSP to “turn” the facility from kosher to non-kosher? Only after an analysis of these factors will you get a clearer picture of the total yearly costs of certification.

There are a couple different approaches to kosher certification pricing. Some certifiers offer a flat rate based on the number of inspections they estimate they will need to do, while others charge a yearly fee and then a separate fee for each inspection. One is not necessarily more cost-effective than the other and thus it is key to do your homework.

With agencies that charge per inspection, facilities that are completely kosher-certified (and do not need a kosher inspection at each production run) may not know the exact costs of total yearly inspections in advance. (Remember, a reputable certifier will not tell you how many visits they will do.) However, you can ask the certifier to include in the contract that the total cost will not go over a certain amount that is mutually agreed upon. Of course, this contract, as well as a flat-rate agreement, would need to be renegotiated if the manufacturer were to fall out of compliance to the point where they require many more inspections. Either way, the cost of kosher certification can be affordable for companies of all sizes and often starts off at $2500 for inspections and yearly fees combined.

It is important to remember that there is an added dimension to kosher other than the commercial side that transcends the physical eye and touch. The kosher program is spiritually based. A core postulate spoken of in many ancient and modern Hebrew texts is that the intention and thought behind one’s actions has an impact on the objects one works with. As a result, these texts explain that such positive-focused production positively impacts the very nature and energy contained in the food.

When products are certified kosher, they become a magnet to the millions of kosher consumers worldwide who will not and cannot choose any other source but kosher. They will not even consider purchasing a product without a kosher symbol on it. This gives kosher products a competitive edge over similar non-kosher products.

And it should be reiterated that kosher consumers include more than the million or so practicing Jews—Muslems, Hindus, Seventh-Day Adventists, vegetarians, vegans, Buddhists and even those who are simply aware of the intense measures of care and inspection that go into kosher certification make up the scores of millions who actively seek at least some kosher-certified items for purchase in the course of a year. A kosher consumer, just as the organic, health-conscious one, is a dedicated and thorough label reader. If your organic and natural product can also be kosher approved, it may be well worth the effort and investment.

Rabbi Reuven Flamer is founder and administrator of Natural Food Certifiers (NFC). NFC is the first USDA NOP organic certifier and kosher certification agency. NFC also offers vegan and natural food system certification. Rabbi Flamer hosts “Naturally Connected,” a New York-area local television show on natural health, healing and spiritual living. He can be contacted at nfccertification@gmail.com.