Kosher Certification of Products

Kosher Certification On A Large Scale

Kosher certification of products by large national
agencies is a modern response to modern conditions.

Nowadays, a single factory located anywhere, might
produce enough to supply a world-wide market.

A local rabbi or rabbinic group may not be equipped
to provide the certification services that companies need.

This article will describe and compare the types
of kosher food authorization and what they do for you.

Types of Certification Providers

Kosher certification can be provided by
1) a single rabbi,
2) a local community Va'ad HaKashrus (Office of
Rabbinic Kosher Supervision) or
3) a large national agency.

Before we deal with the differences in kosher
certifications, let's see the similarities.

What Kosher Certifiers Have in Common

Kosher certification, if it is authentic, follows one set
of rules. This is true no matter who does the certifying.

A kosher certification agency will provide staff:

Observant of the mitzvos - the Biblical laws
Fully knowledgable of those laws
Reliable
Accountable
In physical control of the premises he supervises and
With no personal financial interest in it.

Notice that these qualifications are listed separately.
If any one of them is missing, the others are insufficient.

Why Mitzva Observance is Necessary

1) Acceptability - It's a pragmatic reason. Everyone
accepts observant (Orthodox) certification. Others are
eventually rejected at least by someone.

2) Motivation - A non-observant person makes a personal commitment.
An observant person, by contrast, accepts a Divine command.

3) Continuity - The kosher laws among the non-observant depend
on the times, on what is fashionable, and on democratic consensus.
They are always subject to change.
The observant, by definition, maintain the laws in their original form.
Their kosher certification will always be authentic.

What Do Certifications Actually Do?

It's instructive to note that all certifications,
regardless of type, serve two masters.

1) To you, the Jewish consumer, they provide
assurance of kashrus (kosher-ness).

2) To the food producers, they provide you!

They must keep you happy or you will not
buy the products that they certify.
They must keep the producers - their customers -
happy. Otherwise they will have nothing to certify.

To further their goals the agencies provide
three types of services:

Supervision
Advocacy
Education

Supervision

Supervision is their "product".
For consumers it makes available foods which
they would otherwise not be able to eat.
For businesses it attracts customers
and increases the companies' sales.

Examples: (1) An agency inspects the premises of
a breakfast food manufacturer. Your child can now
claim the prize in yet another box of cereal.

(2) A mashgiach (kosher supervisor) examines the
equipment and ingredients at a local restaurant. He
advises the owner and staff as to the necessary procedures
to be kosher and arranges for regular inspection. You
now have somewhere to eat out and to entertain
clients and guests.

Advocacy

Advocacy is how the agencies increase the number of outlets
and products. It is the sales function, targeting food suppliers.

Examples: (1) An agency representative contacts a producer.
He describes the volume of potential customers and the cost
effectiveness of providing a kosher product. Suddenly, due to
kosher certification a new product is now a family favorite.

(2) A rabbi approaches a hospital cafeteria recommending that
they stock a few kosher items. They add more over the years
eventually meeting the needs of all the patients and visitors.

Education

Education is how the agencies increase the number of consumers.
It is public relations, promotion and lobbying.

Examples: (1) After Shabbos (Sabbath) morning services the
rabbi announces that a local hall is now available for kosher events.
The congregation urges its members to patronize a certain store.

(2) An agency publishes articles about kosher observance.
A better informed public finds it easier to keep kosher.

Certification on Different Scales

We have seen that there are three types of certifiers

individual rabbi
local group of rabbis
national agency

and that they each do three things

supervise
advocate
educate

You Can Ask Your Rabbi...

To help persuade local businesses to carry kosher foods.
To help you find seasonal items, like Passover matzo.
To answer your questions.
To help you kasher your kitchen.

[In fact, he's the very rabbi I keep suggesting you consult.
Go ahead, call him! He may have his cellphone on!]

Your Local Va'ad HaKashrus

There is a very good reason why Jews tend to live in
larger cities. Almost everything needed to observe Judaism -
kosher food, schools, synagogues - is sustainable only
by a large group. In a city, rabbis as a group can
accomplish what any one of them could not.

They can:

1) Inspire businesses to serve a large pool of customers
2) Provide the manpower to supervise factories with
different shifts and locations.
3) Oversee services that keep non-traditional hours.
4) Share expertise (Torah knowledge is limitless).
5) Lobby for services in public places like hospitals,
schools and nursing homes.
6) Raise and distribute funds to subsidize these services.

Only a joint community effort will have the motivation and
resources to do everything a local rabbinic organization does.

National Kosher Certification Agencies

'National agency' is not an official designation, just a handy
term. They are national when

The products they certify are sold all over the continent.
They certify many - thousands - of products.
They will send a representative almost anywhere.

Their size and experience help provide a lot of benefits.

Companies like them because they don't slow down
production schedules. They are familiar with large scale
equipment and with many ingredients and processes.

They represent a huge customer base including non-Jews
who eat kosher. Having kosher certification is a very
cost-efficient way of attracting these customers.

Companies like that, too. That's why you see
so many new kosher products.
National agencies also lobby governments
for consumer protection legislation.

Accolades and Caveats

You probably benefit from dozens of certifiers, some of
each type. In the last few decades the number and
quality of kosher products has risen manyfold.

There is one undesirable consequence.

As a consumer, you will be familiar with the concept of
a "product recall". Cars, computers or toys are found
defective and taken off the shelf. The company apologizes
and then repairs or replaces the item.

National kosher certification agencies, like multinational
companies are large bureaucracies, dealing with other
large companies, large scale production and mass distribution.

The results are almost inevitable. Lack of complete control,
lapses in communication and corporate greed are responsible.

The agencies' "product" is the certification and when it is
found to be defective, the food is not kosher.

'Defective' Certification

Agencies deal with a product recall in "two ways".
1) An actual recall. With the companies' help the products are
removed from the shelf. Sometimes it can be relabeled
correctly - dairy instead of parve, for example - and returned.

2) Publicity. Newspapers, bulletin boards, the internet are
used to notify consumers of a mislabeled product.

What Can I Do?

Here are two things you cannot do:

1) Blame the certification agency. You trusted them, they trusted
a producer and something went wrong. But if you eat food
which is not kosher, the consequences are your own.

2) Get along without certification agencies.
At least most people cannot. I can't.

However you can reduce your risk in a number of ways.

1) Choose products and services offered by
observant Jews. They accept both kosher laws
and business integrity as Divine imperatives.

2) Buy products from established companies with a
reputation to uphold. They are unlikely to deliberately
mislead a certifier.

3) Wait until new companies establish a track record.
Your child can wait for the guava flavored sloppy joe mix.

4) Choose products carefully. The more ingredients and
production processes, the more room for error.

5) Many, many consumer alerts are about products which turn
out to be dairy. Avoid using newer products with meat
meals or in meat recipes.

6) Try to get to know the local rabbis and agencies.
You may find them approachable and helpful.

Here is a short list of
national kosher certification agencies.
No matter where in North America you travel you are
likely to find the products they certify.

At a future time we will be providing a comprehensive
listing of reliable certifiers with their symbols.
For now please be aware that there listings with
hundreds of agencies on them many of which are not reliable.

As always you may contact us with questions.
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