Kosher in the Mainstream

So what exactly does kosher mean? And how do kosher products differ from non-kosher ones?

The short answer is, kosher is the original “you are what you eat” model. The meaning of "kosher," which is also a homonym for the Hebrew word  for "connection" comes from the biblical implication that the foods we eat, by being "fit," can enhance or detract from our connection to a higher power. Food that is kosher — “fit,” or “proper” — is sourced, prepared and served in compliance with laws derived primarily from the Torah (the first five books of the Bible) and the Talmud (the rabbinical interpretations and clarifications of the laws of Torah begun over 2,000 years ago), as well as the works of successive centuries of Jewish scholarship.

Pork is forbidden, as is meat from carnivorous animals and scavengers as well as water-dwelling creatures without fins and scales. Kashrut also requires complete separation of meat and dairy products, right down to the utensils, equipment, containers and surfaces used in preparation and packaging. Items that have come into contact with non-kosher food may not be used with kosher food. Wine and grape juice made by non-Jews may not be consumed.

Permitted animals must be slaughtered by a shochet, a ritual slaughterer, who slits the animal’s throat with a special knife in a manner that minimizes suffering. The organs are inspected for flaws, such as adhesions on the lungs or a perforation of the brain, which could result in the animal being labeled treif, or unfit for consumption.

Sholom Rubashkin, whose Postville, Iowa-based firm Agriprocessors slaughters most of the kosher meat produced in the U.S., notes the emphasis placed on the intact brain. This factor, he notes, raised the profile of kosher beef at a time consumers are concerned about bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE, aka "mad cow" disease) which attacks the brains of cattle and has been linked to Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease in humans. (For more on BSE, see “Meat Safety Under the Microscope.”)

“Consumers cite food safety issues as a reason to choose kosher foods,” says Paul J. Albert, marketing communications manager for Empire. “At Empire, safety in all products is ensured by rigorous tests and temperature inspections throughout the process. Empire Kosher sells more kosher chicken and turkey than any other company, so we take extra care at every stage of growing, processing, selling and distribution of our poultry to ensure the best quality and safety. We’re the only kosher poultry processor to have two dedicated knife inspectors on the plant floor at all times.”

Opportunity Knocks

Given the rigorous and complex nature of the kosher laws, it may seem surprising an estimated one-third of all food products — from crackers to corn syrup and club soda to caramels — are kosher-certified. Lubicom pegged the total number of kosher-certified products at 82,000 in 2003. Why are manufacturers putting themselves through the paces just to ensure they can display a hechsher, a symbol attesting to a product’s kosher status?

The answers, according to many who endure kosher inspections regularly, are that the market opportunity is too great to ignore and the certification process is not as intrusive or cumbersome as to outweigh the benefit.

OUT OF STYLE Kosher is not a “style” of cooking — there is no such thing as "kosher-style" food. Chinese food can be kosher, if prepared in accordance with Jewish law. Although the details of kashrut are extensive, the laws all derive from a few fairly simple, straightforward rules: Certain animals may not be eaten at all. This restriction includes the flesh, organs, eggs and milk of the forbidden animals; of the animals that may be eaten, the birds and mammals must be killed in accordance with Jewish law; and all blood must be drained from the meat or broiled out of it before it is eaten; certain parts of permitted animals may not be eaten.

Gerry Kean, director of quality assurance for Brea, Calif.-based Ventura Foods, says the process of obtaining kosher certification for 80 percent of the mayonnaises, sauces, oils, shortenings, salad dressings and other products produced by his firm doesn’t exhaust patience or resources at his manufacturing operations.

“I found it to be very easy,” Kean says. “Once a company decides to get a product certified, it gets a rabbi to inspect the plant and the processes. You get a list of ingredients, submit kosher certifications on those ingredients, and submit a product and ingredient statement. It’s just not the horror some people envision it to be.”

Kean reports the ongoing follow-up inspections by the certifying agency’s rabbi, needed to maintain certification, aren’t burdensome either. “In each plant, once a month, the rabbi will show up and have complete rein,” he explains. “He’ll walk through the ingredient areas (and) look at our processing equipment to be sure the right process is being followed. But we’ve never had any issues at all; it’s an extremely cooperative process.”