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By Susan Michel, MBA

OCEAN NUTRITION CANADA LTD.(ONC) isn’t just riding the Omega-3ingredient wave; it is leading theway. Most people are not gettingenough Omega-3 in their diets –

130mg per day on average compared to the AmericanHeart Association’s recommendation of 500mg per day, and one gram forthose with coronary heart disease (CHD). Now, with Ocean NutritionCanada’s breakthrough microencapsulation technology and OrthodoxUnion kosher certification, all food manufacturers can add Omega-3from fish to their products without altering the taste or smell.

Since its founding in 1997, ONC has grown into a leading re-searcher, innovator, and manufacturer of marine-based natural ingredientsfor the global healthy food and dietary supplement markets. Over theyears, ONC, under the leadership of President Robert Orr, has devel-oped a culture of excellence in all of its business practices, includingresearch and development of new ingredients, manufacturing, regulatoryaffairs, quality assurance and control, marketing, and customer service.

The Health Benefits of Fish:

Without the FishNow Kosher, MEG-3™ Brand Omega-3 Powder and Fish Oil Offer Food and Supplement Companies an Explosive Opportunity

Food manufacturerscan add Omega-3 from fish totheir productswithout alteringthe taste or smell

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2 BEHIND THE UNION SYMBOL

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KASHRUT DIVISION

RABBI MENACHEM GENACKRabbinic Administrator / CEO

RABBI MOSHE ELEFANTExecutive Rabbinic Coordinator / COODirector, New Company Department

RABBI YAAKOV LUBANExecutive Rabbinic Coordinator

RABBI DR. ELIYAHU SAFRANSenior Rabbinic Coordinator Director, Review and Update Department

RABBI YERACHMIEL MORRISONRABBI ABRAHAM JURAVELIngredient Approval Registry

RABBI HOWARD KATZENSTEINDirector, Business Management

u

STEPHEN J. SAVITSKYChairman, Joint Kashrut Commission

RABBI EMANUEL HOLZERChairman, Rabbinic Kashrut Commission

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ORTHODOX UNION

STEPHEN J. SAVITSKYPresident

RABBI DR. TZVI HERSH WEINREBExecutive Vice President

DAVID OLIVESTONEDirector, Communicatons and Marketing

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BEHIND THE UNION SYMBOL

RABBI DR. ELIYAHU SAFRANEditor–in–Chief

STEPHEN STEINEREditor

PAMELA WEIMANGraphic Designer

WE WELCOME YOUR COMMENTS & CONTRIBUTIONS

fax212.613.0775

e–[email protected]

Ocean Nutrition Canada is a leader in long chain Omega-3EPA/DHA ingredients, with the world’s largest manufacturing capacityfor fish oil concentrates. Only the finest sardine, anchovy, and mackerelfished in the deep waters off the coast of Peru are used in the manufac-ture of ONC’s MEG-3™ brand premium quality Omega-3 fish oilingredients. ONC’s commitment to quality is evident by the fact thatMEG-3™ fish oils are the first and, to date, only fish oil ingredients toachieve United States Pharmacopeia (USP) ingredient verification.To further build its reputation for excellence, ONC considered koshercertification for its MEG-3™ brand Omega-3 ingredients.

In 2002, Ocean Nutrition Canada made the strategic decision topursue kosher certification.The purpose of this initiative was multifold:It would enable ONC’s Omega-3 ingredient to be available to the largestnumber of consumers; open up the kosher food market to MEG-3™brand Omega-3 food ingredients; enable use of MEG-3™ ingredients in strictly kosher food manufacturing facilities; and provide added valueto our customers.

Once the decision was made, ONC sought to achieve kosher certifi-cation in a manner consistent with its well-established tradition of excel-

lence. Following extensive research into kosher certification options,including consultation with other industry-leading manufacturers, ONCmade the decision to partner with the Orthodox Union, the most widelyrecognized and trusted kosher organization in the world.That decisionproved to be very beneficial, according to Janet Shay,Vice President ofQuality and Regulatory Affairs at ONC, who declared,“We are extreme-ly pleased with the relationship we have built with the OU. Not onlyhave they lived up to their exceptional reputation, they have exceededour expectations and have been highly responsive and supportivethroughout the entire process.”

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Spring 2005 Kashrut Conference

Connecticut Grand Hotel &

Conference Center,Waterbury, CT,

May 15-16

1. Greeting all the Rabbinic Coordinatorsand many Rabbinic Field Represen-tatives from around the country is:Rabbi Menachem Genack,Rabbinic Administrator & CEO.

2. Making his point is: Chicago RFR Rabbi Shraga Kaufman (r) to RC Rabbi Yermia Indich

3. An update from Atlanta: RFR Rabbi Yehuda Boroosan (l) to Business Manager Rabbi Howard Katzenstein

4. It’s all in the palm pilot: Rabbi Avrohom Stone (r) withCincinnati RFR Rabbi Raffie Zuroff

5. Sharing insights into new areas ofKashrut technology are: From left –Chairman Rabbi NochumRabinowitz, Rabbi YosefGoldberg & Rabbi Avraham Stone

6. Updating on required standards and new possibilities of OU certified gelatin are: From left –Rabbi Abraham Juravel, Rabbi Seth Mandel, and ChairmanRabbi Chananel Herbsman

7. Discussing inspection and ingredientissues are: From left – Rabbi Raymond Morrison, Rabbi Abraham Juravel of the IAR and Rabbi Moshe Elefant,Executive Rabbinic Coordinator & COO

8. Addressing a session on “Safety in the Workplace” is: Ms. Tina Feist – Quality AssuranceSuperintendent of ADM Southport

9. Rabbi David Gorelik chaired the session “Safety in the Workplace”

10. An update from Upstate New York: RFR Rabbi Shmuel Rashkin (l)to New Companies RC Rabbi Yitzchak Mincer

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The Orthodox Union rose toONC’s challenge, which included not only certifying the fish oil plant in Mulgrave, Nova Scotia (N.S.) and theOmega-3 powder plant in Dartmouth,N.S., but also certifying the catch andextraction of oil from the fish in Peru.Rabbi Blugrond, Senior FieldSupervisor, and the local rabbinic representative, were instrumental in thekosherization of the fish in Peru, whichincluded supervising the fishing andsorting of the catch to ensure only sardine, anchovy, and mackerel (kosherspecies) were allowed into kosher vesselsfor the oil extraction process.The fish oilwas then sealed by the rabbi and shippedto Nova Scotia for processing.

To meet the OU standard, someprocess changes and technological modifications were required in themanufacturing of the fish oil and pow-der.The Orthodox Union worked veryclosely with Ocean Nutrition Canada toensure that these requirements were met.Rabbi Blugrond; Rabbi Goldberg,Rabbinic Coordinator; Rabbi Safran,

Senior Rabbinic Coordinator; andRabbi Rosen, Rabbinic Representative,worked diligently in partnership withONC plant managers, regulatory andquality assurance managers, and staff toensure that both manufacturing facilitiesin Nova Scotia, which also manufacturefish oil ingredients that are not kosher,met the strict OU kosher standard.

New Master Production Records(MPR) were developed to ensure compliance with OU requirements,the plants underwent a four month

set-up period in preparation for runningboth kosher and non-kosher productionlines simultaneously, and finally thekosher certification was completed.Behind the scenes, ONC’s regulatoryaffairs and quality assurance managersand staff worked tirelessly to coordinatewith Rabbi Safran and Rabbi Goldbergto guarantee that ONC followed OUprocedures and standards throughout theentire certificationprocess.

Ocean Nutrition Canada looks forward to continuing to build upon the solid foundation it has establishedwith the Orthodox Union and to takingthe partnership to even greater heights asthe Omega-3 market continues to growexponentially. Several factors provide thebasis for ONC’s enthusiasm about thefuture of Omega-3 market opportuni-ties.These include: the U.S. Food andDrug Administration’s (FDA) qualifiedhealth claim issued in 2004 for reducedrisk of coronary heart disease (CHD) forfoods containing Omega-3 EPA/DHA;FDA issued a similar qualified healthclaim in 2000 for supplements contain-ing Omega-3 EPA/DHA; and theAmerican Heart Association (AHA) recognizes the health benefits ofOmega-3 and recommends eating twofatty fish meals per week and, for thosewith CHD, consuming one gram ofOmega-3 per day.All of these, in combi-nation with extensive media exposure,are leading to increased consumer

awareness of the health benefits of Omega-3 EPA/DHA.

ONC’s MEG-3™ brandOmega-3 powder is now indevelopment with kosher food

companies across a range of categories.The future of kosher

MEG-3™ brand Omega-3 powder andfish oil ingredients is very bright andONC welcomes the opportunity tocontinue to serve the healthy food anddietary supplement markets with premi-um quality Omega-3 ingredients.“Thisis an explosive opportunity for foodmanufacturers to provide a much-needed boost to consumers’ hearthealth,” said Michael Hodgett,VicePresident of Business Development atONC.“Now kosher food companies can deliver these health benefits too!”

Susan Michel, MBAis Associate Product Manager, DietarySupplements, of Ocean Nutrition Canada Ltd.

Rabbi Chaim Goldberg serves as the Orthodox Union’s rabbinic coordinator for Ocean Nutrition Canada Ltd.

OMEGA 3 continued from page 2


The task of kosher

certification for such an

endeavorwas not for

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By Rabbi Chaim Goldberg

Those of us working in the field of koshercertification at the Orthodox Union havethe distinct opportunity (and obligation)to be on top of new technologies, and new developments in food production.Long before Omega-3s were front-page news in the major media, the OrthodoxUnion received numerous inquiries into sources for kosher fish oil.The demand for kosher fish oil that could meet all standards made the opportunity for such asupplier obvious.

We were not the only ones who noticed the potential for high-quality kosherfish oil.The folks at Ocean Nutrition, in Nova Scotia, Canada, who were alreadycommitted to producing some of the highest quality fish oil on planet Earth, decided that they could be the ones to take advantage of this opportunity.

The task of kosher certification for such an endeavor was not for the faint ofheart. Unlike most commercial productions, extensive preparations and planningwere required before the Orthodox Union could even begin to discuss certifying anextracted fish oil product. Indeed, the Orthodox Union assigned one of its topRabbinic Field Representatives to assist in the preliminary fieldwork required.

Rabbi Yaakov Blugrond, a 15-year veteran of the OU’s kosher certification division, is a world-renowned expert in the field of equipment kosherizations.Rabbi Blugrond saw the vast importance of this assignment, and turned it into atrue labor of love. But even for the immensely capable rabbi, being a partner in the development of Ocean Nutrition’s fledgling kosher program was quite anassignment indeed, although as Rabbi Blugrond pointed out,“Having a company as cooperative as Ocean Nutrition made the task a full 50 percent easier”.

Acting as the OU’s eyes and ears in the field, Rabbi Blugrond constantly relayed information about the practical workings of each Ocean Nutrition produc-tion phase to the office.This allowed our staff of Rabbinic Coordinators andKashrus Law Consultants to construct the kosher program.

From the initial application until the OU issued a Letter of Certification for the finished product was a four-year period of perseverence and dedication. Undersimilar circumstances, one could imagine a company rethinking the value of contin-uing with the stringent requirements of kosher certification. For the folks at OceanNutrition, no obstacle is too great, and focus on the goal kept the process moving.

Nothing Fishy Here: Beyond the Four-Year Process atOcean Nutrition to Make Fish Oil Kosher

S U M M E R 2 0 0 5 5

Rabbi Amatzia Argentar, a RabbinicField Representative who assisted inproduction, commented,“OceanNutrition feels strongly that they areonto something very positive with OUkosher certification.”

Kosher oil production starts at anextraction facility in the various areaswhere menhaden, herrings and tunas areharvested.The OU requires that theextraction happen under on-site rabbinicsupervision, confirming that the level ofby-catch entering the extraction processis “absolute zero.” In addition, all oilmade on this equipment prior to therabbi’s arrival is regarded by the OU as non-kosher and requires a completekosherization of the affected equipment.Prior to kosherization, the equipmentmust be perfectly clean, not a small orderin an extraction facility whose moststringent CIP “is not good enough”for the rabbi.

Ocean Nutrition made it clear toevery facility involved in the OU kosherproduction that the rabbi’s requirementsmust be fulfilled without a single com-promise. Imagine the scene: every pieceof production equipment, holding tank,pipe and belt… sparkling!

Next was the issue of identifying thekosher loads from the non-OU certifiedproductions. For the on-site supervisor, asystem of sealing containers (and kosher-ized equpiment) was arranged. For theproducer, every line manager and shiftdirector had to understand the changesto standard production that the OUrequires. Every worker involved thenhad to be instructed in new productionprotocols in order to comply with theOU kosher program.Word quicklyspread around the company,“Rememberthat no QC testing can take place unlessthe Rabbi opens the seals and reseals itafterwards!!”

Kosherized equipment has toremain sealed to guarentee that no non-kosher product is run on the equipmentbefore the next kosher production; evenchanges in steam system piping cannottake place unless the rabbi approves it.

The raw extracted oil then travelsthrough a semi-refining process, a refin-ing process, and finally a spray-dryingprocess. Each plant had another set ofOU kosher protocols to be instituted,

new production equipment which needed different forms of kosherization,a new set of workers who must be pre-pared for the needs of the new kosherregulations, and various other kosherchallenges to rise up and meet.Throughout the process, all levels ofOcean Nutrition’s staff were single-minded in their commitment to the very strictest level of kosher supervision.

Ocean Nutrition invested consider-able resources in meeting the OU’srequirements. Complete new systemshad to be installed, including separatesteam systems and dedicated reactors,and all of it had to be done in such

a way as to guarantee that no cross-over between kosher and non-kosherwould occur.

In some cases, the OU requirements extended past the usual kosher pro-gram. In order to keep Rabbinic FieldRepresentatives on-site for extendedperiods of time, the OU needed to have separate quarters set up for the rabbis, including a Succah (a type of ritual booth) during the duration of the September holiday and changes in production times to allow the rabbi to rest on the Sabbath.

In total, it took more than sevenRabbinic Field Representatives, in addition to Rabbi Blugrond’s field oversight, three Rabbinic Coordinators,and countless meetings between seniormanagement and our in-house KashrutLaw Consultants to give the best koshersupervision to Ocean Nutrtitions prod-ucts imaginable.As Rabbi Argentar putit,“Ocean Nutrition was very obligingin making sure the job was done well,to the mutual benefit of OceanNutrition and the kosher consumer.”

The word has spread, and manufac-turers around the globe know theaddress for the highest quality kosherOmega 3 fish oil is Ocean Nutrition,under the proud and exacting koshersupervision of the Orthodox Union.

Rabbi Chaim Goldberg serves as the OrthodoxUnion’s rabbinic coor-dinator for OceanNutrition and manyother fish companies, aswell as potato and oilcompanies.


FISHY continued from page 5

MARKETING TIPSIf You’ve Got It—Flaunt It.

3 Letting your customers know that you are OU certified should be as much a part ofyour marketing strategy as any other significant benefit your product offers.

3 Be sure the OU logo is clearly visible in your advertising—either on the product labelor elsewhere in the ad.

3 Feature OU certification on your website.3 Ask our marketing department how best to reach the kosher consumer—thousands of

them contact us every day about food products they can buy, places they can shopand eat, and information about kosher in general.

3 Plan special promotions around Jewish holidays: Passover (March/April), RoshHashanah September) and Chanukah (December) are the most widely observed.

Ocean Nutritionmade it clear toevery facilityinvolved in the OUkosher productionthat the rabbi’srequirementsmust be fulfilledwithout a singlecompromise.

S U M M E R 2 0 0 5 7

YOGURT WAS FIRST PRODUCED thousands of years ago.Dairy history and legend indicate that yogurt originated in Iranor Turkey. One story has it that an ancient Turk was carryingmilk in his goatskin for some time, whereupon he noticed thatthe substance had developed into a thick, creamy mass (precipitat-

ed by the bacteria in the goatskin and the warm temperature).This new productwas referred to as yogurut.

In 1900, a Russian biologist named Dr. Ilya Metchnikoff, of the PasteurInstitute in Paris, was able to isolate bacillus cultures for yogurt production,marking the beginning of modern yogurt manufacture. Dr. Metchnikoffdemonstrated that yogurt’s bacteria fought dangerous germ bodies in the colonsof mammals, and he theorized the positive effects of yogurt bacteria cultureson humans. Shortly thereafter, yogurt became a staple in the American diet, andthe OU been has privileged to certify many brands for millions of kosher consumers in the United States and abroad.

Why is yogurt so popular that the general market and kosher consumer base have made yogurt one of the fastest growing dairy products throughout theworld? There are two answers to this question:A) taste, and B) health benefits.

Yogurt is an ultra-pliable food which can be manipulated, filled, thickenedand flavored in countless ways. Unlike most dairy products, yogurt has virtually

no bounds. When one considers the multitude of flavors, fruit and confectionery fillings, thickeners andsweeteners used in the many varieties of yogurt available to us, it is clear that there are thousands of possibilities. (Ever heard of cheese with fruit filling,banana-flavored butter, sour cream with chocolatechips...? You get the picture.)

The health benefits of yogurt are quite unique. Itsbacteria cultures (to be noted later in this article) assistin the digestive and gastrointestinal tracts, and theyenhance overall immunity by attacking disease-promoting bodies throughout the body’s food trail.It is even suspected that some infections and pre-tumor-ous conditions may be killed by yogurt’s live bacteria.

Of all dairy products, yogurt is among the mostcomplex in terms of its kosher requirements and propersupervision.To put it more precisely, if you take thekosher considerations of soft cheese and combine themwith the kosher issues of ice cream, you come out witha basic framework for kosher yogurt.

BASIC PRODUCTIONAll yogurt begins with milk.The milk’s fat ratio may be adjusted by adding cream or non-fat dry milk.

Afterwards, sugar or artificial sweetener may beincorporated, and stabilizers — which create the desiredconsistency — are then fed into the yogurt mix.

The mix is usually then pasteurized, subsequent towhich it is dosed with acid-based dairy cultures (mostcommonly lactobacillus bulgaricus and streptococcus ther-

Culture for the Masses:

TheComplexitiesof YogurtCertification

By Rabbi Andrew GordimerWhy is yogurt so popular that the general market andkosher consumer base have made yogurt one of thefastest growing dairy products throughout the world?


Certification of kosher yogurt poses the issues of stabilizers andcultures related to soft cheese, alongside dealing with the manyadditives and flavors encountered when certifying ice cream.

mophilus), after which the cultured massis left to incubate for a specific amountof time in closed yogurt vats.

Following incubation, fruit filling,flavors and even colorants may be added.The product is then filled into cups ortubs and is ready to go. (It is importantto note that the only hot phase is pas-teurization.The rest of the process iscold, ambient or warm.)

This seems pretty straightforward.Why, then, did we make certification of yogurt out to be so complex?

Let’s go through some of the abovesteps again more carefully by category,from the perspective of a kosher certifier.

INGREDIENTS

Milk is milk. No kosher problems here(unless we are dealing with yogurt inlands which consume non-kosher vari-eties such as camel or pig milk or haveinadequate milk regulations...)

Cultures, however, are another story.Most dairy cultures are grown in labswhich handle kosher and non-koshermaterials beyond the imagination. Somecultures are grown on surfaces which are non-kosher, and some are nourishedwith non-kosher nutrients. Sharedculture equipment is another commonissue. Cultures are kosher only whentheir environments and nourishments are fully kosher.Thus, we are workingwith pretty sensitive stuff.

Cream and non-fat dry milk,used to adjust yogurt fat ratios, are

also kosher-sensitive. Cream can derive from non-kosher whey, called“whey cream,” and it often sharesequipment used for non-kosher wheycream manufacture. Non-fat dry milkcan be dried in spray towers also usedfor drying non-kosher meats, cheese, etc.Proper kosher supervision is most certainly necessary!

When we get to stabilizers, weapproach the most hazardous area ofyogurt certification.The recent trend inthe yogurt industry has been to increasethe thickness of product, creating a“Swiss-style” consistency.The mostcommon stabilizer to achieve this resultis gelatin, most of which comes from thebones and hides of non-kosher animals.

It is for this reason that many varieties of yogurt bear no kosher symbol or fea-ture just a generic “K”, as the OUcannot certify them due to the presenceof non-kosher gelatin. (It is noteworthythat the OU does certify kosher gelatin,manufactured by Norland Industries andGlatech Productions. Kosher marshmal-lows utilize these gelatin sources, andthey are now available for the dairyindustry as well.) Other non-kosher stabilizers contain a mix of gelatinand non-animal based substances.

Stabilizers present in OU-certifiedyogurt are starch or gum based. Thesestabilizers need proper kosher certifica-tion, as they can be processed on non-kosher equipment and can even containtrace amounts of gelatin.

Some fruit fillings, flavors and colorants can be non-kosher. Kosherstatus must obviously be verified.

KOSHER PRODUCTION:The first thing that the OU needs to do when we certify a yogurt plant is toclear all ingredients as kosher.The nexttask is to determine if the plant alsomakes non-kosher product and — if so— evaluate whether or not the plantcan handle an OU program in light of its non-kosher production.

There are four categories of non-kosher issues: (1) pasteurization,(2) post-pasteurization, (3) formulas

and (4) kosherization.(1) PASTEURIZATION Every material

which is pasteurized is — of course— exposed to hot equipment. Non-kosher ingredients which are runthough the pasteurizer can render itnon-kosher. Although the OU doesnot permit the use of kosher andnon-kosher identical ingredients inthe same plant (such as kosher andnon-kosher cream, non-fat dry milk,etc.), we need to see if gelatin or gelatin-based stabilizers are used.If so, they can render the pasteurizerand related equipment non-kosher,requiring kosherization after eachnon-kosher campaign.

(2) POST-PASTEURIZATION Once wehave assured that the pasteurizationsystem is kosher for kosher-certifiedproduction, we need to see if thereare non-kosher ramifications of non-

kosher yogurt later on in the manu-facturing process. Gelatin-basedyogurt — as well as yogurt withnon-kosher fruit fillings, colors orflavors — often shares the sameincubation or storage tanks andfillers as kosher yogurt.This equip-ment must be reliably cleansed beforeit is used for kosher product, andtanks cannot hold kosher and non-kosher product for 24 hours or more.The OU assures that this is the case.

(3) FORMULAS When a plant processesnon-kosher yogurt (or any otherproduct, in general), the OU mustcarefully review formulas to verifythat kosher yogurt utilizes onlykosher ingredients.The more non-kosher production at a given plant,the more time and work will berequired for the rabbinic field repre-sentative (RFR) to go through thebooks or computer records for formula review.

(4) KOSHERIZATION As noted above,non-kosher yogurt run-through apasteurization system can requirekosherizaton after it is processed.In this case, the rabbinic coordinatorand RFR work out a system bywhich the plant’s CIP routine meetskosherization specifications.TheRFR reviews Taylor charts generatedby the CIP to assure that necessarytemperatures are reached, and he verifies production and CIPsequencing upon each visit as well.Certification of kosher yogurt poses

the issues of stabilizers and culturesrelated to soft cheese, alongside dealingwith the many additives and flavorsencountered when certifying ice cream.Complex...but delicious.

Rabbi Andrew Gordimer serves as rabbinic coordinator for manyOrthodox Union certi-fied yogurt companiesincluding,Ahava FoodCorporation, CabotCreamery, HilltopValley Dairy, JohannaFoods, Skotidakis GoatFarm and WildwoodHarvest Foods.

YOGURT continued from page 7

WHEN A certifyingrabbi first paid avisit to StonyfieldFarm, he trampedthrough the mud

of rural New Hampshire to do it. Healso got somewhat lost.That was back in1984 when the yogurt company consist-ed of “seven cows and a good yogurtrecipe.” Stonyfield Farm was located inrural Wilton, New Hampshire then, up a road so steep that milk trucks oftenhad trouble scaling it in the winter.

Today, Stonyfield Farm is the largestproducer of organic yogurt in the worldand the Number Three yogurt companyin the country, with net sales of $174million in 2004. Some 272 people areemployed at its Londonderry, NHproduction facility.All of its products are certified kosher by the OrthodoxUnion. Not only does Stonyfield sellorganic yogurt, but its relatively newSmoothies are soaring off the shelves;its YoBaby line for infants and toddlers is among the best-selling product for the company; its cultured soy offers anoption for those who don’t want to eatdairy; its frozen yogurts and ice creamsare award-winners; and it recentlyentered the market for milk — the kindyou just pour into a glass and drink.

From the beginning, back whenCEO Gary Hirshberg, his business part-ner Samuel Kaymen, and their familieswere milking the seven cows, Mr.Hirshberg knew it was important tomake a product that was healthy,delicious, organic, and of the highestquality. “OU certified kosher productsare identified with quality, which makesit a good fit for us,” Mr. Hirshberg said.“We always wanted to be able to offer

the koshermarket the best-tasting yogurt possible.We sell very well in New York and theNortheast, and we see the OU label asanother tool to help us continue toexpand our business. Just as the organicniche has grown, we expect the kosherniche to grow.”

In one sense, Stonyfield Farm products are “value-added” for thekosher consumer by supporting ahealthy environment.The company was the nation’s first dairy processorto pay farmers not to treat cows withthe synthetic bovine growth hormonerBGH. Stonyfield also donates ten percent of its profits to environmentalcauses and it offsets 100 percent of itsCO2 emissions from its facility, in aneffort to reduce global warming.

Carol McLaughlin, Stonyfield’s go-to person on kosher compliance,says that working with the OU for somany years means that certifications gosmoothly. She is in constant communi-cation with Rabbi Michael Morris inNew York and Rabbi Gershon Segal inthe Boston OU office. Both have beenhelpful when any supply issues have arisen. For example, Ms. McLaughlinsaid that the Boston office becameinvolved when Stonyfield had an issuewith a grape product provided by onesupplier. It wasn’t going to work andStonyfield was in a rush.“The OU wasable to help us find a new, OU-certifiedsupplier on short notice.They weregreat,” Ms. McLaughlin said.

Recently Rabbi Avrohom Stone,field representative in New Jersey, did aneducational presentation on kosher certi-fication for Stonyfield’s employees inLondonderry.

Greg Fonte, of Stonyfield’s NewYork sales team, sees the OU certifica-tion as extremely important.“It opensopportunities for our customers, whorecognize that products with the OUcertification are made with premiumingredients.And in a practical sense, itmeans we can sell to everybody,” he said.

Chris Halvorsonis Web Writer/Editor at Stonyfield Farm

Rabbi Michael Morris serves as the Orthodox Union rabbinic coordinator for Stonyfield Farm.

OUPRO-

Leaving No Stone Unturned at…

Stonyfield FarmBy Chris Halverson

Stonyfield Farms:An OU Rabbi’s Dream CompanyBy Rabbi Gershon Segal

In my periodic visits to Stonyfield Farmsover the years, I cannot help noticing theremarkable growth of the manufacturingfacility and the impressive expansion ofthe product line with creative newyogurt products. Fortunately, while the company grew, it also maintained the wholesome nature of its productsand continued to develop and produceyogurt products with a high level ofquality control.

Since the Orthodox Union KosherCertification Program at Stonyfield hasbeen seamlessly integrated into the quality control system of the company, all new products and ingredients weresubmitted in advance to the OU forapproval, thereby, maintaining a current Schedule A and Schedule B.

S U M M E R 2 0 0 5 9

continued on page 11

OU COMPANIES SPEAK

ORGANIC VALLEYis one of America’sleading national organic brands and is the nation’s largest

independent and farmer-owned organicdairy cooperative. Organized in 1988,Organic Valley boasts 689 certifiedorganic farmer/owners in 20 states.It owes its success to two pivotal guidingprinciples.The first is staying independ-ent and true to its mission: keeping smalland mid-sized farmers farming. Of equalimportance is its commitment to form-ing long-term partnerships with the 53quality manufacturing facilities that co-pack its products.

In the last year alone, the coopera-tive achieved record success both in sales (up from $156 million in 2003 to$204 million) and in farmer recruitment(133 new farmers).We increased numberof acres and cows brought into theorganic system (up to more than113,000 acres and 26,000 cows).TheOrganic Valley brand is the top-sellingorganic milk in both mainstream supermarkets and natural foods outletsalong the entire Eastern seaboard.

In 2001 when our goal was estab-lished to consolidate kosher oversightamong our plants and packaging, wesought out another quality partner capa-ble of meeting the unique needs of ourdynamic cooperative.The OrthodoxUnion swiftly satisfied that need and hasproved to be a solid partner making usproud to display the OU logo on ourproducts ever since. Our RabbinicCoordinator is Rabbi Andrew Gordimer.His level of expertise, service, understand-

ing and (occasionally)forgiveness is trulyimpressive.

ORGANIC AND KOSHER: A SOUND,WORKINGPARTNERSHIPIn August of 2000, while in Long Islandon a plant visit, I took the opportunityto visit the Orthodox Union headquar-ters in Manhattan.The visit that fol-lowed with Rabbis Safran, Elefant andtheir staff remains unsurpassed to thisday for its education and hospitality! The rabbis and I had a long, fruitful discussion, educating each other aboutthe challenges and similarities betweenorganic and kosher compliance. Just asthe Orthodox Union logo is the goldstandard of kosher oversight, the USDAOrganic Seal has quickly gained con-sumer confidence as the internationallyrecognized symbol of compliance toorganic standards.

Organic standards are productionguidelines which mandate such things as humane treatment of livestock alongwith water and soil conservation, whilestrictly prohibiting others such as the useof synthetic chemical fertilizers and pes-ticides, genetically engineered technolo-gy, and irradiation of food for steriliza-tion.As with kosher compliance, organiccertification for farmers and processorsinvolves scheduled and surprise inspec-tions and audits to verify compliance.

In the end, we concurred that thetwo compliment each other well interms of assuring customers that their

food meets strict, inspection-verifiedquality standards —- a “shidduch” in the words of Rabbi Safran.

The organic food industry is grow-ing at 20 percent per year as more andmore consumers recognize the nutri-tional and social benefits of organicfarming practices. Many of these consumers are the same careful shoppersthat seek out kosher certification.For Organic Valley the decision to boastof kosher compliance on our certifiedorganic labels has proved to be advanta-geous not only to our sales staff butmore importantly to our loyal base of customers.

As stewards of the earth who usenature as their teacher, Organic Valleyfarmers produce more than 130 deli-cious organic products. Look for theOrthodox Union logo on Organic Valleymilk, cream, half and half, soy drinks,butter, cream cheese, cottage cheese, sourcream, and juice. Organic Valley productsare sold in food cooperatives, naturalfoods stores and supermarkets through-out the country. For further information,contact Organic Valley at 1.888.444.MILKor visit ww.organicvalley.coop.

Jim Pierce is Certification Coordinator,Organic Valley Family of Farms.

Organic Valley Dairy Cooperative:Independent and Farmer-Owned

By Jim Pierce


Organic Valleybrand is the top-sellingorganic milkin both mainstream supermarkets andnatural foods outletsalong the entireEastern seaboard

OU COMPANIES SPEAK

WOLF AXELRODbegan the AxelrodCompany in 1896by establishing aretail store and

wholesale distribution business onMadison Street on Manhattan’s LowerEast Side.As the business expanded,Axelrod began to manufacturemore dairy productsin small “cheese facto-ries” in upstate NewYork, along theCanadian side of the St. Lawrence River.Each factory produced a few hundred pounds of cheese per day andpacked it in steel drumsthat were iced and thenshipped to New York City by train.

In 1920,Wolf Axelrodretired and left the business tohis son,Abraham, to manage. UnderAbraham’s direction the company flour-ished, concentrating its efforts on “soft”cultured cheeses and sour cream.Headquarters were moved to Brooklyn,with another branch in Freeport, NY.

After more than 15 years of vari-ous mergers and partnerships,Abrahamhad transformed the business into a fulldairy products company, in the processsetting strict quality standards for hissuppliers, thereby making the AxelrodCompany renowned for its wonderfulproducts and reliability.

In 1949, a pint size container ofplain Axelrod yogurt first appeared inmany local New York City grocery

stores, quickly followed by Axelrodlabeled cottage cheese and sour cream.

In 1961,Abraham sold the compa-ny to Crowley Foods, with his sonHerbert succeeding him as Presidentand CEO. Under Herbert’s leadership,the Axelrod Company expanded fromMassachusetts to Florida.Today,Axelrod

products are a stapleand tradition formany families inthe MetropolitanNew York area,New Jersey, NewEngland andFlorida.The OUsymbol is proudlydisplayed on ouryogurt as well as onall Axelrod culturedproducts.

At Axelrod, wefirmly believe that our

yogurt sets the qualitystandard, despite the fact that we stillare a relatively small regional company.We attribute much of our success to the stringent standards OU certificationstands for and the wonderful businessrelationship we have had over the yearswith the Orthodox Union, whichworks so hard to assure compliancewith its kosher requirements.

Jerry Gaube is Director of Marketing, Crowley Foods.

Rabbi Michael Colemanserves as Orthodox Union’s RabbinicCoordinator for Crowley Foods.

An Axelrod to Grind at the OU By Jerry Gaube

OU POLICY REVIEW 1Companies are requested to maintain alist of alternate plant personnel to escortthe RFR during inspections. This proce-dure helps circumvent extended delays,allows the RFR to adhere to his route,and contributes to maintaining theefficiency of a plant’s kosher program.

OU POLICY REVIEW 2Companies are reminded to double-check label proofs, and confirm thatthe correct OU designation appears.The OU-D symbol is required for products containing dairy, or producedon dairy equipment. OU-P denotesthat a product is specially certified forPassover. The standard OU symbolindicates that a product is pareve anddoes not contain dairy, but is not certi-fied for Passover.

Another impressive dimension of Stonyfield’s response to its kosher certification is the way in which the company itself monitors its raw materials. In addition to welcomingunannounced visits from the OU’s rabbinical representatives, Stonyfieldconducts a self-audit every two weeks.Quality control personnel developed a checklist based on a Schedule A andinspect the labels on each and everyraw material to insure they bear theappropriate kosher marking as indicat-ed on Schedule A. Therefore, it is nowonder that the rabbinical inspectionsgo so smoothly at Stonyfield Farms.

Ingredients range from frozen cultures which are packed in small cans and stored in a deep freeze envi-ronment, to large totes of fruit fillings.Since all ingredients and products atStonyfield are kosher, there is no need to monitor various formulations,and since all the equipment is usedexclusively for kosher products, nokosherization is necessary. Kosherconsumers can feel comfortable thatthey are not only receiving the highest quality in yogurt products, but that they are also receiving the highest standards in kosher certification as well.

Rabbi Gershon Segal serves as the Orthodox Union’s RabbinicField Representative at Stonyfield Farmsand in the New England region.

S U M M E R 2 0 0 5 11

continued from page 9

IF THE 70’S ADAGE, “you arewhat you eat” still holds true,we’re all becoming one bigkosher world. Ever since theBiblical commandment to the

Jewish nation over three thousand yearsago, keeping kosher has remained a vigilant way of life for millions of Jews.But who could have predicted thatkosher food production would become a booming business for thousands offood companies across the globe? What is motivating more and more food industry executives to jump on thekosher certification bandwagon? Perhapsthe more appropriate question – what’sdriving an ever-increasing number ofconsumers to look for the kosher symbol on the products they buy?

“Americans spend close to $486 billion on food and about $150 billionof that is kosher-certified, whether theyknow it or not,” reports MenachemLubinsky, President of IntegratedMarketing Communications, a NewYork company that researches the koshermarket.And those consumers whospecifically look for kosher productsspent $6.65 billion in 2002, a figure thatgrows every year. Marketing expertsreport that obtaining kosher certificationhas become a surefire way for a compa-ny to gain market share for a minimalinvestment.

CHOOSING THE CADILLAC OF KOSHER

One need only take a walk down theaisles of any supermarket in virtuallyevery city and town across the countryto identify the most popular kosher symbol. Designed in 1923, in response to a request from Heinz for a logo on its newly certified products, the nowfamiliar letter “U” within a circle appearson more than 400,000 food and food-

related items – over 60percent of America’skosher-certified products,making it synonymouswith the very conceptof kosher food.

“OU is theCadillac of kosher,”says Rabbi YisroelBendelstein, RabbinicCoordinator (RC) atthe OU.“It representsthe largest and mosttrusted kosher certify-ing agency.Companies know thatproducts bearing the OU emblem havethe greatest market penetration and, inturn, accrue the greatest profits.” In over 70 years of kosher-certifying service, the OU has developed intothe largest organization of its kind.

Close to 300 OU Rabbinic FieldRepresentatives (RFR’s) regularlyinspect nearly 6,000 certified plants in82 countries around the globe.A teamof Rabbinic Coordinators, supported by an ingredients registry staff and acomprehensive computerized database,provides unmatched depth of expertise inhalacha (Jewish Law) and food technology.

Companies, previously leery aboutthe cost of certification, soon realize thatthe benefits of OU supervision dramati-cally outweigh the very reasonablecharges.They come to view it as mini-mal investment for maximum gain.Asidefrom the substantial monetary profit ofgoing kosher, these food operationsenjoy the advantage of working with thelargest rabbinic and research staff, trainedin food science, who thoroughly under-stand the manufacturing process, the rawingredients, the chemistry of additives,and the details of the procedure eachmanufacturer employs to convert raw

goods to finished products.The rabbismake themselves available to field questions and provide support 24/6 (indeference to the Sabbath).“Everyonewe have worked with at the OU has

been both informative and helpful,”says Scott Werme, Plant Manager forAgri-Mark, Inc., producer of butterand skim milk powder, located inSpringfied, MA. Mr.Werme reportsthat Agri-Mark, Inc. has witnessedadvancement in market penetrationand a 25 percent increase in sales.

The rabbis make themselvesavailable to field questions and

provide support 24/6 (in deference tothe Sabbath).“Everyone at the OU hasbeen informative and helpful,” says ScottWerme, Plant Manager for Agri-Mark,Inc., producer of butter and skim milkpowder, located in Springfied, MA.He reports that Agri-Mark, Inc. hasincreased market penetration and witnessed a 25 percent growth in sales.

As kosher consumers develop amore refined palate, many will actuallycall a company inquiring as to whether a particular item is available in a kosherform.The marketing team records therequest and, after considering the idea,chances are good that it will contact theOU for certification.“The advantage toOU certification is its solid infrastruc-ture,” says Rabbi Gordimer, RC at theOU.“When a product becomes kosher,the whole kosher base notices it. If acompany were to try to target a groupof two million people, even on a one-time basis through the regular media,they would pay a hundred times what itwould cost them for a full year of OUcertification.The value is such a highlymarketable tool.” Once a company certi-fies a product, it often calls on the OUagain to certify more products.“That’s astrong indication that they’ve profited.”

Who could have predicted that kosher food production would become a booming business for thousands of food companies across the globe?

OU KOSHERBringing Boom for Business & Consistent Quality to ConsumersBy Rabbi Dr. Eliyahu Safran and Bayla Sheva Brenner


ted that kosher food production would become thousands of food companies across the globe?

nsistent Quality to Consumers

KOSHER CONSCIOUSNESS AT HOME AND ABROAD

Along with the established draw of theKosher-observant Jewish population,the market is witnessing an upsurge in

“kosher-conscious” Jews, non-Jews withreligious dietary restrictions, such asMuslims and Seventh-Day Adventists, aswell as individuals with dietary healthissues (such as lactose intolerance).Andthen there’s the rest of the populationthat regards the OU symbol as an assurance of wholesomeness and quality.The OU kosher symbol has come to beas universally recognized and respectedas the Good Housekeeping Seal.

This demand has lead retailers likeWal-Mart,Albertson’s, Publix, Ralph’sFood 4 Less, Kroger, Safeway, Key Food,Pathmark,Winco Foods, Shop ‘n Save,Shop Rite, Dominick’s, or Trader Joe’s togreatly increase the number of kosherproducts they stock. In the business world,the bottom line is sales. Food companiesand supermarkets that carry kosher certi-fied products find that the tell-tale symbolboosts a product’s selling power.

“Our business has grown rapidlyover the past 14 years and being able to

supply OU certified kosher products has definitely aided this growth,” saysDawn Sharkey, Kosher Coordinator atVan Drunen Farms, in CA, a major producer of frozen and dried food ingredients for the food industry.“Our kosher ingredients can be found in numerous markets, cereals, baby food,sauces, and snack foods worldwide.Having the OU symbol instills confi-dence that our products are made of thehighest quality ingredients, under thehighest quality conditions.”

Yakov Yarmove, Corporate EthnicCategory Manager, Ethnic Marketingand Specialty Foods for Albertson’snational chain of supermarkets, positionshimself between the current kosherboom’s suppliers and its retailers.Albertson’s boasts kosher sections in allof its 1,750 stores. For 18 years, he hasoverseen the buying of kosher productsand retail sales promotions for kosherspecialty stores and supermarkets with a designated kosher section.“In the lasteight to ten years, the kosher categoryhas exploded and expanded from noo-dles, borscht, matzo and gefilte fish to all kinds of items,” declares Mr.Yarmove.“When it comes to mainlinebrands, when it comes to kosher, there’sa definite push to bring that item in.Kosher is on the radar now.”

It was only a matter of time forword of the ‘kosher’ economic advantageto reach beyond American shores.According to The Development

Council, the globalmarketing arm andservice hub for HongKong-based manufac-turers, traders, andservice exporters,Asian

producers have beensteadily moving into the

kosher business in order to develop specialty foods.“The kosher market has added value for them,” says RabbiMoshe Elefant, the OU’s ExecutiveRabbinic Coordinator and newly namedChief Operating Officer.

Add Argentina, India, Spain, Egypt,China and Turkey to that list. JuanaSzpigiel of Yanovsky, a major matzahproducing company in Argentina, sayskosher certification has opened up newmarkets for her company throughoutSouth America and the United Statesand reports a 25 percent increase insales. Mr. Jayaprakash, Export Manager of Agro Dutch Industries Ltd., ofPunjab, India, one of the world’s largestcompanies of fresh mushrooms andprocessed mushrooms (in jars and cans),says Agro Dutch increased its sales by 15percent.“OU is our buyers’ require-ment,” declares Jayaprakash.Also inIndia, the Global Green Companyreports its sales rising 30 – 50 percent.“Working with the OU has been a veryrewarding experience for Global Green,”says Ashutosh Joshi, Deputy GeneralManager, International Marketing,“and a personal pleasure as well.”

The following incident illustratesthe strength of a good reputation.TABA,a Turkish-based organization that seeksto increase the business volume betweenTurkish and American companies,organized a workshop with IstanbulExporter Unions. Many Turkish compa-nies attended.They discussed possiblestrategies to employ in order to increase

OU is theCadillac of kosher. It represents thelargest and mosttrusted koshercertifying agency.

S U M M E R 2 0 0 5 13

sales to the USA. Mr.Altug Metin,President of OU certified BellaChocolate, and Chairman of IstanbulExporter Unions, and primary organizerof the workshop, gave this as his chief rec-ommendation to the participants:“Beingan OU certified producer is one of themost important parameters for enablingthe sale of products to the USA.”

He should know. Metin’s owncompany realized a 40 percentincrease in sales – primarily in private labels in the U.S. andCanada. Mr. Suat Zeytinoglu ofSIBAS Gida San ve Tic A.S., a Turkishcompany that produces sun-dried tomatoes, capers, and pepperoncini,relates a 30 percent increase in sales in the US and Israel, which he directlyattributes to his OU certification.

Businesses that want to remainviable and flourishing know that providing the customer with an excellent product must always remaintheir primary focus – no matter inwhich country or language.“HavingOU certification gives the customer the satisfaction and assurance that the products they are purchasing have beenmonitored from inception with allingredients checked and of the higheststandard,” says Anel de Silva, ManagingDirector/CEO, of Heritage TeasPremium Services Ltd., in Sri Lanka.

THE IMPACT OF THE KOSHER BASEAND THE OU SYMBOL

For the past 40 years, the number of OU certified companies has approxi-mately doubled every decade.Amongthese are industrial companies thatproduce ingredients needed by the

manufacturing sector.“There is a lot ofcompetition out there and the demand is very clear.The industrial companiesneed to be kosher to supply the retailmarket,” says Rabbi Avrohom Gordimer.“There is a clear demand to meet this

specification, or they will not be able to sell.They are finding that they mustbe kosher in order to supply the retailmarket and to maintain their contacts.”

Burt Flickinger, a managing partnerwith Strategic Resource Group, a retailconsulting firm, stated that the retailchains have set out to bring in a profu-sion of kosher food.“The national chainssaw that they were losing kosher cus-tomers, not only during the holidays,but every day of the week,” he said.Theytook action and reaped the rewards oftheir strategy. Menachem Lubinsky saysthat the average supermarket carries65,000 products, of which 25,000 bearthe kosher symbol.

The OU attributes much of itsgrowth in recent years to the privatelabel companies that insist on the organization’s certification. One by one,manufacturers are responding to thedemand.“The OU satisfied the require-ments of our largest private label cus-tomers, so that we could maintain andgrow joint business opportunities,” saysLois Ford, President of Bellows HouseBakery in North Walpole, NH, producerof cookies, brownies, blondies, and otherbaked goods.“Certification has alsoenabled us to quote to larger companieswith wide distribution that specifykosher certification as a pre-requisite toquotation.We believe certification gives

When it comes to mainline brands, when it comes to kosher, there’s a definite push to bring that item in.

Kosher is on the radar now

Companies know that products bearing the OUemblem have the greatest market penetrationand, in turn, accrue the greatest profits.


our company a competitive edge in the marketplace.” Consider the following scenario.A large pastry manufacturer,using hundreds of ingredients, applies for kosher certification.Ten of its regular suppliers lack adequate kosher supervi-sion.The pastry company informs themthat they either go kosher or it can no longer use their services. Each timeanother manufacturer attains kosher status, this domino effect accelerates and the kosher food market rapidlyexpands further.

Once, the OU had to inform an icecream manufacturer that due to a lack of cooperation, supervision would bediscontinued.The OU distributednotices to that effect. The owner of the company wasted no time phoningthe OU’s main office (in an obviousstate of panic).“Rabbi, I just purchasedthis company for $30 million,” he said.“Without the OU, it won’t be worthtwo cents.Almost all our business is private label supermarket brands, and ifwe lose your symbol, we will lose mostof these accounts.”

Kosher certification’s powerfulinfluence on the consumer continues

to impact every area of food production,distribution, and sales.“OU certificationadds an element of panache to ouraccreditation in the food ingredientsindustry,” says Patricia Penter, KosherAdministrator for Wild Flavors, Inc., inErlanger, KY.“Customers, familiar withthe OU, know that we are holding ourselves to a higher standard, too.TheOU’s quality standards are in many wayssimilar to the business and ethical stan-dards of our company.”

Companies on the production endagree with Penter’s assessment of theOU’s positive affect on their overalloperation.“We had to improve our control of ingredient purchasing andreceiving,” says Sam Shannon, PlantManager of Weis Markets Ice Cream, in

Sunbury, PA.“This resulted in betterrecord keeping and eliminated mistakes.I really enjoy the challenge of living up to the commitment.”

KEEPING AN EYE ON QUALITY – AND PROFIT

Contrary to popular belief, obtainingkosher certification isn’t achievedthrough a rabbi reciting a blessing over food products, or, for that matter,an entire plant. Kosherizing a food pro-duction or industrial facility requires aninvolved, meticulous process.With theOU’s state-of-the-art technical capabili-ties, new companies interested inbecoming kosher may undergo a processof equipment sterilization. From the initial application through the possiblekosherizing of the plant takes an averageof four to six weeks for a new companyto become certified; for new products ofalready certified companies, the process

(CHICAGO) Americans of all

backgrounds are buying

kosher products with the

full knowledge that they

are buying kosher, is a con-

clusion of a new study by

the Mintel Organization, a

global supplier of con-

sumer, media and market

research. The report,

which is due to be released

later next month, will be

the second study of the

major research orga-

nization in the last two

years. Based on a survey of

2,042 carefully chosen sub-

jects, the Mintel study sheds new light

on the strength of the ever-growing

kosher industry. 15% of the surveyed

said they buy kosher “all the time”

while 58% responded that they

“occasionally” buy kosher. 55% gave

health and safety as a reason for their

kosher purchases with 38% saying

they were vegetarians. Mintel

researchers note a significant increase

in kosher consumption by Halal cus-

tomers. 16% of those who buy kosher

said that they observe Halal. The new

Mintel study will also feature a

detailed demographic profile of who

is buying kosher as well as important

comparisons to the 2003 study on

five major food categories.

(Reprinted from Kosher Today Online.)

New SurveyReveals:21% ofAmericansEat Kosher

S U M M E R 2 0 0 5 15

continued on page 20

Thequestion

hadhauntedhim for

years. If there was onesore point in an

otherwiselegendary career, itwas Mac’s inability

to find a problemwith the OU.

A Z I N G AT H I S R E F L E C T I O N in the gritty officewindow, Milton “Mac” Donald, Kosher Private I, wasimpressed at the new dimension seven days withoutshaving gave his appearance.“Not bad,” he mused to

himself.“At least I look the part.” A wisp of confec-tionary sugar escaped from the bubble gum cigarette

dangling from the corner of his mouth as Mac leaned back in hiscreaking, rusty chair and pondered yet again his 30 years of solvingkosher mysteries.Absorbed in his thoughts, his gaze fell upon a dog-eared copy of the latest Behind the Union Symbol that lay open onhis desk.“Sure, sure, sure, yada, yada, yada, same old, same old,” hemuttered under his breath.“660,000 certified products, 5,100 facilities,81 countries and growing.Those OU rabbis are just too good at whatthey do. How come OU always seems to get it right?”

The question had haunted him for years. If there was one sorepoint in an otherwise legendary career, it was Mac’s inability to find aproblem with the OU. Sure, there had been stellar moments. Like thetime he uncovered the Low Carb K symbol accidentally placed onsugar coated pasta fried in lard. Or when his determined investigationfound that the Fishy K allowed a company to produce “certified”octopus hearts. But, despite a long and glorious career of finding mistakes of kosher producers and certifiers, Mac had never discovered

G


The Case of theBaffling Bialy

by Rabbi Avrohom Stone

a reason to fault the OU.“Those rabbisare just too good,” he muttered again tohimself.“What I wouldn’t give to catchthem making a mistake, at least once.” Itwas the prize he craved more than any-thing in life. It had become his obsession.

Mac’s reverie was interrupted by avoice informing him,“You have voice-mail.”“Thanks, Edith” Mac respondedmindlessly to his secretary, who stood by his desk pointing at the flashing mes-sage light. Picking up the phone, Mac listened to the first words of the messageand then sat bolt upright.“Sufferin’schedule A!” he gasped, as his bub-blegum cigarette dropped to the floor,“It’s the kosher mystery of the millenni-um!” “What is it Mac?” the secretaryasked breathlessly. His face ghost white,Mac stopped to compose himself beforeanswering.“The OU on GrandmaBailey’s Butter Bialys is missing!”

Edith’s scream and the sight of herfainting on the floor could not preventthe thought from entering his mind inthe excitement of the moment. His faceflushed as he stopped short to revel in it.“This might be it!,” Mac gloated inward-ly.“Thirty years and I finally will get theOU!” Stepping over Edith, he rantoward the door, smashing the candycigarette on his way out and feeling likea gumshoe for the first time in years.

Mac Donald, Kosher Private I,rushed like a madman to the scene.Grandma Bailey’s Bialys was on the farside of town, deep in the dark recesses ofa fading industrial park that had clearlyseen better days. Mac flung open the cardoor and raced into the facility, rushingdown the hall to the production area. Hehad barely gotten his hair and beard cov-ers on when he collided with the plantmanager, a heavyset man named RonDePlant. Hair disheveled, eyes open widerthan jumbo bagels boiled in bitter batter,the man responsible for the operations ofthe facility was clearly a man in crisis.

“Calm yourself,” Mac urgedDePlant, sitting him down on a barrelmarked “rework” that was full of

recently returned product.“Get a grip,Man! Now, tell me how this happenedfrom the beginning, and don’t you dareleave anything out.”

THE PROBLEM

“Well,” DePlant responded, trying hard to focus,“as I’m sure you’ve heard,Grandma Bailey’s finally received OUapproval to begin selling our bialys inpackages with the OU symbol.All our cake products have been OU D for years, but the OU never certified our trademark bialys because they con-tained butter, and OU cannot certifybread if it is dairy.As the kosher marketboomed, public outcry for our bialys tobecome OU was so overwhelming thatit couldn’t be ignored. 10,000 peoplepicketed our headquarters.We had to do something. Marketing forced R&Dto reformulate the product using an artificial butter flavor, the rabbi kosher-ized the equipment, and we started getting orders for OU bialys like theywere going out of style.”

DePlant pulled an old label from the rework barrel he was sitting on andtook a new one from the shelf in frontof him.“ Just look at the labels yourselfand you can see the difference.” Sureenough, Mac observed, the one withoutthe symbol says butter in the ingredients,but the one with the OU says artificialbutter flavor.That OU sure makes thelabel more attractive and appealing tothe consumer. Just kind of jumps rightoff of the label at you. Definitely a brilliant marketing move.Very interest-ing, Mac thought, but not very helpful.

“Thanks for the history lesson,DePlant, but what’s all that got to dowith the price of poppy seeds inPoughkeepsie?” Mac drummedhis fingers impatiently.

“But that’s the wholeproblem!” yelled DePlant,who had begun to lose hiscomposure yet again.“Therabbi arrived here an hour agoand went through his normal

inspection with Ken Yukleenit, one ofour maintenance guys.When he fin-ished, he looked around and got thisconcerned look on his face. He wentupstairs to the main offices and then, fiveminutes later, old Grandma Bailey herselfcame vaulting down to the plant floorand told them to quarantine the OUfilm immediately and to keep packingthe bialys in the old film. I was on myextended plant manager executive lunchbreak when the rabbi was here and, bythe time I returned, he had rushed off toan emergency.We sat down and analyzedour production from beginning to end.We haven’t changed a thing since we gotthe OU approval for the bialys.There’snot a reason in the world that our product doesn’t meet OU standards.I tried to ask old Grandma Bailey butshe had already left for her pole vaultingpractice.That’s when we called you.Only the famous Mac Donald, world’smost renowned kosher Private I, couldfigure this one out.”

Mac shook off the compliment with his trademark humility.“You’reright about that,” he acknowledged. Hepaused to gather his thoughts.Years ofkosher investigation had taught him toretain his laser focus, but the excitementwas pulsating within him.There was noother explanation for the course ofevents other than a mistake on the partof the OU. His life’s dream was withinhis grasp. He just had to remember tothink clearly.

“We must carefully retrace therabbi’s steps,” he told the sweatingDePlant.“Only then will we know whathe might have seen.” The plant managersummoned the maintenance person whohad escorted the rabbi through the facility. He appeared seconds later.

“Show us exactly where the rabbiwent, what he said

and what he did,”Mac barked at

the nervous

“You see, Mac, it’s all a question of the way a person looks at things. From my position, the issue is obvious. However, from where you’re sitting, I don’t expect you could ever notice it…

S U M M E R 2 0 0 5 17


KenYukleenit.“Don’t leave out even onedetail, no matter how small!”

The three men walked the route the rabbi had taken, speaking to everyemployee on the way.Yukleenit statedthat the rabbi had first gone to receiving.Mac almost came to blows with JustinThyme, the warehouse foreman, overMac’s insinuation that receiving person-nel had been using an out-of-dateschedule A discovered laying in thereceiving office.A violent confrontationwas avoided when the current scheduleA the department regularly used wasfound in the hands of a Q.A. personchecking raw material inventory.

The same scenario was played out throughout the factory. Bill Melater,head of raw material procurement, hadshown the rabbi his file of current lettersof certification for all raw materials,his current schedule A and the kosherrequirements listed on the purchaseorders he issued.The two R&D techni-cians, Ben Dare and Don Dat, hadshown him that all formulae tested inplant line trials had contained onlyapproved ingredients.The company’schief of engineering,Taylor Weal, hadreviewed temperature and CIP charts tothe rabbi’s satisfaction. Macon Doe, shiftsupervisor, described how the rabbi hadaudited batch records, formulae and hadconfirmed the complete separation ofdairy and pareve production processes,lines and equipment. Erin Caushun confirmed that the rabbi had reviewedthe final graphics approval she gave tothe new pareve labels.

It took nine hours for the threemen to methodically retrace the rabbi’ssteps and meticulously analyze everyquestion, comment and observation hehad made to the plant staff. There wasnothing out of order. Exhausted, theyreturned to where they had begun theirtour.An exhilarated Mac Donald satdown on the rework barrel that was nowhis throne, as he savored his long-covet-ed victory.“Gentlemen,” he announcedto DePlant and Yukleenit,“we have justreviewed this plant from top to bottom,and there is not a single item amiss inthe kosher program.There is only oneconclusion; that the vaunted OU rabbihas made a tragically mistaken determi-nation regarding your product.”

“Sorry to disappoint you Mac,”came a confident voice from behind.There stood the OU rabbi, flanked byold Grandma Bailey and her 26 footvaulting pole.“I know you’ve waited 30years to catch us slipping up, but you’rejust going to have to wait longer.”

“Darn tootin’,” echoed oldGrandma Bailey, shaking her pole men-acingly at Mac.“This rabbi is 100% onthe mark. He knows exactly what he’sdoing!”

“Oh, come off of it, rabbi,” Macsputtered.“We both know that I, theworld’s greatest living kosher Private I,after a thorough, comprehensive and

extensive review, didn’t see anythingamiss here.Admit it, Rabbi.The OUblew it this time – and you know it!”

The rabbi looked sympathetically atMac before responding, for what he saidnext would convince Mac that pursuitof his dream would be forever futile.“You see, Mac, it’s all a question of theway a person looks at things. From myposition, the issue is obvious. However,from where you’re sitting, I don’t expectyou could ever notice it…..”

What was the issue that the OUrabbi found?

FOR THE SOLUTION, TURN TO PAGE 23

BORN AND RAISED IN ST. LOUIS, RabbiAvrohom Stone was educated at St.Louis Rabbinical College. He pursuedhis graduate and post-graduatestudies for thirteen years at thefamed Rabbi Aaron Kotler Instituteof Advanced Studies in Lakewood,N.J. He received rabbinical ordina-tion from one of Israel’s leading scholars, Rabbi Moshe Shmuel Shapiro. RabbiStone and his wife, Frada, who recently received her Masters of Social Workdegree, reside in West Orange, N.J with their seven children, ages 11 to 21.

Rabbi Stone is actively involved in his local community, since 1996 teachingthe daily Daf Yomi (Talmud study) session to a group of 12 professionals. Since2002 he has served as the founding rabbi of Congregation B’nei Torah in WestOrange, and as a member since 1996 and as administrator from 2003 of theMetrowest Kashrut Board.

At the OU’s Kashrut Division, Rabbi Stone serves as Rabbinic FieldRepresentative throughout the state of New Jersey. Rabbi Stone’s multi-facetedtalents and outgoing personality have enabled him to share his expertise andexperience at in-service training seminars for OU certified companies throughoutthe country, as well as to deliver kosher-related educational lectures to Jewishcommunal groups.

Rabbi Stone is actively involved in the professional development of new OU field representatives as well as in the enhancement and upgrading of thenew OU kashrut computer system. Rabbi Stone’s great facility with computerprograms and technology has enabled both OU companies as well as RFRs toadapt new technologies to streamline and enhance the inspection process. He is a star of the attractive brochure of OU Kosher, which features photos of him taken during a plant visit.

A frequent contributor to Behind the Union Symbol, Rabbi Stone’s enlightening and highly entertaining essays have elicited much interest from our readers, including, you will agree, the piece you are reading now.

RabbiAvrohom

Stone

OU PROFILE

S U M M E R 2 0 0 5 19

“And whatever Adamcalled each livingcreature remained itsname forever.” In an

age confounded by consolida-tions and mergers, this verse from the

second chapter of the Book of Genesis is agoal all companies can only hope to achieve.Of course, OU kosher certification and highquality control are all proven ways of maxi-mizing the marketability of a product, butbrand name recognition too is as important agauge as any in selling a product. It is no secretthat consumers tend to flock to the “house-hold” names they are most familiar with.Thebig question is if any of these names can makeit through another merger, let alone last forever.

So far in the history of the world one individual, aninstitution all by himself, was granted a unique privilegeto assign names that would withstand the test of time.This individual was Adam — the first man to inhabit thisworld. God endowed Adam with this right by bringingbefore him all creatures on the face of the earth to name.So Adam called a bird-bird, lion-lion, giraffe-giraffe,whale-whale, and so on and so forth.These creatures that were branded by Adam have remarkably retainedtheir original names to this very day.

Roughly a year ago, a company approached the OU for kosher certification of its product.The brandname of this product prides itself in matching Adam’s featfor being around since time immemorial.The product iscalled “Shaimos.” Over the millennia this product’s namehas never changed and remains to this very day.

So what exactly is this “Shaimos” product? Literally,the term in Hebrew means “Names.” More specifically,it refers to anything that contains the sanctity of God’sname.This includes all sacred texts, writings and objects.Jewish tradition prohibits old and worn out sacred texts(including photocopies) to simply be disposed of in thegarbage. On the contrary, they must be accorded a digni-fied burial in a cemetery.A single Jewish household cancollect a substantial amount of these holy materialsthroughout the year, and especially before the Passoverholiday when the house is cleaned and scoured thor-oughly, the household seeks to properly dispose of them.

As the garbage is not an option, these sacred articlesthat have now accumulated with considerable weight

have traditionally been hauled to a single truck centrallylocated in town, which will make the trip to the Jewishcemetery.The lugging out of the house, into the car andonto the truck can be a most exhausting exercise.

Enter Mr. Benny Goldstein, a Jewish scribe quitefamiliar with this dilemma, to invent his brainchild — the “Shaimos Box.” It is a box made of strong corrugatedmaterial measuring 12” x 7” x 15” that can hold up to 20 pounds of the sacred articles, and that can be boughtin any Judaica store throughout the United States.Whenfull, the box is mailed to a pre-addressed burial site andhandled by OU rabbinic field representatives to ensure a kosher or proper interment.

When pursuing OU certification Mr. Goldsteincommented,“The OU is the best for certifying products.I wanted the best. It’s as simple as that.” Rabbi MosheElefant, Executive Rabbinic Coordinator, explained thedeeper meaning behind the OU acceding to Mr.Goldstein’s request declaring,“The OU is concernedwith all aspects of Jewish life.” Clearly the nature of theShaimos product is wholly different from any of the other400,000 food and other products the OU certifies.Nevertheless, Rabbi Elefant continued,“We see theShaimos Box as an opportunity to extend our expertise to assist the community in all of its needs.”

Additionally, the Shaimos product underscores a central motif in Judaism — that as vital as the food weeat are the sacred writings and rituals that nourish oursouls.According to Jewish belief, the main purpose oflife is to facilitate the spiritual nourishment of the soul so that it may be elevated and reach its highest potentialin this world and the next.Therefore, anything that assiststhe soul in its mission through life in this world musthave a dignified burial.

Rabbi Eliyahu Safran, Senior Rabbinic Coordinator,put it this way:“The body serves as the vehicle for thesoul’s sojourn in this world, and it is for this reason thatwe accord it all the dignity and respect that we do in thesame way in which we ‘dispose’ of the body, even thoughwe know that ultimately the body simply decomposes.So too, the sacred texts allow for the soul’s developmentand enhancement; therefore, they too are accorded thesame great respect in the manner of their disposal, even if they too ultimately disintegrate.”

Rabbi Yisroel Bendelstein serves as rabbinic coordinator for many major Orthodox Union certified bakeries.

Rabbi Lenny Steinberg serves as the Orthodox Union rabbinic coordinator for Shaimos Box.

ShaimosA Brand Name That Has Withstood TimeBy Rabbi Yisroel Bendelstein


can take as little as a few minutes.“These companies are more than willingto comply with our rigorous kosher pro-gram,” says Rabbi Yisroel Bendelstein,“since they know it’s their ticket toacceptance anywhere in the world,maximizing their sales and profits.”

Linking forces with the OU alsogains companies a vast resource of information.The OU staff thoroughlyunderstands manufacturing processes,raw ingredients, chemistry of additivesand the procedures manufacturersemploy in converting raw goods to finished products, implementing all these resources in the kosher certifica-tion process.“The fact that we have alarge staff allows people to develop anexpertise in a certain area or industry,”explains Rabbi David Bistricer, RC atthe OU.“Companies often call us foringredient information or to ask wherethey can find certain raw materials and I am able to provide them with a list ofsuppliers.They know they can turn tous.”Valerie Joslin, Kosher Coordinatorfor O AT KA Milk Products Coop., Inc,producer of assorted canned and bottleddairy and non-dairy specialty beverages,located in Batavia, NY, has worked withthe OU for 15 fruitful and instructiveyears.“The OU has offered an excellentsource for networking and obtainingalternate suppliers,” she reports.“Ourrabbi understands our productionprocesses and products and assists us with providing our customers withsuperior kosher products.”

With the quality factor in place, thenext crucial step is getting the word outabout the product.The OU symbol hastime and time again served as a key marketing tool.Valley Research, Inc.in South Bend, IN, an operation thatprovides enzymes for the food industry,attributes its whopping 75 percent salesincrease to OU certification.“OU certi-fication is a market driven requirementfor most of our products,” says Theresa

Sears, company Vice President.“Newmarkets were opened for us – juice,wine, cheese and more and worldwide.It’s a win-win situation.The kosher program is the best part of my job.”

The OU on the label, and all that it represents, continues to broaden companies’ customer base, opening upcountless uncharted markets.“There’s auniversal perception of quality whenproducts carry the OU symbol,” says Bill Levine, President of Sarabeth’s FruitSpreads of the Bronx, NY.“It has allowedus a large private label contract with acompany needing kosher certification.New markets, stores carrying only kosher products in New York, Florida,California, Massachusetts and majorurban centers, have opened up to us.”

Dick Earle, President of DakotaBrands International, producer of frozenand refrigerated bagels and roll dough,located in Jamestown, ND agrees thathaving the OU label has been a majorcontributor to his company’s successwithin the retail grocery industry.Thecompany also adopted Pas Israel status,

a particular kosher stringency thatrequires a Jewish person to participate inthe baking process – which widened hiscustomer base even further.“OU is themost widely recognized and respectedkosher certification by both consumersand prospective customers,” says Earle.

Perhaps the most obvious demon-stration of the impact kosher certifica-tion was the public’s reaction to thenews of Nabisco joining the OU koshercamp. Both the national print andbroadcast media featured the stories ofAmerica’s beloved Oreo’s koshercoming-of-age, as well as Campbell’sVegetarian Vegetable soup. Ditto theOU’s endorsement of Triaminic CoughSyrup earlier this year, making it the firstmainstream over-the-counter medicationthe OU has deemed acceptable underthe kosher dietary laws. No kosher storyin recent memory has received themedia attention that OU certifiedTriaminic did, starting with a featurestory in the New York Times’ sciencesection and followed by a major APstory.All eight varieties of the liquiddecongestant for children now bear theOU trademark symbol. Efforts to devel-op an OU-certified kosher Maalox arebeing completed.

Right next to “bagel” and“shmooze,”“kosher” sits securely at thetop of the list of the most popular Jewishexpressions in the American vernacular.Although we live in a society wheretrends come and go, as long as peopleneed to eat, they are going to buy foodproducts that assure quality, integrity, andaccording to all indications – OU koshercertification.

Rabbi Eliyahu Safran is Senior Rabbinic Coordinator and Editor-in-Chief of this publication.

Bayla Sheva Brenner is Senior Writer in the OU Department of Communications and Marketing.

KOSHER BOOM continued from page 15

OU is the mostwidely recognizedand respectedkosher certificationby both consumersand prospectivecustomers.

It is without questionthat the primary objective of companies which commit themselves to kosher certification is to

broadentheirmarketandincreasesales.

However, the nature of the kosher program might also restrict a companyfrom pursuing other markets that couldcompromise its integrity. For example,for companies that typically manufactureOU-D certified products, pursuing apareve non-dairy market may be a totalimpossibility due to a host of difficulties,including compatibility of ingredientsand equipment, as well other utility con-cerns. Moreover, companies that cater toa non-kosher market might considerkosher certification for products thatqualify, but cannot do so at the expenseof sacrificing the non-kosher line.

To accommodate the needs of OU certified companies and the kosher consumer, the Orthodox Union allowsfor special productions under the carefulwatch of an on-site field representative.Although placing demands on the OURFR and plant personnel, these specialruns give companies and plants the flexi-bility to certify products which would beimpossible under ordinary circumstances.With the proper safeguards and controls,what was once perceived as unfeasiblecan become reality.

KOSHERIZATION

The “kosherization” of a production lineis often very involved, and at times is themost complicated aspect of a special run.According to kosher law, equipmentassumes the status of the product it manufactures. For example, if a non-kosher item is produced on a line, thestatus of the line becomes non-kosher.Subsequently, all products manufacturedon that line will be rendered non-kosheras well.This is also the case with equip-ment which manufactures dairy prod-ucts.The objective of the kosherizationis to sanitize equipment in a similar fashion to a plant’s standard CIP or COP procedures, thus bringing theequipment’s status back to neutral.

However, Orthodox Union require-ments are often more rigorous than thetypical CIP or COP.The machinery andequipment must be thoroughly clean ofresidue from previous productions beforethe kosherization can begin.This is notalways a simple task. Rabbi MoshePerlmutter, a New Jersey OU RFR withexpertise in the area of kosherizations,acknowledges that “one of the most

When DreamsBecome Reality:

TheMarvels of OUSpecialProductions

By Rabbi David Bistricer

S U M M E R 2 0 0 5 21Rabbi Moshe Perlmutter at Polaner, a division of B & G Foods Inc. Roseland, NJ checkingsteam kettle’s level of water to determine if more water needs to be added for kosherization

challenging aspects of a kosherization is the first step, ensuring that the equip-ment is properly cleaned from residue ofprior non-kosher runs.”A kosherizationwill not commence until an OU fieldrepresentative assesses the equipment’scleanliness, and confirms that it meets

OU standards.The kosherization method

of machinery varies, depend-ing primarily how theequipment is used.Equipment that manufac-tures with dry heat, such

as an oven, is kosherized byexposing it to dry heat at an

intense temperature. Lines used“wet” are kosherized with boiling

water.An OU RFR must be meticulouswhen assessing whether the water actu-ally reaches boiling.As Rabbi Perlmutterpoints out,“One could mistakenly thinkthat water in a kettle reaches boiling byglancing at a jacket’s gauge of a steam-jacketed kettle, which is only a reflectionof the jacket’s heat not the water. Or,if a company uses direct steam injectionduring the kosherization of a tank,bubbling water is not an indication ofboiling. It is comparable to blowing into chocolate milk with a straw.”

Ordinarily, a downtime of twenty-four hours is required before the kosher-ization may commence for “wet” lines,but may be avoided when caustic is run through the lines along with theboiling water. Downtime is not requiredfor lines that are kosherized with anintense dry heat.

Kosherization is only required when a line’s production is hot. Linesused at ambient temperatures do notrequire kosherization, although theymust still be thoroughly cleaned toremove any residue from previous runs.The one exception to this rule involvestanks or totes used to contain wet prod-uct mixtures for a minimum period oftwenty-four hours. In these rare

instances, kosherization is accomplishedwith boiling water.

Kosherization can be highly compli-cated.Accordingly, the Orthodox Unionensures that the on-site supervising rabbimust possess not only an expertise inkosher law, but a clear understanding of equipment and production.

REVIEW OF INGREDIENTS

Raw materials used for special produc-tions are pre-approved by the OU officeand attached to the plant’s Schedule A.The on-site RFR at the plant reviewsthe ingredients and matches them to the Schedule.The meticulous review and watch by the RFR is crucial, sincethe plant may use a compatible non-kosher or dairy version of an ingredientcontained in a non-certified product.If an item does not appear on theSchedule A, production cannot beginuntil the OU office approves that ingredient. Due to the time constraintsfaced by plant personnel during thesespecial runs, it is critical that all ingredi-ents intended for OU certified labels aresubmitted to the Orthodox Union officein a timely fashion for approval.

SIGNATURE

It is common practice for the on-siteOU field representative to sign the labelsof industrial items that are producedunder special supervision. In theseinstances, the “Rabbi’s Signature” is listed on the letter of certification as anadditional restriction.This requirementinforms all plants that use this raw material, and their supervising RFRs,that the product must be manufacturedunder special production and an on-siteRFR was present. If a company orsupervising RFR discovers that the signature is absent from an ingredientwhose LOC requires it, the matter mustbe handled with the utmost urgency.Acall must be placed immediately to themanufacturer or distributor of this item,

MichiganDessertCorporationOur company is a custom developer and manufacturer ofspecialty dry mix products formajor restaurant chains and foodprocessors in the United Statesand overseas. Richard Elias andGary Freeman have ownedand managed thecompany since1983 and haveseen atremendousgrowth incustomer baseand productvariety. We arebased in a 50,000 foottechnical development and manu-facturing center in SoutheasternMichigan and we design a widerange of custom foods andprocess them from there.Michigan Dessert handles regular and sugar free puddings,meringues, cakes, bakery items,pie fillings, mousses and glazes.

Our company has seen anincreasing demand from foodprocessors that use our dry mixesin their finished retail applica-tions that we offer more andmore kosher items. Upon investi-gating the wide range of kosher-ing agencies available we foundthat the one most universallyaccepted was the OrthodoxUnion. Our choice was simple.

Rabbi David Bistricer serves as Orthodox Union rabbinic coordinator for MichiganDessert Corporation.

The Orthodox Union allows forspecial productions under thecareful watch of an on-site fieldrepresentative.

Rabbi Yitzchok Friedman supervising specialproduction at UNIQEMA, New Castle, DE

and a lot letter for this product must beobtained from the certifying agency.

The signature can typically take sever-al forms. It might simply be a handwrittensignature by the on-site field representa-tive. However, when large volumes ofproduct are manufactured, signing eachlabel by hand can become very laborintensive. Rabbis may also use stamps, orspecial stickers that cannot be reproduced.

CONTROL OF LABELSSince special productions can only occurat specifically designated times in the presence of a supervising rabbi, it is critical that excess inventory of OU labelsis carefully safeguarded.This is typicallydone by placing any extra OU labels in a dedicated area, which is locked andsealed by the supervising RFR. Onlythe supervising rabbi has access to the

key of the storage area.When labels arecomputer generated, the OU hasemployed in some instances a systemwhere OU labels are restricted and canonly be printed by a company’s computerfor specific code numbers.These proce-dures guarantee that the Orthodox Unionhas sole control over the labels and theusage of the OU trademark.

PASSOVER PRODUCTIONSDuring the week-long festival of Passover,the kosher community is restricted fromconsuming many items that are acceptableduring the rest of the year. Ingredientsthat are ordinarily considered koshermight be prohibited during this time.Lately many companies have realizedthat there is an opportunity to pursue

a relatively open market that would further strengthen their base and increasesales.This has resulted in a recent wide-spread boom of Kosher for Passover certified products.

Due to the sensitive kosher nature of the Passover period, items certified askosher for Passover are commonly manu-factured with the presence of a supervis-ing RFR.This is typical unless productionat a plant is considered inherently kosherfor Passover all year round.The rigors ofa standard production are all the morepresent for Passover certified labels.However, companies ultimately reap the benefits of greater profits.

OTHER CHALLENGES Cooperation from company personnel is key to a successful special production.Therefore, it is crucial that plant personnelclearly understand OU requirements andprotocol. Rabbi Yitzchak Friedman, aMaryland OU RFR, comments,“I alwaysmake sure that plant personnel clearlyunderstand the process, and not assumethat they are relying on instructions froma predecessor, or supervisor.When possi-ble, written instructions are even betterand give operators something to reviewand work with.”

Moreover, sometimes challenges ofmanufacturing on a special productionbasis occur even before the OU RFR sets foot through the plant’s door. GaryPantelis, QA of Michigan DessertCompany, points out another aspect from his experience of producing drydessert mixes under special supervisions.According to Gary,“We don’t have a realproblem when it is an issue of segregatinglines, equipment, or production schedules.The challenge is working around thelogistics of arranging a production andcoordinating our receipt of orders, gettinga new product approved, and scheduling aproduction date in an expeditious mannerto meet our customers’ needs.The OUhas been very responsive and helpful inthis regard.” New products manufacturedon a special supervision basis also need to be reviewed and approved by the OUoffice beforehand. However, the OUcommits itself to processing requests asquickly as possible to allow certified customers to meet their orders.

The dynamics of special productionsare undoubtedly highly involved.The OUhas risen to the occasion, and allows com-panies that ordinarily manufacture non-kosher or dairy products, the flexibility topursue kosher or pareve markets.Throughmeeting many demands and developing anexcellent working relationship with theplants, the OU services its certified com-panies and the kosher consumer by offer-ing an unparalleled level of supervision.

Rabbi David Bistricer is an Orthodox Union rabbinic coordinator specializ-ing in the fish, baking and vegetable industries.

THE SOLUTION FROM PAGE 18

“…..because,” the rabbi said, pointingdirectly at Mac,“the problem is rightthere!”

“Now, hold on a minute Rabbi!”Mac yelled, jumping up and clench-ing his fists,“there’s no reason to getpersonal. Don’t go blaming me foryour mistake!”

The rabbi looked stunned.“I’msorry, Mac,” he answered in his pro-fessional and courteous manner,“Youclearly misunderstood me. I wasn’taccusing you. In fact, I wasn’t evenpointing at you at all. I was pointingat the barrel you’re sitting on.”

Mac looked down at the reworkbarrel.Then, as the truth slowlydawned on him, he began to turn red as a tomato in a tumbler.

“That barrel,” the rabbi contin-ued,“contains rework from returnedproducts. Companies often usereturned product, or product thatdoesn’t meet spec, as ingredients infuture batches.They literally “rework”it into new product.As the labelsstate, the bialys in that barrel weremade with butter.That rework wasused in today’s production, therebymaking today’s bialys product dairy.Allowing that dairy bread product tobear the OU pareve symbol wouldbetray the trust the public has in bothGrandma Bailey’s and OU.As soon as old product ceases to come in forrework, we will kosherize again and then Grandma Bailey’s ButterFlavored Bialys may be packaged with the OU pareve symbol.”

Mac Donald, world’s foremostkosher Private Investigator, held apiece of the shiny bialy wrapper in hishands as he slinked toward the door.Leaving the facility, he could be seenstaring at the film and muttering overand over,“Curses! Foiled again!”

S U M M E R 2 0 0 5 23

The Case of theBaffling Bialy



If you likedthe first OU

Kosher Video,you’ll love the second one,“The KosherStandard.”

Here in 20 minutes is everything you need to

know about the procedures and require-

ments necessary to produce an OU Kosher

product, and how to design an effective sys-

tem at your company. Recommended for

personnel in management, production and

quality control and for in-house training.

CALL 212.613.8115

E–MAIL [email protected]

VISIT WWW.OU.ORG

TO ORDER EXTRA COPIES

OU KOSHER VIDEO–THE SEQUELOU KOSHER VIDEO–THE SEQUEL

NON-PROFIT ORG.U.S. POSTAGE

PAIDSTATEN ISLAND, NY

PERMIT NO. 301

ORTHODOX UNIONEleven Broadway, New York , NY 10004

WWW.OUKOSHER.ORG

For applications to certify NEW COMPANIESor ADDITIONALPLANTS,call Civie Birnbaumat the OUApplicationsDesk212.613.8249or [email protected]

Is there anyone else at your company (in management,marketing, production?) who should be receiving a copyof Behind the Union Symbol? Do let us know [email protected]. We will add to our mailing list…

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