IDDBA & YOU Training Tips

IDDBA & YOU Training Tips for Deli, Bakery, & Cheese Associates

KOSHER

An ever-increasing number of consumers look for kosher certification. Jews, Muslims, and members of some other religious groups eat kosher food, as do many vegetarians, people with food allergies or intolerances, and a large percentage of consumers who just think kosher foods are better or safer. When you understand a bit about kosher food, you can serve these customers better.

WHAT IS KOSHER FOOD? Kosher foods are produced in accordance with Jewish law. Trained rabbis and certifying agencies take care of determining whether or not a food is kosher. Some of the major principles are: • Red meat and milk in the diet should come only from animals with cloven hoofs that chew their cud. • Meat and dairy products should not be mixed in a meal or in food preparation. • Fish with fins and scales may be eaten, but not shellfish.

CERTIFICATION A plain "K" or the word "Kosher" on a package is not enough to guarantee authenticity. The package needs the trademarked seal of a recognized certifying agency that inspected and periodically reviews the production facility (see graphic for some examples).

Following the certification seal may be D (contains dairy), DE (made on dairy equipment), M (contains meat), ME (made on meat equipment), or pareve (contains neither meat nor dairy).

IN THE SUPERMARKET In the Bakery Department • Kosher bakery products are often made and packaged off-site in a separate facility. This ensures that they are not rendered non-kosher by coming into contact with uncertified products. • Baked goods with the highest level of kosher certification use yoshon flour. The planting and harvesting of this flour coincides with certain periods in the Jewish calendar.

In the Cheese Department • Kosher cheese must be made using a kosher coagulation agent. This may be: ◦ Rennet from a kosher animal (rennet is an enzyme from a calf’s stomach lining and is the traditional coagulant for cheese) ◦ lactic acid, or ◦ a rennet-like enzyme from a microbial or plant source.

Phone: 608-310-5000 ❖ Fax: 608-238-6330 ❖ www.iddba.org IDDBA & YOU Training Tips

• A rabbi adds the rennet to the milk. Some Orthodox Jewish sects require the cheese be made of Cholov Yisroel milk (produced under rabbinical supervision). • Traditionally, kosher cheese is not ripened for more than six months.

In the Deli Department • Most supermarkets offer only prepackaged kosher deli products. • Some supermarkets, however, have a kosher deli. The kosher deli is: ◦ either the only deli in the store, or ◦ physically separate from the mainstream deli, including separate areas for receiving, stor- age, prep, and display. If a deli serves fresh prepared food, a full-time supervising rabbi must oversee the preparation process.

KOSHER QUESTIONS Is eating kosher a good way to avoid certain ingredients? Many people eat kosher food because they believe it is less likely to contain ingredients they want to avoid. Vegetarians, for example, may buy kosher cheese or yogurt out of the mistaken assump- tion that kosher dairy products never contain ingredients derived from slaughtered animals. However, kosher cheese may contain rennet from kosher animals and kosher yogurt may contain gelatin or glycerides derived from slaughtered animals. Vegetarians who wish to avoid certain ingredients should become familiar with ingredients, and not rely on kosher certification. Many people who are lactose intolerant or allergic to dairy opt for kosher products designated as non-dairy. Most allergy experts, however, discourage people with dairy allergies from relying sole- ly on the pareve, M and ME designations. They say that such products may contain minute amounts of milk that are insignificant under religious laws, but could trigger a reaction in a seri- ously dairy-allergic consumer. Is kosher food safer or of higher quality? All food produced in the United States falls under the same government safety regulations, so non-kosher foods are just as safe as kosher foods. The only major qualitative difference between kosher and non-kosher food is that kosher food is produced according to Jewish laws. This may affect the type of ingredients used (for example, there won’t be any pork in a kosher hot dog) and thus affect flavor. However, kosher and non- kosher foods made according to the same recipe (such as ice cream or hamburgers) will likely be indistinguishable in taste.

FOR MORE INFORMATION KOF-K KOSHER SUPERVISION, www.kof-k.org ORTHODOX UNION, www.oukosher.org OK KOSHER CERTIFICATION, www.ok.org STAR-K KOSHER CERTIFICATION, www.star-k.org

The information presented herein has been compiled from sources and documents believed to be reliable and represents the best professional judgment of International Dairy-Deli-Bakery Association (IDDBA). However, the accuracy of the information presented is not guaranteed, nor is any responsibility assumed or implied, by IDDBA for any damage or loss resulting from inaccuracies or omissions.

Phone: 608-310-5000 ❖ Fax: 608-238-6330 ❖ www.iddba.org