Eating Their Wheaties
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behindnion the ssymbolymbol U A PUBLICATION FOR CERTIFIED COMPANIES Reaching 4,000 Food Executives & Over 2,500 Companies Worldwide FALL 2003 Spotlight on OUCompanies Industry Trends 3 The Case of Casein EATING THEIR What is is all about? WHEATIES: From OU Certification Helps 8 Alaska The Call of the Wild Propel General Mills To (Salmon) New Heights In Food Sales The Quest: FOR GENERAL MILLS, The maker of a full line-up of well- 18 Achieving a leading global manu- known OU-certified breakfast cereals, OU Ffacturer and marketer including Cheerios, Wheaties, Chex, and Certification of consumer foods products Total, General Mills also markets OU-cer- at Morgan Foods with annual worldwide net tified products under its popular brands Inc. sales of $11.5 billion, kosher certification of Betty Crocker, Pillsbury, Green Giant, Pop is a key element of the company’s business Secret, Nature Valley and more. The com- We’re a and quality goals. pany has more than 100 U.S. consumer ❝ “We’re a major food company brands, and is also a leader in the bakeries major food focused on growth, and we are keenly and foodservice business. aware of the concerns of kosher-buying “The fairly wide range and large company consumers,” says General Mills’ kosher number of certified products and focused on coordinator David Bailey. “We also con- kosher-producing plants main- tinually strive to give consumers the tained by General Mills requires growth, and attributes they value in packaged food awareness and efforts that products, with the OU’s well-recognized extend all the way across our we are keenly and well-respected kosher certification kosher business divisions, from aware of the being one of them.” our R&D scientists The seeds of the flourishing business all the way through concerns of were sown on the Minnesota banks of our plant production the Mississippi river in the 1860’s, when teams and beyond,” kosher-buying Cadwallader C. Washburn and Charles says Mr. Bailey. “In my consumers. Pillsbury each entered the flour milling tenure with the com- ❞ business and helped transform Min- pany, we’ve been fortu- WE WELCOME neapolis into the “Flour Capital of the nate to have as a critical YOUR COMMENTS World” from 1882 to 1930. After thriv- part of our efforts the & CONTRIBUTIONS ing separately for more than a century as attentiveness and willing- fax neighbors in the Twin Cities area, Gen- ness to help from OU rab- 212.613.0775 eral Mills acquired Pillsbury in 2001 and binic coordinators Yosef e–mail now operates as the one of the world’s Goldberg and David Gore- [email protected] largest and most diverse food companies. lik, not to mention the host CONTINUED ON PAGE 15 ❝ It could be done at Morgan Foods, it From the Editor could be done at Campbell’s, and we are UCH IS BEING SAID and written about here to do it with you! We are the biggest Campbell’s Vegetarian Vegetable soup kosher certifying agency in the world. ❞ Mjoining the ever-growing world of OU certified products. Campbell’s Soup, one of of the tremendous growth potential in the market place the America’s oldest food manufacturers and (growth potential of the U.S. kosher market is generally most noted food icons, celebrated its OU cer- accepted to be 15 percent annually) there is little that tification at its Camden, NJ headquarters together needs to stand in the way of actually attaining the goal. with the Orthodox Union’s senior officials. “We’re Certainly, there are major considerations a food looking to make our soups available to a wider con- manufacturer must address: ingredients and their sumer base,” said Campbell’s spokeswoman Juli Man- sourcing; the feasibility of separating manufacturing del Sloves. Campbell’s U.S. Soup Division president runs of kosher and non-kosher products; and the abil- Jeremy J. Fingerman elaborated, “The coveted OU ity to properly kosherize equipment. But if the resolve symbol is one of the best-known trademarks in the is to reach that new and expanding market place, the world. It is a sign of quality as well as of kosher certi- goal will be achieved with the expert, professional and fication. With it, we are caring guidance of the Orthodox Union, the world’s Orthodox appealing to an even greater premier kosher certification agency. Union number of consumers and As we celebrate Campbell’s, I draw your attention offering them real satisfac- also to a smaller soup company, yet equally meticu- tion, real fast—with a choice lous, conscientious and resolute in its resolve to attain KASHRUT DIVISION that they never had before, a OU certification. Its article, Quest: Achieving OU Certifi- RABBI MENACHEM GENACK Rabbinic Administrator kosher soup with the Camp- cation at Morgan Foods, Inc., featured in this issue, RABBI MOSHE ELEFANT bell’s name.” proves the point. At first, certification seemed Executive Rabbinic Coordinator Director, New Company Department Campbell’s spared no demanding and elusive. But the relentless resolve of a RABBI YAAKOV LUBAN effort or resources to assure group of Morgan Foods technical, manufacturing, Executive Rabbinic Coordinator that its product and produc- ingredient, quality and marketing experts working RABBI ELIYAHU SAFRAN tion meet the Orthodox uninterruptedly for months with an OU team of Senior Rabbinic Coordinator Director, Review and Update Department Union’s highest kashrut stan- experts, bore fruit with their practice run and produc- RABBI YERACHMIEL MORRISON dards. An entire team of tion at their Austin, Indiana plant. Morgan Foods may RABBI ABRAHAM JURAVEL Ingredient Approval Registry Campbell’s technical, produc- indeed lead the private label market with its OU certi- I tion, manufacturing and fied line of soups, both pareve and dairy. DR. CHAIM WASSERMAN ingredient experts worked It could be done at Morgan Foods, it could be Chairman, Joint Kashrut Commission meticulously along with the done at Campbell’s, and we are here to do it with you! RABBI HOWARD KATZENSTEIN Director, Business Management OU’s kashrut team until it We are the biggest kosher certifying agency in the ANNA FULDA was absolutely certain that its world. As I write these lines more and more companies Coordinator, Letters of Certification, Vegetarian Vegetable soup are attaining OU certification in China, Turkey, India, Labels, Private Labels would meet every kosher Egypt, and Australia and throughout the United I spec. As a matter of fact, a States. But rest assured that even as we grow and RABBI EMANUEL HOLZER Chairman, Rabbinic Kashrut Commission mock kosherization and expand our horizons, there is always someone at the kosher production took place OU to react and respond to your needs and concerns. ORTHODOX UNION at its Maxton, NC plant These concerns are regularly addressed by our highly HARVEY BLITZ President under the watchful eye of the regarded team of trained and skilled rabbinic coordi- RABBI DR. TZVI HERSH WEINREB OU team weeks before the nators in New York, and by the hundreds of energetic Executive Vice President first run in the late summer. rabbinic field representatives visiting and inspecting DAVID OLIVESTONE Director, Communicatons and Marketing The Campbell’s event the nearly 6,000 plants we certify. however is more than just Our group leaders and senior management team, another of America’s food moreover, are eager to communicate, listen, and be BEHIND THE UNION SYMBOL giants joining the steadily responsive to assure your satisfaction even as we RABBI ELIYAHU SAFRAN increasing list of OU certified maintain our highest standards. Editor–in–Chief companies and products. The STEPHEN STEINER celebration reinforces yet Editor again that when food manu- PAMELA WEIMAN Graphic Designer facturers big or small resolve Rabbi Eliyahu Safran to “go kosher,” in recognition Editor/Senior Rabbinic Coodinator 2 BEHIND THE UNION SYMBOL FALL2003 FOR M HE SE KOS AKING T CA HER by Rabbis Avram Ossey and Avrohom Gordimer RIDDLE: What’s used in dietary supplements, bakery products, ice cream products, meat products and wines? HINT:AS It LONG can also AS be HUMANITY found in adhesives, HAS SOUGHT buttons, SUSTENANCE, paints and cosmetics! there has been fish to ANSWER: Caseins and caseinates ? provide it. In our modern world, whether for an informal lunch E OFTEN ENCOUNTER the words Acid casein is not soluble in water. Caseinate, “caseinates,” “sodium caseinate” or “cal- however, which is produced by reacting casein with Wcium caseinate” on the ingredient panels of any of several diluted solutions of alkali so as to various foods. Infant formulas, energy beverages form casein salt, is soluble in water and usable in and nondairy creamers contain caseinates. Cheese many food applications. substitutes contain “rennet casein.” THE “WHERE” OF CASEIN WHAT ARE THESE “CASEIN” AND CASEINATE PRODUCTION INGREDIENTS ANYWAY? Let’s investigate where casein and caseinate are Casein is a milk protein constituting 80 percent of manufactured. Most acid casein is manufactured in the protein found in cow’s milk. It is rich in amino Russia, Poland, Ukraine, Denmark, Germany, Ire- acids, calcium and phosphorus. Caseinates function land, France, India, Australia and New Zealand. as binders, emulsifiers, stabilizers, coagulants, clari- The market liberation of the former Iron Curtain fiers, extenders, tenderizers, and texturizers. nations has enabled Russian and Ukrainian casein THE “HOW” OF CASEIN AND CONTINUED ON PAGE 4 CASEINATE PRODUCTION There are two types of commercially manufac- Title 21 of the Code of Federal Regula- tured casein: acid casein and rennet casein. tions Part 101 deals with food labeling. Acid casein is the curd precipitated by adding Section 101.4 presents the rules for des- acid (e.g. hydrochloric or lactic) to milk. Rennet ignation of ingredients in foods. Section casein is produced in neutral pH solution by 101.4 (d) reads as follows: adding animal or microbial rennet to milk at high “When foods characterized on the label as temperatures, causing coagulation of casein curd.