By Rabbi Gavriel Price
The mission statement for the Technical Committee for the Juice Products Association, the major trade association of the juice industry, states that it is “dedicated to a level playing field for products containing juice” which means, as the statement goes on to say, that they “develop and validate methods for authenticating juice and juice products.”
The committee exists in response to the age-old problem of juice adulteration, which usually involves diluting “pure” fruit juice with other ingredients. Those ingredients may be water or sugar or sweeteners, as well as juices that are cheaper than the one being sold.
By Rabbi Shaul Gold
The pickle industry, or should I say, the gherkin industry, is a thriving concern pleasing the palates of millions world-wide. Whether it is sliced, speared, hamburger-chip, sour, half-sour, kosher dill, to name just a few varieties, there is a flavor and shape for all sorts of taste buds -- and a solid, steady demand for these delicious treats to boot. Quality standards assure a delectable product; OU supervision assures the highest standards of kosher as well.
By Rabbi Chaim Loike
The flamingo is one of the most remarkable of the aquatic birds. There are five recognized species of flamingo, ranging in size from three to five feet tall. They are heavy for aquatic birds, some tipping the scales at nine pounds. While they are able to fly, they must be able to run a bit to gain the momentum to take to the air. Flamingos congregate in huge flocks, often comprised of thousands of individual birds, preferring to live in the shallow mudflats where algae and shrimp abound.
By Gil Marks
Communities can be defined by their food. American food — reflecting a penchant for accessibility, convenience, versatility, and portability -— reveals much about who we are and how we got here. Waves of various immigrants brought new dishes and ways of thinking about food to the repertoire.
By Rabbi Dr. Eliyahu Safran
Pareve means that the food is “neutral,” neither dairy nor meat, which makes it that much more desirable. Kosher law allows for pareve foods to be consumed with all foods, whether meat, dairy or fish. Pareve salad dressing, frozen sorbet, chocolate mints, jams, grains, juices, soft drinks, or confectionary delicacies can be enjoyed with both a sumptuous steak dinner as well as with a refreshing dairy lunch. Essentially, pareve is the universal kosher category.
Question:A customer has called us and would like us to run a new beverage product as OU, but without the D. Our plant is currently only approved for OUD usage. Is it possible for us to accommodate this customer and remove the D designation? How may it be done?
By Stephen Steiner
Those who know OU Kosher only for its visits to its facilities and its certification of their products may be both surprised and intrigued to learn that the OU is also the leading purveyor of practical and comprehensive kosher education in the world, dispatching its rabbis all over North America to provide kashrut (kosher) knowledge to audiences ranging from small children to distinguished rabbis; using schools and synagogues as their classrooms; producing CD’s, broadcasts and webcasts on the finer points of kosher practice; and in the process translating centuries old kosher law into a “how to do” it for the modern world.
By Rabbi Nachum Rabinowitz
Over the last ten years there has been a veritable explosion in the certification of kosher wine. Kosher wine is now produced on every continent and in most of the world’s premier wine regions. While the manufacture and handling of kosher wines (and grape juice) involves certain unique challenges, with the OU's experience and expertise these have been met and overcome, providing consumers an ever- increasing variety of kosher wine products.
Mention pickles in a conversation and the talk naturally turns to New York City and how the pickles there are just plain better than any place else on the planet. It is said that United Pickle, the oldest continually operating pickle company in the city, is responsible.
Since 1897, United has made the pickles that make New York City the pickle capital of the world.
By Rabbi Eli Gersten
Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary defines teamwork as “work performed by several associates, each doing a part but all subordinating personal prominence to the efficiency of the whole.” At the OU, we try to work together as a team to come up with unique solutions to the unique challenges that kosher certification presents. But before one can talk about teamwork, one must first define the team. The OU team is not only comprised of the Rabbinic Field Representatives (RFRs), Rabbinic Coordinators (RCs), Kosher Law Advisory Board and support staff, but also includes a key component, our partners at the various companies; specifically our kosher contacts. It is often their experience and ingenuity that overcomes the challenges to create the solutions.
By Rabbi Simcha Smolensky
As an OU certified company, the primary contact you have with the OU, besides your rabbinic coordinator (RC) at OU headquarters, is your RFR (rabbinic field representative). Out in the field, the RFR is the face of the OU, and you may not be aware that your RFR is both a valuable source of information and can provide service that you should be aware of -- and avail yourself of.
Many company reps who are assigned to work with the OU Kosher program are not fully aware of the tools that are at their disposal or what assistance can be obtained from their friendly visiting RFR. You are no doubt familiar with organic certifiers, government agencies (FDA, USDA, etc.), as well as third-party auditors like SQF, BRA and AIB. Kosher certification is a very different program, and your RFR also has a very different role compared to other auditors.
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