About The Food Institute: A Brief History

A nonprofit organization founded in 1928, The Food Institute has a single purpose: providing information to the food industry in an unbiased, timely and relevant manner. The Food Institute was founded by Seattle food broker Gordon C. Corbaley, who decided to put out a semi-regular posting for his principals -- mainly canners -- and his customers, so they could keep better informed about what was going on in the marketplace. He called his postings The News from Oregon and Washington. The reports were welcomed by the trade; given the poor communications when Calvin Coolidge was President of the United States, a great deal of business was still being done by poorly informed (at times actually misinformed) buyers and sellers.

Category:  OU Programs 

China Goes Kosher: Major Media Positions OU as Worldwide Leader

By Stan L. Friedman and Ilya Welfeld

It’s the “largest certification organization in the world,” the “most widely accepted,” “the most respected,” and the “leader in the field.” It’s perceived to be “the standard,” and among key consumer groups, “the safest,” “the cleanest,” “most reliable” and “trustworthy.” It’s the symbol, by a wide margin, that is top-of-mind when the consumer thinks “kosher certification.”

Category:  OU Programs 

Back for a Second Year: OU’S www.oupassover.org - Expert Answers for Passover Queries

To answer questions that frequently arise during the Passover season, when the dietary laws are different and even more stringent from the ones that govern the rest of the year, the Orthodox Union Kosher Department for the second year has made available www.oupassover.org.

Category:  OU Programs 

So You Hate Regulatory Paperwork? The OU Comes To The Rescue

By Rabbi Howard Katzenstein

Everyone, it seems, hates regulatory paperwork. So here is some good news: the Orthodox Union is now available to help your company comply with the Kosher laws of New York State and New Jersey.

Category:  OU Programs 

What happens when a Question of Jewish Law Goes to the OU’s Poskim

The process of certifying an item as OU kosher is based entirely on halacha – Jewish law. OU RC’s (Rabbinic Coordinators) and RFR’s (Rabbinic Field Representatives) are of course well versed in halacha and apply Jewish law in all aspects of the certification process. During the course of their work, however, when unique situations arise with no clear cut answer or precedent to halachic questions, rabbis in the field and their coordinators in New York have a mighty resource to call on – OU poskim, or experts at the highest levels in Jewish law. The following is a case study on how OU poskim make their decisions, and on the dynamic process which is involved in their deliberations. For this case study, we must travel all the way to Australia, home of a dairy company named Murray Goulburn.

Category:  OU Programs 

The Unauthorized Kosher Symbol

By Rabbi Baruch Cywiak

The world of kosher certified food has and continues to experience tremendous expansion. Many food products that were never before kosher certified are now appearing with kosher symbols. While such proliferation is generally a good thing for the kosher consumer, an unfortunate side effect of this proliferation has been an increase in the number of products that are misrepresented to the public as being kosher certified.

Category:  OU Programs 

The New York State Kosher Law

By Baruch Cywiak

An explanation of the recently passed New York State Kosher Law.

Category:  OU Programs 

The Beginnings of OU Kosher

By Saul Bernstein

The beginnings of the Orthodox Union's Kashruth Division and the world famous OU symbol.

Category:  OU Programs