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Milk, Cream & Cheese Substitutes
Friday, October 19, 2007
Milk Products
Milk is the most basic source of all that is dairy. Milk is also pretty basic from a kashrus perspective; so long as it is not cholov beheimah temei’ah (milk from a non-kosher species) or cholov akum (milk which is unsupervised or of unverified origin), milk is always kosher. Thus, most dairy materials made directly from milk would appear to be simple from a kashrus standpoint.
However, there is a second, perhaps more common source of dairy materials and by-products: cheese. The cheese-making process yields by-products which serve as essential and very common dairy materials and components.
Thus, there is a conceptual bi-directional chain of dairy materials manufacture: milk is developed or elevated to cheese, and cheese becomes a source of dairy components and by-products.
Although milk may appear to be a simple and innocuous item, its constitution is extremely complex. This complexity attests to the Creator’s purposeful planning, such that each facet of milk serves a specific goal and is clearly intended to be used for special and often sophisticated processes. Let’s take a look.
Milk is a wondrous compound of water, fat, proteins, sugar, minerals and bacteria. Milk’s water – referred to in technical dairy literature as its aqueous phase – is the venue where the balance of the above materials is suspended.
Fat floats through the aqueous phase in the form of globules; these fat globules miraculously do not stick together, as they are covered with a membrane which prevents their adhesion.
The protein which is suspended in milk’s aqueous phase takes two general forms – casein and whey. Casein is the predominant protein in milk, and it is present as microscopic micelles – particles. Casein micelles are hydrophobic – they do not like to be in water; they therefore seek to separate from the aqueous phase, and – if possible – they would prefer to bunch together and not be intermingled amidst the milk. If they could, casein micelles would aggregate and form their own clusters, leaving behind the milk that suspends them. However, in order that this not occur and that milk serve as a stable and rich form of drinkable protein, Hashem did two things to the casein micelles: (1) He endowed them with a negative electric charge, so that they repel each other and therefore remain scattered in milk, and (2) He covered them with a hairy coating called kappa casein, which further prevents casein’s aggregation and separation from milk.
Raw milk is commonly separated into its water and fat segments. When put through a separator, raw milk yields cream – milk-fat, industrially termed sweet cream – and skim milk, which is merely milk without fat.
Skim milk is often condensed, meaning that its excess moisture is removed. Similarly, skim milk can be run through ultrafiltration equipment to remove its proteins, which are then concentrated and used to fortify high-protein foods.
Skim milk powder – referred to in the dairy industry as “NFDM” (non-fat dry milk) – is produced by drying skim milk into powder in spray dryers. Whole milk, too, can be converted into powder, but this is less common, as the fat content of whole milk makes it more difficult to dry and less desirous from a nutritional standpoint. (Whole milk powder is of special utility in the manufacture of upscale milk chocolate, which uses whole milk to attain a rich, creamy texture.)
Thus far, there would appear to be few kashrus issues. So long as the raw milk is kosher, one would assume its derivatives to be kosher as well. The truth is that this apparently naïve concept is largely true, as most derivatives of milk face no kashrus challenges. However, some important exceptions must be noted.
Some dairy plants, particularly in Europe, enrich milk power with fat and protein from various sources. This is a real concern, and milk power thus needs reliable kashrus verification.
Furthermore – and this applies in the United States as well – spray drying equipment used for milk powder production is sometimes shared with other varied materials. This author is familiar with spray-dry firms which use the same equipment to dry milk powder, non-kosher cheese, whey coated with lard, grain liquids, and other foods. Although this does not reflect the majority of cases, the kashrus of milk powder obviously needs tight monitoring. This is particularly true when it comes to whole milk powder, as it is often dried on smaller dryers called roller dryers; roller dryers often service a large spectrum of varied food manufacture.
Condensed skim milk is also of slight concern as well, for the equipment used to remove its excess liquid can potentially be used for non-kosher processing as well. This author has experienced such occurrences.
Cheese is made by separating milk’s casein micelles and forming them into a curd – an aggregate or structure of casein. There are two methods by which cheese curd is formed. One is by neutralizing the negative charges of casein micelles, enabling the micelles to bunch together. The second method is to remove the micelles’ hairy kappa casein layer that disables the casein from bunching together, such that the gelatinous under-layer of casein micelles becomes exposed and the micelles literally stick together.
The above two processes represent the two basic methods of cheese-making (and the two principal categories of cheese). Acid-set cheese is produced by acidifying milk to a pH of 4.6, such that the casein’s negative charges are removed and they can aggregate and be separated from milk in bunches. This acidification is accomplished by milk’s bacteria converting the milk’s sugar – called lactose – into lactic acid; this occurs naturally when milk is warm. Alternatively, lactic acid cultures (bacteria) can be added to milk, where these cultures convert the milk’s lactose into lactic acid to acidify the milk; or – as is done with ricotta cheese – milk can be dosed with vinegar or other acids in order to generate direct acidification. (The conversion of lactose into lactic acid, precipitated by bacteria present in milk, resulting in cheese, is a wondrous testament to the Divine scheme. The entire system of cheese development was pre-ordained by milk naturally containing the elements of cheese production and these elements reacting together in beautiful orchestration.)
The second method of cheese-making involves the use of an enzyme to remove kappa casein and expose casein’s gelatinous under-layer, enabling the micelles to stick together and form a curd. To do this, rennet must be used. Rennet is a enzyme extract that occurs ‘naturally’ as a lining in the fourth stomach of calves. (The function of rennet – called rennin in its original state – is to convert milk that calves drink into protein-rich cheese while yet in their stomachs, quickly building muscles. Such nifla’os Ha-Borei – wonders of the Creator!) When rennet cleaves off a significant portion of kappa casein (which is rennet’s only use in nature), rennet-set cheese curd is formed by the casein micelles that bond together and separate from the aqueous phase.
Rennet cheese-making requires the use of bacterial cultures in order to acidify the milk to prepare it for rennet to act with greater ease. The cultures, which result in a souring of the milk, also help determine the final taste of the cheese.
Temperature likewise plays an important role in cheese production. Rennet works faster with heat application, and heat assists in casein separation as well.
Acid-set and rennet-set cheeses have major differences. Acid-set cheeses, such as cottage, quark, farmer’s and cream cheese, have a course curd, as their kappa casein is still intact, and the gelatinous layer of casein is not exposed. Thus, these cheeses lack a cohesive texture; they are merely bunches of casein micelles along with fat, sugar and some water taken from the milk. Acid-set cheeses therefore drip when lifted, as they are not one unit. (They are thus often referred to as ‘soft cheeses’, as they lack firmness or solidity.) Rennet-set cheeses, however, have a rubbery or smooth consistency, as their gelatinous casein surfaces stick together to form a lattice, where fat and water are entrapped. (These cheeses, such as cheddar, mozzarella, gouda, Swiss and edam are popularly referred to as ‘hard cheeses’, due to their cohesive and often firm structure.)
As was described above, both types of cheese production involve casein precipitating from milk. When the casein micelles coagulate, the liquid, casein-deficient liquid that remains is called whey. Since milk consists mostly of aqueous phase, the majority of milk in a given cheese production results in whey.
Whey proteins are an increasingly valued nutritional material. They are collected as follows: Whey, like milk, is put through a separator, where its fat is removed. (This fat, called whey cream, is often mixed with sweet cream at dairy plants.) The residual whey liquid can then be filtered, where its protein is extracted and often then concentrated. This concentrate is called whey protein concentrate, or wpc. Lactose is also frequently filtered out of whey, as are the minerals found in milk.
One more point about whey: Some Italian-style cheeses are cooked and stretched in a bath-like vessel after they are formed; this cooking and stretching endows the curd with an elastic texture that enables it to melt smoothly and remain intact when heated. The water in which these cheeses are cooked (called cooker water) is commonly salvaged and put through a separator to remove its fat (called cooker cream), which is compatible with whey cream and may be mixed with it; the remaining liquid is often subsequently added to whey.
Now, to the kashrus (finally!). Halacha stipulates that cheese made by nochrim is non-kosher. (Gem. AZ 35a; Rambam Hil. Ma’achalos Asuros 3:13; Tur and Shulchan Aruch YD 115:2) This cheese, termed gevinas akum, was prohibited for one or more possible reasons as enumerated in the Gemara (AZ ibid., 35b); the reason adopted by the Rambam and Shulchan Aruch (and likely the Rif – AZ d.h.r. 13) is that advanced by Shmuel, who explained that fear of cheese coagulation via non kosher-slaughtered (neveilah) veal rennet was what precipitated the gezeirah (ban). Although the amount of rennet used to make cheese is miniscule, since rennet turns milk into a firm curd, it is a davar ha-ma’amid (ingredient that creates form) and is therefore never botel (nullified). (Shulchan Aruch YD 87:11)
The truth is that standard cheeses made in the US and UK do not use animal-based rennet, with few exceptions; microbial (artificial) rennet has become the norm in these nations. (Organic cheese is made with meat-based rennet, as artificial microbial rennet is deemed not natural and it thus does not meet organic standards.) Does the gezeirah of gevinas akum apply to hard cheeses that do not use real rennet?
The Rambam (ibid. with Kesef Mishneh), Shulchan Aruch (YD 115:2) and seemingly the Tur (YD ibid.) rule that the answer is yes, as do latter poskim. (Chochmas Odom 67:7, Aruch Ha-Shulchan YD 115:16.) The Ge’onei Narvona (see Tos. AZ 35a, d.h. ‘Chada’) permitted cheeses of akum in locales that do not use animal rennet, but their position was largely not adopted.
This machlokes hinges on whether or not the gezeirah of gevinas akum was declared as a davar she-b’minyan (a rule that applies to all cases, regardless of circumstances). The Maggid Mishneh (Rambam ibid. hal. 14) posits that the gezeirah was made on cheese of akum irrespective of its rennet source, as the prohibition was all-inclusive. The Ge’onei Narvona held that the inapplicability of the gezeirah to certain circumstances permit cheeses which do not fit the ban, and these talmidei chochomim therefore permitted gevinas akum in their region, where cheese was made with flowers (likely thistle buds, as are used in some Portuguese cheeses).
What about acid-set cheese? Does the gezeirah of gevinas akum apply to it?
Rav Yosef Eliyahu Henkin held not, and Rav Moshe Feinstein explained the rationale for this (Igros Moshe YD 2:48), writing that since acid-set cheese does not use rennet, and – in fact – it can be produced without any added ingredients by allowing milk to acidify on its own, there are grounds to say that such cheese it totally outside the definition of cheese upon which Chazal declared their ban. Most national kashrus agencies adopt this position. On the other hand, the Chochmas Odom (53:38) and Aruch Ha-Shulchan (ibid.) hold that all cheese of any type is subject to the rule of gevinas akum – period. Although this position carries much weight, it is clear that the very distinct methods of cheese-making as detailed above may bear consideration in favor of the lenient position.
(Reb Moshe (ibid.) also argued that rennet occasionally added to acid-set cheeses to hasten their production does not pose a gevinas akum problem, as the rennet is not essential and cannot form these cheeses independently. Based on this logic, a recent meeting of kashrus agencies with poskim concluded that baker’s cheese, which needs trace amounts of rennet to form, is not gevinas akum, as baker’s curd is acid-set, and the rennet on its own cannot coagulate this cheese.)
To be kosher, cheese must be gevinas Yisroel. The Remo (YD 115:2), Noda B’Yehuda (ShuT. Tin. OC s. 37) and many poskim adopt the position of the Rambam in the Peirush Ha-Mishnayos (AZ ch. 2) which requires a Yisroel to oversee the cheese-making process. This assures that only kosher rennet is used. (A Teshuvas Ha-Rashbo that concurs with this is noted in one very late source, but this author was unable to locate or verify it.) However, the Shach (YD 115 s.k. 20), Gro (ibid. s.k. 14), Chochmas Odom (67:7) and – quite apparently – the Rambam in the Yad (ibid.), as well as the Tur (ibid.) and the Mechaber in Shulchan Aruch (ibid.), posit that a Yisroel must actually add the rennet to the milk. That is, a Yisroel must make the cheese. (The Aruch Ha-Shulchan (ibid. s. 19) concurs with the Remo but advises that one follow the Gro’s opinion.) The Gro derives this from a reading in the Tosefta (AZ 5:5) which compares cheese to pas and bishul akum (bread and cooked foods of nochrim), which are permitted only when a Yisroel actually participates in their production; overseeing by a Yisroel is insufficient. In practice, most accepted kashrus agencies (including the OU) require a mashgiach to both oversee and add the rennet for kosher cheese productions, fulfilling all requirements. (Those kashrus agencies which are not widely accepted often certify cheese based on the approach of the Ge’onei Narvona, providing little or no on-site supervision during cheese-making.)
Despite the above, poskim rule that whey from gevinas akum is kosher. This is because Chazal were gozair (decreed a ban) on the cheese; the whey, which represents the portion of milk that did not become cheese, remains permissible.
Nonetheless, whey can very easily manifest kashrus problems. This can occur if the cheese is made with non-kosher rennet or other non-kosher ingredients (such as non-kosher cultures, wine vinegar, or lipase – an enzyme that decomposes cheese fat and is commonly derived from animal tongue-roots). So, too, if the cheese vat is hot (yad soledes bo), as is the case with many varieties of Swiss, parmesan and Scandinavian cheeses, the non-kosher flavor of the hot curd transfers into the whey, which contacts the curd in the vat. Furthermore, cooker water from Italian cooked gevinas akum cheeses is non-kosher, and its incorporation into whey renders the whey of like status.
For these reasons, whey and its derivatives are very kosher-sensitive, and this sensitivity affects many basic milk products. Whey cream, lactose, whey protein concentrate and milk minerals, all of which are extracted from whey, suddenly become of concern, as the whey from which they are sourced must be kosher. Sweet cream, culled from fresh milk, also becomes of concern, as it is interchangeable with and often contains blends of whey cream and cooker cream. Butter, which results from churning cream to clump together its fat while excess fluid is removed, is very much affected as well, as butter’s cream can be in the form of whey cream or its blends.
The wondrous technology of milk and cheese attests to so much Divine Hashgacha, while the halachic issues engendered necessitate advanced and aggressive kashrus hashgacha.
Creamers • Cultures & Rennets • Dairy Products • Milk, Cream & Cheese Substitutes • Consumer Kosher • Behind the Scenes (Theoretical Kashruth) • (9) Comments •
Monday, August 01, 2005
An Axelrod to Grind at the OU
WOLF AXELROD began the Axelrod Company in 1896 by establishing a retail store and wholesale distribution business on Madison Street on Manhattan’s Lower East Side. As the business expanded, Axelrod began to manufacture more dairy products in small “cheese factories” in upstate New York, along the Canadian side of the St. Lawrence River. Each factory produced a few hundred pounds of cheese per day and packed it in steel drums that were iced and then shipped to New York City by train.
In 1920, Wolf Axelrod retired and left the business to his son, Abraham, to manage. Under Abraham’s direction the company flourished, 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 various mergers and partnerships,Abraham had transformed the business into a full dairy products company, in the process setting strict quality standards for his suppliers, thereby making the Axelrod Company renowned for its wonderful products and reliability.
In 1949, a pint size container of plain Axelrod yogurt first appeared in many local New York City grocery stores, quickly followed by Axelrod labeled cottage cheese and sour cream.In 1961, Abraham sold the company to Crowley Foods, with his son Herbert succeeding him as President and CEO. Under Herbert’s leadership, the Axelrod Company expanded from Massachusetts to Florida. Today, Axelrod products are a staple and tradition for many families in the Metropolitan New York area, New Jersey, New England and Florida.The OU symbol is proudly displayed on our yogurt as well as on all Axelrod cultured products.
At Axelrod, we firmly believe that our yogurt sets the quality standard, despite the fact that we still are a relatively small regional company. We attribute much of our success to the stringent standards OU certification stands for and the wonderful business relationship we have had over the years with the Orthodox Union, which works so hard to assure compliance with its kosher requirements.
OU POLICY REVIEW 1 Companies are requested to maintain a list of alternate plant personnel to escort the RFR during inspections. This procedure helps circumvent extended delays, allows the RFR to adhere to his route, and contributes to maintaining the efficiency of a plant’s kosher program.
OU POLICY REVIEW 2 Companies are reminded to doublecheck label proofs, and confirm that the correct OU designation appears. The OU-D symbol is required for products containing dairy, or produced on dairy equipment. OU-P denotes that a product is specially certified for Passover.
Milk, Cream & Cheese Substitutes • OU Companies Speak • (8) Comments •
Organic Valley Dairy Cooperative: Independent and Farmer-Owned
ORGANIC VALLEY is one of America’s leading national organic brands and is the nation’s largest independent and farmer-owned organic dairy cooperative. Organized in 1988, Organic Valley boasts 689 certified organic farmer/owners in 20 states. It owes its success to two pivotal guiding principles. The first is staying independent and true to its mission: keeping small and mid-sized farmers farming. Of equal importance is its commitment to forming long-term partnerships with the 53 quality manufacturing facilities that co-pack its products.In the last year alone, the cooperative achieved record success both in sales (up from $156 million in 2003 to $204 million) and in farmer recruitment (133 new farmers). 
We increased number of acres and cows brought into the organic system (up to more than 113,000 acres and 26,000 cows).The Organic Valley brand is the top-selling organic milk in both mainstream supermarkets and natural foods outlets along the entire Eastern seaboard.
In 2001 when our goal was established to consolidate kosher oversight among our plants and packaging, we sought out another quality partner capable of meeting the unique needs of our dynamic cooperative. The Orthodox Union swiftly satisfied that need and has proved to be a solid partner making us proud to display the OU logo on our products ever since. Our Rabbinic Coordinator is Rabbi Andrew Gordimer. His level of expertise, service, understanding and (occasionally) forgiveness is truly impressive.
ORGANIC AND KOSHER:
A SOUND, WORKING PARTNERSHIP
Organic standards are production guidelines which mandate such things as humane treatment of livestock along with water and soil conservation, while strictly prohibiting others such as the use of synthetic chemical fertilizers and pesticides, genetically engineered technology, and irradiation of food for sterilization. As with kosher compliance, organic certification for farmers and processors involves scheduled and surprise inspections and audits to verify compliance.
In the end, we concurred that the two compliment each other well in terms of assuring customers that their food meets strict, inspection-verified quality standards —- a “shidduch” in the words of Rabbi Safran.The organic food industry is growing at 20 percent per year as more and more consumers recognize the nutritional and social benefits of organic farming practices. Many of these consumers are the same careful shoppers that seek out kosher certification. For Organic Valley the decision to boast of kosher compliance on our certified organic labels has proved to be advantageous not only to our sales staff but more importantly to our loyal base of customers.
As stewards of the earth who use nature as their teacher, Organic Valley farmers produce more than 130 delicious organic products. Look for the Orthodox Union logo on Organic Valley milk, cream, half and half, soy drinks, butter, cream cheese, cottage cheese, sour cream, and juice. Organic Valley products are sold in food cooperatives, natural foods stores and supermarkets throughout the country. For further information, contact Organic Valley at 1.888.444.MILK or visit ww.organicvalley.coop.Milk, Cream & Cheese Substitutes • OU Companies Speak • (6) Comments •
Stonyfield Farms: An OU Rabbi’s Dream Company
In my periodic visits to Stonyfield Farms over the years, I cannot help noticing the remarkable growth of the manufacturing facility and the impressive expansion of the product line with creative new yogurt products. Fortunately, while the company grew, it also maintained the wholesome nature of its products and continued to develop and produce yogurt products with a high level of quality control.
Since the Orthodox Union Kosher Certification Program at Stonyfield has been seamlessly integrated into the quality control system of the company, all new products and ingredients were submitted in advance to the OU for approval, thereby, maintaining a current Schedule A and Schedule B.
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 welcoming unannounced visits from the OU’s rabbinical representatives, Stonyfield conducts a self-audit every two weeks. Quality control personnel developed a checklist based on a Schedule A and inspect the labels on each and every raw material to insure they bear the appropriate kosher marking as indicated on Schedule A. Therefore, it is no wonder that the rabbinical inspections go so smoothly at Stonyfield Farms.
Ingredients range from frozen cultures which are packed in small cans and stored in a deep freeze environment, to large totes of fruit fillings. Since all ingredients and products at Stonyfield are kosher, there is no need to monitor various formulations, and since all the equipment is used exclusively for kosher products, no kosherization is necessary. Kosher consumers can feel comfortable that they are not only receiving the highest quality in yogurt products, but that they are also receiving the highest standards in kosher certification as well.
Fruit & Vegetable-canned, Fresh Frozen & Dried • Milk, Cream & Cheese Substitutes • OU Companies Speak • (17) Comments •
Leaving No Stone Unturned at… Stonyfield Farm
WHEN a certifying rabbi first paid a visit to Stonyfield Farm, he tramped through the mud of rural New Hampshire to do it. He also got somewhat lost. That was back in 1984 when the yogurt company consisted of “seven cows and a good yogurt recipe.” Stonyfield Farm was located in rural Wilton, New Hampshire then, up a road so steep that milk trucks often had trouble scaling it in the winter.
Today, Stonyfield Farm is the largest producer of organic yogurt in the world and the Number Three yogurt company in the country, with net sales of $174 million in 2004. Some 272 people are employed at its Londonderry, NH production facility. All of its products are certified kosher by the Orthodox Union. Not only does Stonyfield sell organic yogurt, but its relatively new Smoothies 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 an option for those who don’t want to eat dairy; its frozen yogurts and ice creams are award-winners; and it recently entered the market for milk — the kind you just pour into a glass and drink. From the beginning, back when CEO Gary Hirshberg, his business partner Samuel Kaymen, and their families were milking the seven cows, Mr. Hirshberg knew it was important to make a product that was healthy, delicious, organic, and of the highest quality. “OU certified kosher products are identified with quality, which makes it a good fit for us,” Mr. Hirshberg said. “We always wanted to be able to offer the kosher market the best-tasting yogurt possible. We sell very well in New York and the Northeast, and we see the OU label as another tool to help us continue to expand our business. Just as the organic niche has grown, we expect the kosher niche to grow.” In one sense, Stonyfield Farm products are “value-added” for the kosher consumer by supporting a healthy environment.The company was the nation’s first dairy processor to pay farmers not to treat cows with the synthetic bovine growth hormone rBGH. Stonyfield also donates ten percent of its profits to environmental causes and it offsets 100 percent of its CO2 emissions from its facility, in an effort to reduce global warming.Carol McLaughlin, Stonyfield’s go-to person on kosher compliance, says that working with the OU for so many years means that certifications go smoothly. She is in constant communication with Rabbi Michael Morris in New York and Rabbi Gershon Segal in the Boston OU office. Both have been helpful when any supply issues have arisen. For example, Ms. McLaughlin said that the Boston office became involved when Stonyfield had an issue with a grape product provided by one supplier. It wasn’t going to work and Stonyfield was in a rush. “The OU was able to help us find a new, OU-certified supplier on short notice. They were great,” Ms. McLaughlin said.
Recently Rabbi Avrohom Stone, field representative in New Jersey, did an educational presentation on kosher certification for Stonyfield’s employees in Londonderry.
Greg Fonte, of Stonyfield’s New York sales team, sees the OU certification as extremely important. “It opens opportunities for our customers, who recognize that products with the OU certification are made with premium ingredients. And in a practical sense, it means we can sell to everybody,” he said.Fruit & Vegetable-canned, Fresh Frozen & Dried • Milk, Cream & Cheese Substitutes • OU Companies Speak • (9) Comments •
Culture for the Masses: The Complexities of Yogurt Certification
Yogurt was first produced thousands of years ago. Dairy history and legend indicate that yogurt originated in Iran or Turkey. One story has it that an ancient Turk was carrying milk in his goatskin for some time, whereupon he noticed that the substance had developed into a thick, creamy mass (precipitated by the bacteria in the goatskin and the warm temperature).This new product was referred to as yogurt.
In 1900, a Russian biologist named Dr. Ilya Metchnikoff, of the Pasteur Institute in Paris, was able to isolate bacillus cultures for yogurt production, marking the beginning of modern yogurt manufacture. 
Dr. Metchnikoff demonstrated that yogurt’s bacteria fought dangerous germ bodies in the colons of mammals, and he theorized the positive effects of yogurt bacteria cultures on humans. Shortly thereafter, yogurt became a staple in the American diet, and the 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 the world? There are two answers to this question: A) taste, and B) health benefits.
Yogurt is an ultra-pliable food which can be manipulated, filled, thickened and 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 and sweeteners 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 chocolate chips…? You get the picture.)
The health benefits of yogurt are quite unique. Its bacteria cultures (to be noted later in this article) assist in the digestive and gastrointestinal tracts, and they enhance overall immunity by attacking disease-promoting bodies throughout the body’s food trail. It is even suspected that some infections and pre-tumorous conditions may be killed by yogurt’s live bacteria.
Of all dairy products, yogurt is among the most complex in terms of its kosher requirements and proper supervision. To put it more precisely, if you take the kosher considerations of soft cheese and combine them with the kosher issues of ice cream, you come out with a basic framework for kosher yogurt.
BASIC PRODUCTION
All 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 be incorporated, and stabilizers — which create the desired consistency — are then fed into the yogurt mix.
The mix is usually then pasteurized, subsequent to which it is dosed with acid-based dairy cultures (most commonly lactobacillus bulgaricus and streptococcus ther-mophilus), after which the cultured mass is left to incubate for a specific amount of time in closed yogurt vats.
Following incubation, fruit filling, flavors and even colorants may be added. The product is then filled into cups or tubs and is ready to go. (It is important to note that the only hot phase is pasteurization. The rest of the process is cold, 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 above steps 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 in lands which consume non-kosher varieties such as camel or pig milk or have inadequate milk regulations…)
Cultures, however, are another story. Most dairy cultures are grown in labs which handle kosher and non-kosher materials beyond the imagination. Some cultures are grown on surfaces which are non-kosher, and some are nourished with non-kosher nutrients. Shared culture equipment is another common issue. Cultures are kosher only when their environments and nourishments are fully kosher. Thus, we are working with 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 shares equipment used for non-kosher whey cream manufacture. Non-fat dry milk can be dried in spray towers also used for drying non-kosher meats, cheese, etc. Proper kosher supervision is most certainly necessary!
When we get to stabilizers, we approach the most hazardous area of yogurt certification. The recent trend in the yogurt industry has been to increase the thickness of product, creating a “Swiss-style” consistency. The most common stabilizer to achieve this result is gelatin, most of which comes from the bones and hides of non-kosher animals. It is for this reason that many varieties of yogurt bear no kosher symbol or feature just a generic “K”, as the OU cannot certify them due to the presence of non-kosher gelatin. (It is noteworthy that the OU does certify kosher gelatin, manufactured by Norland Industries and Glatech Productions. Kosher marshmallows utilize these gelatin sources, and they are now available for the dairy industry as well.) Other non-kosher stabilizers contain a mix of gelatin and non-animal based substances.
Stabilizers present in OU-certified yogurt are starch or gum based. These stabilizers need proper kosher certification, as they can be processed on nonkosher equipment and can even contain trace amounts of gelatin. Some fruit fillings, flavors and colorants can be non-kosher. Kosher status must obviously be verified. KOSHER PRODUCTION:The first thing that the OU needs to do when we certify a yogurt plant is to clear all ingredients as kosher.The next task is to determine if the plant also makes non-kosher product and — if so — evaluate whether or not the plant can 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. Nonkosher ingredients which are run though the pasteurizer can render it non-kosher. Although the OU does not permit the use of kosher and non-kosher identical ingredients in the same plant (such as kosher and non-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 pasteurizer and related equipment non-kosher, requiring kosherization after each non-kosher campaign. (2) POST-PASTEURIZATION Once we have assured that the pasteurization system is kosher for kosher-certified production, we need to see if there are non-kosher ramifications of nonkosher yogurt later on in the manufacturing process. Gelatin-based yogurt — as well as yogurt with non-kosher fruit fillings, colors or flavors — often shares the same incubation or storage tanks and fillers as kosher yogurt. This equipment must be reliably cleansed before it is used for kosher product, and tanks cannot hold kosher and nonkosher product for 24 hours or more. The OU assures that this is the case. (3) FORMULAS When a plant processes non-kosher yogurt (or any other product, in general), the OU must carefully review formulas to verify that kosher yogurt utilizes only kosher ingredients. The more nonkosher production at a given plant, the more time and work will be required for the rabbinic field representative (RFR) to go through the books or computer records for formula review. (4) KOSHERIZATION As noted above, non-kosher yogurt run-through a pasteurization system can require kosherizaton after it is processed. In this case, the rabbinic coordinator and RFR work out a system by which the plant’s CIP routine meets kosherization specifications. The RFR reviews Taylor charts generated by the CIP to assure that necessary temperatures are reached, and he verifies production and CIP sequencing upon each visit as well.Certification of kosher yogurt poses the issues of stabilizers and cultures related to soft cheese, alongside dealing with the many additives and flavors encountered when certifying ice cream. Complex…but delicious.
Milk, Cream & Cheese Substitutes • OU Companies Speak • (7) Comments •
Monday, April 04, 2005
Tnuva Dairy Giant
No one could ever call Tnuva’s executives “impulsive.” During the past several decades this former dairy cooperative has methodically built itself into a sophisticated multi-level corporation that is not
only Israel’s Number One food company (with over $1.5 billion in annual sales), but is also the world’s largest producer of kosher food products.
Tnuva has also acquired a keen reputation for quality and quantity by investing millions of dollars a year on upgrading its equipment (its sophisticated Alon Tavor facility in the Galilee alone cost over $200 million to build), as well as launching new lines of palate-pleasing products – but only after widespread consumer market surveys.
Recognizing the growth and strict kosher needs of Israel’s Orthodox population, Tnuva also created a Va’ad Mehadrin, which consists of some of the most renowned rabbis in the ultra-Orthodox (Haredi) sector.
When Tnuva started rolling out many of its dairy products under the Va’ad Mehadrin banner, the company witnessed an immediate spike in sales at local supermarkets.
EYE ON THE UNITED STATES MARKET
Realizing that they had the capacity to expand their operations overseas,Tnuva’s executives turned their attention to the United States. The explosive growth in America’s kosher consumer market piqued Tnuva’s interest. “About three years ago,Tnuva made a decision to expand its operations regarding entering the American kosher food market, which also coincided with the launching of our Alon Tavor dairy facility,” said Yoram Behiri, CEO-Tnuva USA. “Alon Tavor, which has the largest capacity
of any dairy production facility in the Middle East, also uses state-of-the-art food technology that is second to none. Once that facility came on-line,we knew that Tnuva had the ability to become a
true international company.We believed that we had a lot to offer American consumers. We knew that value for the money is also extremely important to the American consumer. Realizing that we had a long list of high-quality products to offer, we decided to focus on launching a specific variety of products in the United States. Even before we entered the market, Tnuva gave out sample products to
food distributors and supermarket managers in order to gauge their reactions.” Once Tnuva’s executives made the decision to launch in the United States, they contacted the OU’s Kosher Division
for certification.Working in tandem with Tnuva’s Rav Hamachshir (Certifying Rabbinic Authority) Rabbi Ze’ev Weitman and his American-born assistant Rabbi Yaakov Borow (who once worked in OU’s Kosher Division), the OU and Tnuva formed a harmonious working relationship. Backed by sophisticated marketing and advertising campaigns, Tnuva began to roll out a series of dairy products in major
East Coast markets at the end of 2003. The reaction from consumers was immediate
and overwhelmingly positive. “The secret to our success in Israel and the U.S. is very simple.You can’t compare the taste of Israel to ANY other taste in the marketplace. And that’s a strong selling point,” Mr. Behiri exclaimed. By early 2005,Tnuva had expanded its market share and product lineup across the U.S. At the present time the Tnuva family of products in America includes: Emek Cheeses (with special Gourmet and Mediterranean Collections) and other assorted dairy staples, including Olivia Gourmet brand salad dressings, spreads and marinades Tnuva Fish (smoked delicacies) Ma’adanot brand frozen bourekas, falafel balls & pastries
PASSOVER PREPARATIONS
When it comes to Passover preparations, Israeli companies like Tnuva are involved in a very different ballgame from their American counterparts. Many American kosher companies can make chometzoriented products and still sell them to non-Jews. The presence of specialized Kosher for Passover only food companies in the United States is almost unheard of in Israel. In Israel, food product companies like Tnuva remove chometz-oriented products from all supermarket shelves for nearly a month (two to three weeks before Passover, plus one week after Passover). In this scenario, a non- Passover product can lose a whole month’s worth of shelf-time! “Preparations for Passover in Tnuva involve changes in every stage of production,” Rabbi Borow reported. “Milk is taken only from farms that have a very fine filter in place to avoid any mixtures of foreign material that could possibly be problematic, even before the milk reaches the storage tanks of the manufacturing plant. Mashgichim (kosher supervisors) check that the filters are in place at each farm and that they are functioning properly. Regarding raw materials added to milk, many ingredients such as enzymes, flavors, preservatives and stabilizers, must be switched for versions that are made under Kosher for Passover conditions. Agreements are made with each supplier as to how the ingredients will arrive for
the holiday. Passover mashgichim check the label of each material (or product) to make sure that it is up to Kosher for Passover standards. Finally, Tnuva’s manufacturing facilities undergo a thorough cleansing and koshering before beginning the Passover production lines.” All of Tnuva’s Kosher for Passover products will be specifically marked as such in the United States as well.
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