Kosher certification is a private scheme under which a recognised rabbinical authority verifies that a product’s ingredients, processing aids and production environment comply with Jewish dietary law, enabling sale into kosher-observant markets.
In trade practice
For plant-origin products such as frozen fruit, honey and grains, kosher auditors focus on the absence of prohibited insects, the status of processing aids such as waxes and clarifying agents, and equipment shared with non-kosher lines. The certifying body issues a certificate and authorises use of its kosher mark; buyers typically require a current certificate and the right to display the mark on packaging. Suppliers should note that different rabbinical authorities carry different levels of recognition in target markets such as the EU, US and Israel.
In a specification
A buyer’s specification or private-label agreement should name the accepted certifying authority or authorities, state the required scope of certification and specify that a valid certificate must be provided before each production run.