Kosher laws have their origin in the Bible, and are detailed in the Talmud and the further codes of Jewish traditions. They have been applied through the centuries to ever-changing circumstances, and these rulings, both ancient and modern, govern kosher certification.

You may at present be familiar with some of the more well-known requirements, such as separating milk and meat, but an in-depth look reveals a far more detailed and complex system.

The Bible lists the basic classifications of food items which are not kosher. These include, but are not limited to, certain animals, fowl and fish (such as pork and rabbit, eagle and owl, catfish and sturgeon), and any shellfish, insect or reptile. Furthermore, kosher species of meat and fowl must be slaughtered in a prescribed manner, and meat and dairy products may not be manufactured or consumed together.

Why do so many foods require kosher supervision? For instance, shouldn’t granola bars and potato chips be inherently kosher since they are not prepared from meat, fowl, fish or insects? The answer is that all elements and sub-ingredients in a food item must be Kosher as well.

Thus, for example, a granola bar may be non-kosher because it has raisins which are coated with a non-kosher, animal-based glycerin. Potato chips may be non-kosher if the vegetable oil used in the fryer has been pasteurized and deodorized on equipment used for production of non-kosher foodstuffs. In fact, equipment used for hot production of non-Kosher products may not be used for kosher production without Kosherization (a hot purging procedure).

Although they may seem intricate, kosher laws may be applied quite easily when having the right experience and knowledge. Kosherization and keeping Kosher in your factory requires nothing but following a simple set of rules, similar to what you may be already applying as customary and mandatory hygiene and GMP policy.