How do I become kosher certified?

Kosher certification requires a detailed study of:

a) All ingredients used in the plant,
b) The method of production, and
c) All products produced there.

A. Ingredients

All ingredients in the plant, whether or not they are slated for kosher use, must be evaluated thoroughly. The use of ingredients on common equipment impacts upon the kosher status of all products produced. The ingredients must be identified and classified at two interface levels.

B. Plant Procedures

It is always important to review and analyze the details of production in order to grant kosher certification. If, for example, a non-kosher ingredient was processed on the equipment, the details of production such as temperatures or consistency are critical in order to determine proper techniques to return the equipment to a Kosher mode. Therefore, during the initial inspection it is important to determine the degree of heat used, the means of conveyance of ingredients or pre-mixes, and even packaging procedures, all of which may be relevant to Kosher certification.

C. Products

Each product that is to be certified must be clearly marked with the correct Kosher symbol. This information must be updated on an ongoing basis in order to keep lists of certified products current. This up-to-date listing of all products is critical to both the STAR-K and the company. The STAR-K must have an accurate listing of all the products it certifies in order to service the consumers and companies requesting information about products bearing the STAR-K kosher symbol. Furthermore, a company does not want any product that is indeed certified as kosher, to be circulating in the marketplace without testimony to that certification.

• Kosher and non-Kosher
• Pareve and Dairy

There is a group of raw materials that do not require formal kosher certification in order to be approved for kosher use. These are intrinsically kosher ingredients, such as cane sugar, corn meal, vanillin, and a host of others. These materials have been investigated and determined to be in compliance with kosher regulations. However, numerous other materials can only be approved for kosher use if formally certified as such. This is usually done by a letter of certification from a particular Rabbinic agency that designates the item as kosher. The letter of certification will indicate the pareve or dairy status of the product as well.

The content above was taken from the Star-K Web site.

To get certified call 310-484-9978