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UNILEVER’S CORPORATEmission—to add vitality tolife—responds to 21ST centuryconsumers. But the spirit ofthis mission has infused our

entire history, starting in the late 19TH century.In the 1890s,William Heskith Lever, founder

of Lever Bros, conceived the idea for SunlightSoap—a revolutionary new product that helped

popularize cleanliness and hygiene in VictorianEngland. Its purpose was “to make cleanliness com-

monplace; to lessen work for women; to foster healthand contribute to personal attractiveness, that life may

be more enjoyable and rewarding for the people whouse our products.”

Decades before the phrase “Corporate Mission”became popular, these ideas became the heart of our

business — a promise that endures. Lever’s language —and the notion of only women doing housework — have

symbol

Unionbehind the

symbol

KASHRUT DIVISION

RABBI MENACHEM GENACKRabbinic Administrator / CEO

RABBI MOSHE ELEFANTExecutive Rabbinic Coordinator / COODirector, New Company Department

RABBI YAAKOV LUBANExecutive Rabbinic Coordinator

RABBI DR. ELIYAHU SAFRANSenior Rabbinic CoordinatorVice President, Communicatons and Marketing

RABBI YERACHMIEL MORRISONRABBI ABRAHAM JURAVELIngredient Approval Registry

RABBI HOWARD KATZENSTEINDirector, Business Management

u

STEPHEN J. SAVITSKYChairman, Joint Kashrut Commission

RABBI EMANUEL HOLZERChairman, Rabbinic Kashrut Commission

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ORTHODOX UNION

STEPHEN J. SAVITSKYPresident

RABBI DR. TZVI HERSH WEINREBExecutive Vice President

DAVID OLIVESTONEDirector, Communicatons and Marketing

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BEHIND THE UNION SYMBOL

RABBI DR. ELIYAHU SAFRANEditor–in–Chief

STEPHEN STEINEREditor

PAMELA WEIMANGraphic Designer

WE WELCOME YOUR COMMENTS & CONTRIBUTIONS

fax212.613.0775

e–[email protected]

symbols p r i n g 2 0 0 6

behind the

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2 BEHIND THE UNION SYMBOL

ALONG WITH THE ESTABLISHED

base of the kosher-observantJewish population, the kosher mar-ket continues to witness anupsurge in the public’s “kosher

consciousness:”, not only among Jews, but alsoamong non-Jews with religious dietary restrictionssuch as Muslims and Seventh-Day Adventists, aswell as individuals with dietary health issues (suchas lactose intolerance).And then there’s the rest ofthe population that regards the OU symbol as anassurance of wholesomeness and quality.The OU

Kosher symbol has come to be as universally recognized and respected as theGood Housekeeping Seal.

In a pre-Passover story extolling the ever-growing worldwide variety ofkosher wines from Chilean Cabernet Sauvignon to Hungarian Tokaji, The Wall

Street Journal introduces readers to the“special process” of producing koshersupervised wine. It then states as a matterof fact, “Often their labels will sport an‘O’ with a ‘U’ inside with a ‘P’ near it.Thisis the stamp of approval of the largestkosher-certification body, and basicallymeans there’s no need to read the labelfurther to learn that the wine is kosherfor Passover.” The OU symbol instillsconfidence.

This demand has led retailers likeWal-Mart,Albertson’s, Publix, Ralph’s, Food 4 Less, Kroger, Safeway, Key Food,Pathmark,Winco Foods, Shop ‘n Save, Shop Rite, Dominick’s, and Trader Joe’sto greatly increase the number of kosher products they stock. In the businessworld, certainly, the bottom line is sales. Food companies and supermarkets thatcarry kosher certified products find that the telltale symbol boosts a product’sselling power. Headlines scream the ever-growing power of the kosher market.An Associated Press story picked up by papers throughout the country earlierthis year extolled, “Companies compete to get slice of booming kosher foodindustry,” and “The food industry sees kosher as a symbol for higher sales.”

Indeed, when Albertson’s hired Yakov Yarmove more than three years ago,the company found a point man to navigate what might seem like an unlikelymarket for a grocery chain with stores in places like Cheyenne, Wyo, andEvanston, IL: kosher food. “There’s a kosher awakening, says Yarmove, Albert-son’s corporate kosher, marketing and operations manager. Is it any wonder thenthat Albertson’s boasts kosher sections in all of its 1,750 stores? After all,“Kosheris on the radar now.”

ConAgra’s recently publicized, “What’s in Store” survey of con-sumer shopping habits confirms that:

• Fully 95 percent of Americans say they would consider quality symbols, sealsand trust marks when food shopping;

• Four times as many survey respondents said they are more likely to con-sider buying foods based on trust marks today than they were a year ago,

From the Editor

the ou kosher symbol hascome to be as universallyrecognized and respected as the goodhousekeepingseal

THERE IS A DEFINITE CONNECTION between New Yorkers and theNew York City bagel. New Yorkers are tough and firm on the outsidebut gentle and caring on the inside. A real New York City bagel too,is hard and crispy on the outside but moist and chewy on the inside.New Yorkers are shiny and flamboyant on the outside but good old

down-to-earth and friendly on the inside. A real New York City bagel too, is bur-nished and slick on the outside but mushy and snug on the inside.

New Yorkers are resilient and exhibit great determination by coming back andtrying again if at first they don’t succeed. A real New York City bagel too has a rub-bery texture and needs to be relentlessly chewed before swallowing. New Yorkers arethe epitome of ordinary people doing extraordinary things. So too, a real New YorkCity bagel is small, but ever so flavorful.

It’s hard to imagine that so much of New York City’s personality can be encap-sulated in a bagel. But New York is not alone. Other great American cities too, suchas Chicago and Boston, have etched their personalities on their bagel versions. Indeedthere is hardly any other food in the world that has as much personality as the bagel.

THE HOLETRUTH: THE HOLETRUTH:

Indeed there is hardly any other food in the worldthat has as much personality as the bagel.

Together,

Bagels& the OUHave an UnbeatablePersonality(But They Must Be Certified to Be Kosher!)

continued on next page

S P R I N G 2 0 0 6 3

By Rabbi Yisroel Bendelstein

Furthermore, barring baseball, apple pieand Chevrolet, there is hardly anythingmore American, than the bagel.This holdstrue in spite of the fact that the bagelmost probably originated in Poland andwas brought to the shores of this countryby Eastern European Jewish immigrantsin the 1880’s.

As diverse as the personalities that eatthem, the different ways in which bagelsare manufactured will ultimately deter-mine the personality they take on. It’salmost as if bagels are individuals and thatno two bagels are created exactly alike.The reason for this is that the variationsfor making bagels are virtually infinite.This is especially so after the initial bageldough is made with the traditional flour,water, yeast, oil, conditioner and maltsyrup and/or sugar for sweetness.

The dough is then divided, cut andshaped. Genuine New York dough ishand rolled as opposed to machine rolledand should weigh four ounces. Needlessto say, there are those that weigh muchmore and a few that weigh less.The sizeof the bagel is critical in order to deter-

mine the ratio of dough to crust.As peo-ple’s palates are different, some prefer adoughier bagel and others prefer acrunchier variety.

After the bagel dough is formed, it isproofed or left in a warm place to rise.The temperature and amount of time of

the proofing will all impact on the out-come of the final product. It is at thispoint that a critical juncture is reached inthe manufacture of the bagels. Most com-mercial bakeries that are primarily con-cerned about the shelf life of their prod-uct continue processing the proofed andformed bagel dough by steaming it. Theold fashioned way however, which is thehallmark of a genuine New York Citybagel, is to deposit the proofed andformed bagel dough into a huge vat orkettle of boiling water. Although theboiled bagel will not stay fresh for as longas the steamed one, at least for the shortrun the boiled bagel will be far morecrispy, shiny and bouncy than the steamedversion. Several neighborhood bakeriesstill employ this traditional method ofboiling the bagels.

At last, the formed, proofed, steamedor boiled bagel dough is ready to bebaked. Here too there are variations inthe baking that can drastically change thepersonality of the finished product. Mostcommercial bakeries bake the dough ineither tunnel ovens or rotating rack

ovens. The old fashioned way, which isagain the hallmark of a genuine New YorkCity bagel, is to place the dough on top ofcanvas covered wooden slabs or trays andbake it in a revolving shelf oven. Oventemperatures and baking times will alsoalter the personality of the end product.

The above provides a brief synopsisof the way real bagels are to be made.There is product to be found in the mar-ket that pretends to be bagels but is reallypseudo-bagels, because it is made withshortcuts by bypassing one or more of theaforementioned steps. One case in pointis when the dough is immediately bakedin the oven without either being steamedor boiled first.The end product is shapedlike a bagel and looks like a bagel, but isnot a bagel at all.Anyone eating this pseu-do-bagel will immediately recognize thedifference between it and the real thing.This pseudo-bagel has hardly any crust, isnot at all crunchy and needs very littlejaw to chew it. In short, it hasn’t the per-sonality of a real bagel.

I am reminded of a small neighbor-hood bakery that made pseudo-jellydonuts. Real donuts have their doughfried. This neighborhood bakery had nocapacity for frying. It then pretended tomake jelly donuts by taking small dinnerrolls that it had baked and coating themwith confectioner’s sugar while injectingthem with jelly. In effect, this pseudo-jelly

donut was really breadfilled with jelly.

For kosher con-sumers this is important,since bread is treated dif-ferently from cakes anddonuts in Jewish law.Many kosher consumers,as mandated by Jewish

law, recite a benediction over food beforeand after indulging. Different benedic-tions are recited depending upon the cat-egory of the food. Accordingly, bread hasa different benediction than cake and pas-try. Therefore the pseudo-jelly donuts,that are really bread, need to have recited


Many chocolate chip bagels would not be able tobe kosher certified because of the dairy bread status.

continued from previous page

over them the bread benediction asopposed to the cake benediction.Anotherimportant distinction between bread andcake as it relates to kosher dietary law, isthat cakes can be kosher certified evenwhen they contain dairy ingredients. Instark contrast, bread cannot be certifiedkosher if it contains dairy ingredients.Thisis because that bread, as a main food staple,can readily find itself available for either adairy or meat meal.As a necessary precau-tion to avoid eating dairy bread at a meat

meal, which is in violation ofkosher law, the bread must bepareve.

It has been rumoredthat there is one personal-ity trait that all bagels have— that they are all kosher.

This misconception stemsfrom the fact that historically

Jewish immigrants introducedbagels to New York’s Lower East

Side. However, nothing could be fur-ther from the truth; it must be statedunambiguously that not all bagels arekosher. In order for bagels to have a kosherpersonality, they must be certified by areputable kosher agency.

The reasons why bagels are notinherently kosher and must requirekosher supervision are many. First andforemost, there are several ingredients thatcan potentially be not kosher, includingoils and shortenings, dough condition-ers/improvers, flavors, emulsifiers,enzymes and certain yeast, raisins, spicesand sweeteners.

Additionally, bagels are categorized asbread as far as kosher dietary law is con-cerned. Therefore, they cannot be certi-fied kosher if they contain any dairyingredients, as this would constitute dairybread. There are many popular flavoredbagels that are dairy and as such, cannotbe certified kosher. Among them arecheddar and asiago bagels that containreal cheddar and asiago cheese respective-ly.Although there exist kosher acceptablevarieties of cheddar and asiago cheese, theexistence of these dairy ingredients dis-qualifies these flavored bagels frombecoming kosher certified.The only waya cheddar and asiago bagel can becomekosher, is if they use an imitation kosher

pareve certified cheddar or asiago flavorinstead of real cheese.

Pesto, or Italian sauce flavored bagels,are another popular variety that present achallenge to kosher certification. This isbecause real pesto, according to the orig-inal Italian recipe that claims its rootsfrom the city of Genoa, calls for the addi-tion of cheese as an ingredient. Onceagain then, this would result in a dairybagel, which is precluded from koshercertification. There are however, veganversions of the pesto recipe that arekosher pareve certified.These can be usedinstead to make the pesto bagel. Sincemost pesto is dairy, purchasing and receiv-ing must remain vigilant to make surethat the pesto being used in the bagel ischecked at all times so that it matches itskosher pareve approved status.

Chocolate chip bagels have alsorecently gained celebrity status. Here toosince the preponderance of chocolatechips are dairy, many chocolate chipbagels would not be able to be koshercertified because of the dairy bread status.Notwithstanding, there are plenty ofchocolate chips that are acceptable askosher pareve.Any of these can be used inorder to make a kosher certified choco-late chip bagel.Once again,purchasing andreceiving must always remain alert to theproper pareve status of the chocolate chips.

One more area that needs to be care-fully monitored, especially when it comesto bagels, is the yoshan status for somebagel products. Kosher dietary law makescertain provisions for the consumption ofproducts that contain flour from wheat,barley, oats, rye, and/or spelt. An elevatedlevel of kosher that falls into this catego-ry is called “yoshan.”The word in Hebrewmeans “old.” This was adopted from a

S P R I N G 2 0 0 6 5

The reasonswhy bagels arenot inherentlykosher and mustrequire koshersupervision are many.

continued on page 9


SARA LEE IS PROUD of its association with theOrthodox Union and has displayed the OU symbolsince the 1980’s. OU certification is highly regard-ed by food companies throughout the worldbecause of the OU’s stringent guidelines and mass

appeal. Sara Lee bagels are water-boiled and baked in our facil-ities in Sioux City, NB;Arlington,TX;Vernon, CA; Greenville,SC; and Kent,WA. Sara Lee plant personnel and corporate staffwork closely with the RFRs and OU headquarters staff, partic-ularly Rabbi Dovid Rockove, our rabbinic coordinator, toensure that nothing jeopardizes OU certification.

In 1935, Charlie Lubin and his brother-in-law bought asmall chain of bakeries in Chicago. Fifteen years later, Charliewent out on his own and named his first product — a line ofcheesecakes — after his daughter, Sara Lee. Charlie later devel-oped a process for freezing baked goods that retained productquality, thereby enabling him to mass distribute his productacross the country. His company was purchased in 1956 byConsolidated Foods, where Charlie continued to serve as asenior executive for many years. In 1985, Consolidated Foodschanged its name to Sara Lee Corporation. Sara Lee has oper-ations in 58 countries, branded products in nearly 200

nations, and 137,000 employeesworldwide.

Sara Lee expanded to bakedgoods in the early 1990’s when itpurchased International BakingCompany, expanding its bakedgoods line to include bagels,buns, rolls, breakfast breads,English muffins and other prod-ucts.All of Sara Lee’s baked goodsare prepared in a fresh, home-styletradition using only the finestingredients.All Sara Lee productsthat are kosher will have the OUsymbol on the packaging.

Sara Lee Corporation’s lead-ing brand names are householdwords around the globe. Thesepreeminent brands are built onconsumer needs and expecta-tions, offering exceptional quality

and value. Our mission is simple – tosimply delight you… every day.

Rabbi David Rockove serves as Orthodox Union rabbinic coordinator for Sara Lee Corporation.

NOBODY DOESN’T LIKE SARA LEE – Especially With the OU Symbol

O U C O M P A N I E S S P E A K

These preeminent brands are built onconsumer needs and expectations, offering exceptional quality and value.

S P R I N G 2 0 0 6 7

JUST BAGELS STARTED as a small retail and wholesalebagel store in 1992. Today, the company occupies a44,000-square-foot facility in the Hunts Point section ofthe Bronx, NY, running 24 hours a day, seven days aweek, offering an extensive line of fresh, frozen, and par-

baked products.Since its beginning, owners Charles Contreras, Cliff

Nordquist, and James O’Connell have continually reinvested intheir business in an effort to produce the best water bagels fortheir customers. Indeed, a glance at the customer list revealssome of the top establishments in New York City:The Waldorf-Astoria, Dean & Deluca, the Marriott Marquis, Citarella,Grace’s Market, Starbucks, and countless others. No customer istoo large or too small for Just Bagels. The company currentlyservices many classes of trade, including hotels, restaurants, retailstores, schools and the airline/cruise industry. Just Bagels alsooffers a private label/co-packing facility for its larger customers.

It’s no surprise that Just Bagels continues to grow steadily,thanks to its superior products.The compa-ny recently expanded its distribution net-work and now services more than 40 states.According to Cliff Nordquist,“A good partof our success is due to the fact thatalthough we’ve grown significantly, we stillmake bagels like a small bagel shop. Ourold-fashioned baking techniques produce areal ‘New York water bagel’ — crunchy onthe outside, yet, chewy on the inside.That’swhat you’ll get from Just Bagels.” Mr.Nordquist adds,“You really have to try ourbagels, and we promise, you will not settlefor anything else!”

Just Bagels contain no oils, fats, cho-lesterol, or preserva-tives. The firm’s mod-ern facilities are operat-ed in a professionalmanner with emphasison adherence to goodmanufacturing prac-tices (GMP), superior

sanitation standards, and a formal food safety program(HACCP).

Of great importance to the success of Just Bagels is its OUcertification. “Just Bagels benefits enormously from its rela-tionship with OU. We have gained many new customersspecifically because of our OU certification,” declared Mr.Nordquist. “The OU, which is the most widely recognizedcertification, has helped us penetrate the kosher market. Weenjoy a great relationship with everyone at the OrthodoxUnion, especially with our RFR, Rabbi Sholom Lifchetz, whois always most helpful. Rabbi David Bistricer our rabbiniccoordinator, is always responsive to our needs regarding ingre-dients and sources.”

For Just Bagels samples, contact Mr. Nordquist at 718.328.9700 or check out the company website atwww.justbagels.com.

Rabbi David Bistricer serves as Orthodox Union rabbinic coordinator for Just Bagels.

JUST BAGELS:CRUNCHY ON THE OUTSIDE, CHEWY ON THE INSIDE:What Do You Expect from a Product from the Bronx?

BOUT 50 YEARS AGO, Warren Bell’s father startedmaking bialys (which take their name from thePolish city, Bialystok) in basements in theBorough Park section of Brooklyn, NY. Sincethat time,Warren has built the family businessinto a global supplier of bagels and bialys.

Given today’s new machinery, anyone can make a bagel, butno one can make a bialy like us. Unlike bagels, bialys are notglazed.These days many companies use freeze dried onions; weonly use fresh onions, which makes our bialys so unique.

We manufacture our bialy by mixing the dough and allow-ing it to rise.The ball is shaped by hand, dabbed with the onionmixture and put onto a conveyor, then baked in the oven at 700degrees. It takes about five to five-and-a-half minutes to get thatperfect brown color.We bake about 2,000 dozen bialys a day,selling them to food service companies and supermarkets allalong the East Coast.We also make and ship about 5,000-dozenbagels a day, shipping them to France and Japan among otherplaces. We sell about 12different flavors to Japan.

People always ask usthe difference between abagel and a bialy. A bagelcontains malt which con-verts to sugar; there ismore flour relative towater in a bagel, whichgives it more density.There is no sugar in abialy and it has the gratedfresh onions on top forflavor. Bagels are boiledbefore baking; bialys go

straight into the oven.The best thing about a bialy is that it islow in calories as well.

Recently Bell acquired the Ace Brooklyn Bagel Company,which expanded our bagel business greatly. Because we havethe best bialy in town, we are working on having the best bagelas well.

Warren Bell has worked with Brooklyn Chamber ofCommerce and Brooklyn Goes Global programs, which havebeen a great help to him. He has received many prestigiousawards, among them the (Brooklyn) Borough President’s Mom& Pop Small Business Award, Small Business Administration’sExporter of the Year, and The Entrepreneur of the Year.Warrenhas also been featured in many magazine articles as well as inthe news and on television. He puts his heart into his businessand is always looking for new products and ideas to please hiscustomers.

“Dealing with the Orthodox Union has been a wonderfulexperience,”Warren says.“The OU is an extremely profession-

al organization and hasalways been a tremendoushelp to me. It is alwaysavailable when I have aquestion or concern, andrecommends companieswhere we can buy ouringredients. Most of all,the OU treats us withutmost respect.”

Rabbi DovidRockove serves as Orthodox Unionrabbinic coordinator forBagels by Bell.


“The OU is always available when I have a question or concern,and recommends companies where we can buy our ingredients.”

–Warren Bell

S O UND THE BELLFOR BELL’S BIALYS (& BAGELS)


A

provision that kosher law makes to onlyconsume any of the aforementioned fivegrains that were harvested before the sec-ond day of Passover. Hence, any of thesefive grains harvested before the second dayof Passover are branded as ‘yoshan’ or “old”since they originate from an old harvest,and those that are harvested afterwards arebranded as “chadash” or “new” since theycome from a more recent harvest.

This year, the second day of Passoverwas April 14. It follows then that any ofthe five aforementioned grains harvestedbefore April 14 are yoshan, as opposed tothose harvested after April 14 which are

considered chadash until the second day ofPassover in the year 2007, at which timethey too will be considered yoshan.Translated into practical terms, this gener-ally means that all winter grown grainmeets the superior kosher status ofyoshan, since it was harvested in the win-ter season before April 14. In contrast,spring grown grain is generally consid-ered to be of the inferior kosher chadashstatus, since these were harvested afterApril 14.

Many bagels, as evidenced by theclassic New York City bagel, take greatpride in allowing for a supremely blissfulchewing experience. In order to create

this desired effect, it is necessary to pro-vide high gluten flour as an essentialingredient component in the recipe.Thisis because high gluten flour has greaterelasticity and thereby provides for a muchmore chewy bagel. However, most highgluten flour is derived from spring wheatand is thus considered chodash. It turns outthat the high gluten spring wheat flour,which is superior for the bagel, is inferiorfor some kosher consumers who wouldonly eat yoshen. Purchasing and receivingat the few bagel companies that havekosher certified yoshen bagels musttake great care to ensure that they use

only marked kosher certifiedyoshen flour to make theseproducts.

So as we have seen, thenotion that all bagels arekosher is a myth.A bagel mustearn the right to have a kosherpersonality and especiallyan kosher personality. TheOU is very proud to koshercertify several prominent and

highly celebrated brand name bagelswhose packaging bears the symbol.These include: Lender’s,Thomas’, Harlan’s,Einstein’s, Fleischer’s, Sara Lee, BakeryCounter, Dakota, Cobblestone Mill, Bell,Cottage, Pepperidge Farm, Dunkin Donuts,Brueggar’s, Petrofsky’s, Bubba’s, Lilly’s,Palagonia, Just Bagels, Bagelmania, Arnie’s,Neri’s, and Cuisine De France among oth-ers. Our offices are ready, willing and ableto assist bagel manufacturers in expand-ing their kosher market by adding theworld’s premier kosher emblem toenhance their products’ personalities.Taken together, bagels and koshercertification make a personality thatcan’t be beat.

HOLE TRUTH continued from PAGE 5

A bagel must earn the right to have a kosher personality and especially an kosher personality.

Rabbi YisroelBendelsteinwas educated at the YeshivaChofetz Chaim in Forest Hills,NY. He then attended YeshivaUniversity in New York City,where he received his rabbinicordination and a bachelor’sdegree in chemistry. Followinghis undergraduate studies, RabbiBendelstein completed a three-year post-graduate higher Jewishlearning program as a memberof the Yeshiva University GrussKollel Elyon. Rabbi Bendelsteinhas been involved in a variety ofJewish communal activities forover 20 years.These have includ-ed coordinating and directingadult educational religious class-es; serving as chaplain in a navalbase, hospital and nursing home;teaching Hebrew studies andhigh level math (including calcu-lus) at the Rambam MesivtaHigh School in Lawrence, NY;and supervising all aspects ofkosher, including many Passoverproductions, as a Rabbinic FieldRepresentative for a number oflarge companies on behalf of theOrthodox Union. RabbiBendelstein became a RabbinicCoordinator for the OrthodoxUnion in 2000 for many OU-certified commercial bakeries.He has contributed to the pagesof this publication as well as toJewish Action, the OU magazine.He lives with his wife and chil-dren in the Flatbush section ofBrooklyn, NY. where he oftenlectures about kosher and acts as Torah reader for CongregationPri Eitz Chaim.

S P R I N G 2 0 0 6 9

become outdated. But, at Unilever, hispromise to help people get more out oflife endures.

Through three centuries, Unilever’ssuccess has been influenced by the majorevents of the day—economic booms,depressions, world wars, changing con-sumer lifestyles and advances in technol-ogy, to name a few.Throughout, Unileverhas created products that respond to thetimes—products that improve nutrition,

provide enjoyment and cut the time peo-ple spend on household chores and tak-ing care of their homes, clothes andthemselves.

Unilever is the biggest companymany do not know, but everyone knowsour brands. Each day, around the world,consumers make 150 million decisions topurchase Unilever products. In theUnited States these brands include recog-nized names such as: Axe, “all,” Ben &

TOP LEFT - First Hellmann'sFactory in Astoria, Queens,

circa 1915

TOP RIGHT - Portrait ofRichard Hellmann,

circa 1905

BOTTOM - First official company headquarters for Hellmann's, located on the Lower East Side

in NYC, circa 1914

people’s lives are changing fast

Unilever keeps up with the pace ofchange by continuously developing

new products, improving our brandsand promoting better, more efficientways of working.

UNILEVER ccntinued from cover


RABBI YOEL SCHONFELD has been a mem-ber of the Orthodox Union staff since 1984, and begin-ning in 1991 in the Kosher Department, where he nowserves as Rabbinic Coordinator and Group Leader foroil and related industries, including margarine andemulsifiers.

In addition, Rabbi Schonfeld serves as AssistantRabbi of one of the Orthodox Union’s largest congre-gations, the Young Israel of Kew Gardens Hills inQueens, NY. Previously, he served as spiritual leader ofCongregation Beth Yehuda in Staten Island, NY and asthe leader of an outreach congregation (for non-affiliat-ed Jews) in Twin Rivers, NJ.

Rabbi Schonfeld received ordination from the world-renowned RabbiSchneur Kotler at Beth Medrash Govoha in Lakewood, NJ. He also studied atYeshivat Kerem B’Yavneh in Israel. His background includes travel to theSoviet Union in the early 1980’s to bring spiritual hope to “Refuseniks,” whoat that time were not permitted to emigrate to freedom.

Rabbi Schonfeld and his wife, Peri, reside in Kew Gardens Hills.They haveeight children and seven grandchildren.

RABBI YOEL SCHONFELD

4 OU Policy Review 1New ingredients, or new raw

material sources, require pre-

approval by the OU’s

INGREDIENTS APPROVAL

REGISTRY. Please be sure to

forward your requests in a

timely manner so a LETTER OF

APPROVAL may be issued

within a proper timeframe.

4 OU Policy Review 2Companies are reminded

to schedule special

productions or required

kosherizations with the OU

a minimum of one week in

advance. Ample notice will

allow the OU RFR to properly

coordinate his schedule, and

provide optimal service.

Jerry’s, Bertolli, Breyers, Caress, CountryCrock, Degree, Dove personal care prod-ucts, Hellmann’s, Lipton, Knorr, Popsicle,Promise, Q-Tips, Skippy, Slim-Fast,Snuggle, Suave and Vaseline.

As one of the world’s largest con-sumer products companies, Unilever rec-ognizes that consumers are inviting usinto their homes and into their liveswhen they choose our brands. It’s a priv-ilege we do not take lightly.

People’s lives are changing fast.Unilever keeps up with the pace ofchange by continuously developing newproducts, improving our brands and pro-moting better, more efficient ways ofworking. We draw on our key strengths:strong roots in local markets and first-hand knowledge of the local culture.

Unilever and the Hellmann’s brandare proud to be associated with theworld’s most recognized kosher symbol.The Hellmann’s brand and the OrthodoxUnion have a long-standing relationshipthat dates back to its earlier days with BestFoods, which acquired the business fromthe Hellmann family in 1932.

In today’s marketplace, the OU sym-bol is recognized by kosher observant andnon-kosher consumers alike. The OUsymbol is not only a confirmation ofmeeting the requirements of religiousdietary restrictions but also indicates theproduct is high quality. As stated,Unilever’s mission is to “add vitality tolife” and the OU symbol helps Unileverdeliver the brand promise to its customersand consumers — a promise for todayand tomorrow.

Our work in diversity is not a pro-gram or an initiative, but rather a strategicasset that provides value across our busi-ness. Our diverse employee base and theirbackgrounds help to generate new andcreative ideas — enabling us as a compa-ny to better understand the hearts andminds of our diverse consumer base.

Most recently, Unilever’s NorthAmerican Foods business ranked inDiversityInc’s “Top 50 Companies forDiversity 2005” list. A total of 203 com-panies competed in the survey, which isbased on 230 detailed questions analyzinghuman capital, CEO commitment, cor-

porate communications and supplierdiversity.

In addition to Hellmann’s, otherUnilever OU certified brands includeBest Foods, Bertolli, Brummel & Brown,Country Crock, Filberts, Imperial, I Can’tBelieve It’s Not Butter, Lipton Tea,Promise, Shedd’s Spread, Skippy, Slimfastand Wish-Bone. Hellmann’s, Best Foods,Lipton, Skippy and Slimfast are also soldinternationally bearing the OU symbol.

More than ever, our brands are help-ing people feel good, look good, and getmore out of life — just as Lord WilliamLever had envisioned more than 100years ago.

Rabbi Yoel Schonfeld serves as Orthodox Union rabbinic coordinator for Unilever.

S P R I N G 2 0 0 6 11

The company describes itself as proud to be in thebusiness of enhancing and enriching the lives of itsconsumers.The fact that the OU shares these noblegoals explains the Dean Foods Northeast Regionand the OU’s consummate connection.

By Bayla Sheva Brenner

THE OPPORTUNITY FOR

positive change—in life,and at the plant—usuallymakes itself evident whennecessity knocks. When

the time came to start reprinting productlabels, due to the Food and DrugAdministration’s requirement to beginlisting the presence of trans-fat and aller-gens on the ingredient panel, Dean Foodsseized the moment to include the OUsymbol on all its Northeast Region labels.“They needed the flexibility to producetheir labels in the other Dean Foodsplants that were (at the time) not underOU supervision,” says Rabbi AvrohamStone, RFR for the New Jersey/Penn-sylvania region.

Dean Foods, one of the top tenlargest food and beverage companies inAmerica, serves as the country’s pri-mary processor and distributor of milkand other dairy products. As the onlyfluid dairy processor of national scope,selling more than 50 familiar local andregional brands, plus an array of privatelabels, Dean Dairy Group’s customerscan find its products virtually anywherein the country. The company describesitself as proud to be in the business of

enhancing and enriching the lives of itsconsumers. The fact that the OU sharesthese noble goals explains the DeanFoods Northeast region and the OU’sconsummate connection.

The idea to consolidate surfaced sev-eral times during the OU’s longstandinghistory with a number of prominent dairyplants in the region (some of which werepreviously part of independent compa-nies that later joined Dean Foods),including Tuscan Dairy Farms, MeadowBrook Dairy, Swiss Premium andFairmont Products. Based on the OU’ssolid track record within the plants andthe need for increased uniformity inlabeling and production, this was clearlyan idea whose time had come.

“Early in 2005, we were in the posi-tion where we needed to start movingproduction from one facility to another,”says Kathy Gombas, Regional Director,Northeast, Quality Assurance, DeanFoods. “We realized that one of theobstacles was inconsistent kosher certifi-cations and needed to consider whetheror not we should have all of the facilitiescertified under the OU.” She took thefirst step to implementing the consequen-tial change—convincing the sales and

marketing group that “this was a goodway to go.”

Ms. Gombas invited Rabbi AvramOssey, the RC, and Rabbi Stone to meetwith the company’s sales and marketingvice presidents, as well as the director ofpurchasing, to communicate the advan-tages of consolidating under OU koshercertification. Equipped with a detailedpower point presentation, the OU rabbisspelled out the benefits of bringing all theplants under OU supervision.

“Consolidation centralizes theprocess and procedures,” says RabbiStone, “with the advantage of one set ofrules for all facilities.” Rabbis Stone andOssey spoke of the efficiency gained instanding united, under the OU umbrel-la with one kosher agency, one rab-binic coordinator, one certificationrenewal date, one set of packaging,and one overall private label feestructure. After much consideration,Dean decided to consolidate.

SURPRISING SAVINGS AND WELCOMED GAINSMs. Gombas admits that althoughshe anticipated that the commitmentto consolidate would generate a

>>> B U I L D I N G O N A G R E A T R E L A T I O N S H I P :

DEAN FOODS NORTHEASTDISCOVERS THE JOYS OFCONSOLIDATION


S P R I N G 2 0 0 6 13

greater expense to the company, she waspleasantly surprised by the actual out-come. “Some of the facilities saw signifi-cant savings,” she says, “especially duringPassover. It turned out to be a win/winsituation.”

According to Donna Theroux,Regional Labeling Specialist for Dean,opting to go with the OU for all of theproducts would result in substantial sav-ings on the cost of labels. “Rather thanhaving five kosher symbols, we now haveone,” says Ms.Theroux.“Being a compa-ny that has multiple plants, having onekosher symbol makes it much easier over-all from a labeling perspective. It allows usto move products and labels to otherfacilities in a crunch. We knew the OUwas the universally recognized symbol.That was the most important factor.”

The recognition factor was feltinstantly. “Our customers were veryhappy that we went with the OU certifi-cation,” says Ms. Gombas.“We cover mar-kets in the New England area, into NewYork City, New York State, Massachusettsand New Jersey; where there is a strongOU presence (throughout).” She says hercustomers realize the OU means qualityand that gives the company a definiteadvantage.

With all its plants on boardOU, Dean Foods Northeast enjoys

pivotal gains including: havingthe OU, on a one-time basis,electronically register itsproducts with the state ofNew York (a part of theNew York State KosherLaw); renewing its

kosher certificate asneeded; becomingpart of and havingaccess to the OU’sUBD (Universal Data-base of Kosher prod-ucts); having one pri-vate label fee struc-

ture; having a direct connection to lead-ing supermarket chains, with sellingpotential for the Passover season the com-pany would not otherwise have had; andaccess to the OU’s publicity arm, featur-ing press releases, OU publications,media, and the oukosher.org website.

As in all of life’s successful endeavors,a good relationship is everything and theDean Foods/OU link fulfills that require-ment. “I love dealing with the OU,” saysEric Bayer, Plant Manager of GarelickFarms, NJ. “They are so willing to workwith us. The rabbis understand how thebusiness and production work. RabbiStone asked me questions I was surprisedto hear a rabbi ask. He studied the dairyprocess; he went over our blueprints,checked everything out, and understoodit.” Denise Cavanaugh, Quality ControlManager at Shenandoah’s Pride, echoesBayer’s positive sentiments. “When wecall with a question, they get back to usimmediately,” she says. “If one has neverdealt with kosher (production) before,they will lead you step-by-step in the cer-tification process, as well as (instructing asto) what one needs to do if there’s achange in products, or ingredients.”

Unity under the OU symbol has alsoimproved the communication betweenDean Foods’ plants. In addition to themonthly conference calls between thefacilities and region quality assurancemanagement, an additional call to theOU for the rabbinic administration’sinvaluable feedback promptly solves anydifficulty.“The company is able to addressquestions that come up system-wide asopposed to just on a plant-to-plant basis,”says Rabbi Stone. “They now have acommon policy.”

This common policy affords thecompany a clearly defined program andexpectations, thereby enhancing DeanFoods’ production quality and image.“The OU encompasses all the kosherrules,” says Mr. Bayer of Garelick Farms..

“You may as well go for the one that isgoing to help your plant become askosher as possible. The OU has becomethe kosher symbol of the Dean FoodsNortheast region.”

Now that all 15 plants have enlistedthe OU’s supervision, they are establish-ing solid working relationships with therabbis. “Much was achieved by this con-solidation,” says Rabbi Stone. “The mar-keting advantages, cost savings, portabilityof labels, all of these accomplishments, Ibelieve, will not be lost on the decisionmakers in similar organizations.”

Dean Foods Northeast marks its firstanniversary operating all of its region’s 15dairy plants under OU supervision.“We’re getting kudos from our cus-tomers,” says Ms. Gombas. “We’ve con-tacted (them) to sign the private labelagreement and they have acknowledgedthat they are very happy that we are goingwith the OU. It’s obvious it was a gooddecision.”

Bayla Sheva Brenner is Senior Writer in the OU Communicationsand Marketing Department.

Rabbi Gad Buchbinder serves as Orthodox Union rabbinic coordinator for Dean Foods Northeast.

Rabbi Avraham Ossey,New Companies Rabbinic Coordinator,processes all applications for additional Dean Foods Northeast plants applying for OU certification.

By Andrea Baumgartner

IN 1867, Franz-XaverDettling established a tradingcompany in Brunnen, Switzerlandspecializing in Italian wines andoperating a distilling plant formountain cherries from CentralSwitzerland. Dettling’s businessquickly became successful.

In 1909 Franz-Xaver’s son, Arnold, tookover the company, and it was renamed to includehis name. In the 1930s — an economically diffi-cult period in Switzerland — the company wasmanaged by Arnold Dettling’s son, also namedArnold.Thanks to his business acumen the com-pany survived World War II and was again suc-cessful after the war. Beginning in 1978, thecompany was creatively managed by anotherFranz-Xaver Dettling, the great-grandson of thefounder.


Since 1991, Arnold Dettling AGhas been connected to Underberg AG,a family-owned company producingand distributing famous brands in thebeverage industry. The core ofDettling’s business is Kirsch, a wellknown Swiss liqueur, and the winner ofmany awards both in Switzerland andabroad.

Kirsch is a cherry brandy, in otherwords, a distillate made from cherries.Usually fruit distillers produce distillatesfrom all kinds of fruits, includingapples, pears, apricots and cherries;Dettling, however, only distils cherries,which distinguishes it from the othercompanies.The advantage is that the dis-tillation pots are not absorbing flavorsfrom other fruits, resulting in pure cher-ry brandy produced by Dettling.Because of this cherry exclusivity,Dettling’s slogan is “Exclusively Kirsch.”

Only exquisite and ripe cherriesare used for fermentation, with eightkilograms of fruit being required for a

single litre of Kirsch. The cherrybrandies ripen in 50 litre demijohns orin different types of wooden vats.Seasonal variations in temperature givethe distillation an exclusive taste.

By focusing on cherries, Dettlingacquired a unique knowledge of Kirschin all its variations.A personal relation-ship with cherry farmers and selection ofthe fruit, combined with intuition andthe knowledge of distillation, are asimportant to the manufacturing processas is carefully monitoring fermentation.Whenever you pour Dettling Kirsch, thisattention to detail becomes obvious.

Kirsh goes back to the beginningsof the firm in 1867 when Franz-Xaverdiscovered that the black cherriesgrown in central Switzerland produce ahighly aromatic brandy when distilledgently. Today, the careful selection ofripe cherries and the skilled art of dis-tillation make Dettling one of Europe’sleading producers of Kirsch—and theonly one that is OU certified.

OU certification helps to enlargeDettling Kirsch’s premium position inthe international market and sets thehighest standards for our product line.Consumers know that the OU meansquality and search out products bearingthe OU symbol. Therefore, it is animportant priority for our Kirsch tofeature OU on the label.

Dettling products can be found inquality liquor stores in most majorAmerican cities.

With an increasingly high level ofquality combined with a spirit of inno-vation, Arnold Dettling AG provesagain and again that it is a premiumplayer in the Swiss cherry distillerindustry. Being OU Kosher is animportant component of this success.

Andrea Baumgartneris Senior Product Manager for Arnold Dettling AG

Rabbi Leonard Steinbergserves as Orthodox Union rabbinic coordinator for Arnold Dettling AG.

OU certificationhelps to enlargeDettling Kirsch’spremiumposition in theinternationalmarket and setsthe higheststandards for our productline.

An RFR’sNotes onDettlingKirsch

By Rabbi Pinchas PadwaIn Switzerland it is inconceivable to cele-brate a joyous occasion without a glassof kirsch – cherry brandy. For tourists, itis compulsory to take home postcards ofthe Alps, a package of Swiss cheese and ...a bottle of kirsch (German for “cherry”).

For many years it was a given thatkirsch is kosher with no restrictions andwithout any supervision. Then researchturned up numerous kosher concerns,most notably fermentation yeasts deriv-ing from wine or other non-koshersources originating from the distillationkettles and bottling equipment whichcould be shared with non-kosher alcohols.

Dettling, which has always been oneof the leaders of quality kirsch produc-ers, was quick to recognize the growingdemand for kosher supervised kirsch andwas the first and currently the only Swisscompany to seek certification and toproudly display the OU symbol.

Visiting and inspecting the Dettlingplant in Brunnen is always a pleasure.Employees greet OU RFR’s heartily andshow them the fermentation of the pres-ent year’s cherry crop or the distillationof a special black cherry liquor to a veryhigh class kirsch.

During the short cherry season,things are quite hectic, since the cherrieshave to be fully ripe — but not over ripe.They work almost around the clock atthe plant, tripling the staff; most of theyear things are very calm with only ahandful of employees monitoring thefermentation process with precision andknow-how.

Here are a few words of consolationto those who prefer oak cask matureddrinks and have been turned off byscotch whiskeys. Dettling has invested agreat deal of effort in acquiring kosheroak casks for the creation of a new, lightbrown matured kirsch, which the patrioticSwiss claim can compete with the bestScotch. And of course, it will be OU Kosher.

L’Chayim!

Rabbi Pinchas Padwa, who is based in Zurich, is OU RFR for Dettling.

S P R I N G 2 0 0 6 15


HOW TO PUT THE OU SYMBOL ON YOUR LABELBy Rabb(i) Goldberg*

INSTRUCTIONS: Kettle, which is heated for kosherization, (A) emits steam which condenses on ceiling, with (B) dropletsfalling on cube of butter in production area, which melts, creating slick spot which (C) flows toward pareve production floorwhere production employee, seeing dairy ingredient coming toward pareve area, (D) runs to wipe it up and slides on butter,grabbing test ingredient box on r&d shelf to keep from falling, which (E) falls onto production floor where q.a. manager, seeingnew ingredient that is not on schedule A in production area, (F) panics and presses (G) “ingredient alarm button”, sending elec-tric impulse to chair of kosher contact, who gets shocked while emailing ingredient approval request to RC and (H) spills warmcup of coffee on tail of (I) rodent control system (kitty cat), which yelps loudly, startling (J) sleeping watchdog in label roombelow, who knocks over (K) container of printing ink which spills onto product labels being audited by astute RFR, who moveslabels in circular motion under ink flow to (L) form OU trademark.

Repeat for as many labels as needed.

S P R I N G 2 0 0 6 17

U SYMBOL ON YOUR LABELBy Rabb(i) Goldberg*

A In facilities that produce both pareve and dairy, equip-ment must be dedicated for each category of product. If apiece of dairy equipment is to be used for pareve, it mustfirst be kosherized.This often entails completelycleaning the equipment, filling with water,and bringing to a boil at 212?F.The pro-cedure effectively removes the dairycontamination from the equipmentand returns it to “neutral” parevestatus.This process can only bedone under the direction andsupervision of OU.

B In cases where condensatedoes not form, sprinkler sys-tem may be used as a substi-tute.

C The technical term for thisspilled butter situation is a“big, fat mess.”

D In a facility that produces bothpareve and dairy, care should betaken to maintain a separation in thestorage of dairy ingredients.This preventstheir accidental use in pareve product. Clearlabeling of dairy raw materials for kosher reasons isalso an added advantage to such a mixed plant’s HACCPprogram.

E Ingredients that are only for R&D purposes do not neces-sarily need to be formally submitted to OU for approval.Aslong as they remain in the R&D area, and are not mixed inwith active raw materials used for production, their use ispermitted, provided the RC has issued a verbal approval.Care must be taken not to allow them out of the R&D area.

F If the company does not have a q.a. manager, see note 17.

G Whenever a new raw material is used, or whenever asource for a raw material changes, the plant is obligated togain OU approval for the ingredient before use. In this case,the alert q.a. manager immediately sensed the potential forthe raw material to be used in production, and activated theemergency system that alerts the kosher contact right away.

H OU suggests that there be one designated kosher contactin the plant who communicates with the RC in the OUoffice. Plant personnel notify the kosher contact, who sub-mits all requests for ingredient approval, private label

authorization, new products, product terminations and pri-vate label terminations.

I HACCP specialists strongly advocate using onlylicensed professionals for rodent control; extra

costs for service would be offset by savingsin milk and kitty litter. Use only warm

coffee to avoid injuring kitty cat;lukewarm coffee is always avail-

able from coffee machine usedon 12TH floor of OU Kosheroffice, Eleven Broadway,New York, N.Y.

J Watchdog, afraid ofbeing fired for dozing off,makes up story and blamesink spill on unknown intrud-er. Management accepts thestory, preferring to let sleep-

ing dog lie.

K The RFR is in the labelroom to monitor use of the OU

symbol on in-house and privatelabels. Only labels which have been

authorized by the OU office are allowedto bear the OU symbol. The RFR also

inspects labels to determine that all products that aredairy have the OU D symbol on the label.

L For large quantities of labels, additional RFRs can be pro-vided at reduced rate.

Companies that have no animals on site, or that donot use butter, may try the following untested alterna-tive method:

Ask your RC to email a file with a copy of the OUor OU D symbol, which can be then be incorporatedinto the label at the design stage.

Rabbi Avrohom Stone serves as rabbinic field representative in the Tri-State area. His instructive and entertaining articles appear frequently in Behind the Union Symbol. His most recent submission,“This Just In:OU News Roundup,” appeared in the Winter 2005 issue.

THE ACCOMPANYING ILLUSTRATION WERE DONE BY

Rabbi Eliyahu FerrellOrthodox Union rabbinic coordinator for many chemical companies.

* This piece, as regular readers of BTUS will surely recognize,is in reality by Rabbi Avrohom Stone.

As a service to ourclient companies, OU chiefengineer Rabb(i) Reuben

Goldberg has invented this simple 12-step process for

putting the OU symbol on the labels of

finished products

EXPLANATORY NOTES:

Since OU Kosheris seen as

The Lexus of Kosher,”consumers turn to the OU for much of their kashrutinformation.

HE COMPLEXITIES OF JEWISH KOSHER LAW aresuch that questions about what is and what is not kosher orother aspects of the halacha arise at all times, not only fromthose who currently keep kosher, but also from those who areconsidering doing so. Even rabbis, with their deep groundingin Jewish texts, need advice at times from the experts on thefiner points of kashrut.

Thus, just as a computer manufacturer must offer a helpline (or hotline) to deal with the intricacies of the product, sotoo the OU, as the world’s largest and most recognizedkosher certification agency, also operates a hotline to answerquestions from rabbis and lay people alike. Maintaining thishotline is part of the OU brand, and increases consumer con-fidence in the OU’s decisions and processes. Since September,2004 I have had the honor to staff the OU Kosher Hotline.

Some of my impressions follow...

Tby Rabbi David Polsky

HAVE A HOT KOSHER QUESTION?>>> Call the OU Kosher Hotline and We’ll Set You Straight


“

S P R I N G 2 0 0 6 19

The OU Kosher Hotline seeks toprovide consumers with informationabout OU products and the laws ofkashrut. Probably around a hundred con-sumers each day call the hotline for infor-mation regarding OU products and poli-cies. Additionally, many consumers callwith general kashrut questions. Since OUKosher is seen as “The Lexus of Kosher,”consumers turn to the OU for much oftheir kashrut information.

Frequent questions include the following:

o “Snyders of Hanover Pretzels bears anOU-D, but does not seem to containany dairy ingredients; is it because itwas processed on dairy equipment? Ifso, how should I treat it?”

o “I just noticed that in the allergy dis-claimer it says that the product wasprocessed on equipment that con-tains dairy and shellfish; how can itbe labeled pareve (neither meat nordairy)”

o “Colonna Pasta Sauce lists ‘naturalmeat flavor’ in the ingredients; howcan it be labeled pareve?”

o When walking through my localsupermarket, I noticed Calavo gua-camole bearing an OU; is it reallycertified?”

o “My favorite product used to bear anOU symbol, but I do not see it anymore; is it still certified?”

o“My Balance bars bear an OU on theoutside box but not on the actualbar; are they still kosher?”

o “What can I buy from my local cof-fee shop?”

o “Do strawberries have a risk of insectinfestation? If so, how can I cleanthem?”

o “I’m looking for a kosher bleucheese; which brands does the OUcertify?”

o “I have to meet a friend downtown;are there any OU restaurants aroundthere?”These different inquiries are

answered in different ways. General ques-tions like natural meat flavors or allergywarnings are answerable from our experi-

ence. Other questions such as confirminga product’s kosher certification or seekingkosher products involve checking the vastdatabase of OU Kosher products. Stillothers, such as whether or not a productcontains dairy ingredients or why an OUis missing from an otherwise certifiedproduct, require specific knowledge ofthe product.Therefore, those who answerthe hotline often consult with theRabbinic Coordinator who deals withthe makers of the product before answer-ing such a question.

However, in addition to answeringproduct questions, many questions posedto the hotline require rabbinic knowl-edge. Usually, one would not expect acustomer service representative to have alaw degree. However, the OU hotline isnot your average customer service setup.Many consumers call the Kosher Hotlineto ask about OU kosher policies as well asgeneral kosher questions. For these rea-sons, rabbinical training in the many tech-nical details of the laws of kashrut oftencomes in handy.

As Rabbi Dovid Cohen discussed ina previous edition of BTUS, complexquestions in OU kashrut policy areanswered by our rabbinical authorities,Rabbi Hershel Schachter and RabbiYisroel Belsky. In his article, RabbiCohen also mentioned that all of theirrabbinical decisions are saved and organ-ized on an intranet system. Examples ofmy conversations have included explana-tions for OU kosher standards regardingsupervision of tuna fish.

Other examples include explainingwhy the OU does not require chalav yis-rael (milk constantly supervised by an on-site rabbinic supervisor) on certified dairyproducts.Another commonly asked ques-tion is whether the wax coatings added tofruits and vegetables render them non-kosher (since they may contain emulsi-fiers and other ingredients that are animalderivatives; they do not because any ani-mal derived ingredients are not consid-ered food and because they would be nul-lified. (See below for explanation of prin-ciple of nullification—bittul.) With these

and other matters, openness, knowledgeof the subject matter, and professionalismlead not only to consumer satisfaction butto a greater trust of the OU in its policydecisions.

Rabbinic knowledge also comes inhandy when answering callers’ questionsregarding what blessing to recite on OUcertified products. Answering suchquestions requires both knowledge ofhow the food is produced as well asknowledge of the laws of blessings. Forexample, many callers ask which blessingshould be recited on granola bars. Basedon consultations with Rabbinic Coordi-nators who work with granola bar man-ufacturers, we are able to explain thatgranola bars mainly consist of bakedwhole oats rather than oat flour.Therefore, the blessing to recite is boreiperi ha-adama (thanking God for creatingproduce that grows in the ground).

Sometimes, our rabbinic knowledgeand product knowledge combine to savepeople money and effort. Because obser-vant Jews are not allowed to mix meatand milk, any mixture would render thefood, as well as the equipment in which itwas produced, non-kosher. Any pots inwhich milk and meat were cooked bymistake must either be kosherized or,when impossible, disposed of.This is thereason why OU Kosher requires compa-nies it certifies to place a “D” or “dairy”next to the OU symbols on all dairyproducts. Yet, this does not mean that atiny drop of milk would necessarily inval-idate food or the pot in which it iscooked. In Jewish law, there is a principlecalled nullification (bittul), which meansthat if a non-kosher ingredient was unin-tentionally added to a kosher productbelow a certain percentage (usually 1.6%),the food remains kosher.

This is where the OU Kosher hotlinecomes to save the day. We often receivecalls from people who overlook the “D”on a product label. Because they did notrealize that the product is dairy, they hadcooked it in food that contains meat or inpots that were dedicated for meat use.Sometimes it turns out that the OU-D

continued on next page

product in question was merely producedon dairy equipment without containingdairy ingredients (which means that theirdishes and pots are safe). But in manyother cases—this happens most oftenwith margarines and rice mixes—they doindeed contain dairy ingredients.Withoutrevealing any proprietary information, weinform those who call whether the dairycontained within their pots is nullifiedbecause it is less than 1.6 % of the totalmixture. Not a month goes by withoutthe Kosher Hotline saving a pot frombeing either kosherized or thrown away.

Passover is the busiest time of theyear, as there are many more complica-tions involved in making one’s homekosher for Passover than during the year.Additionally, it is customary for one to bemore stringent regarding the kosher lawsof Passover than during the year. DuringPassover, Jews are prohibited from owningbread products as well as eating them.Because the OU is seen as the standard ofkashrut and kosher information, kosherconsumers (not to mention many rabbis)turn to the OU hotline for guidance.

In some cases, the stringency associ-ated with Passover leads people to actmore strictly than Jewish law requires. Atthese points, rabbinical training comes inhandy as the hotline counsels these callersinto a course of moderation. For exam-ple, Jewish law does not consider pre-scription-strength, non-chewable medi-cine to be considered akin to food.Unfortunately, however, many Jews havebeen misinformed and assume that suchmedicines must be Kosher for Passover inorder to take them. At such points, theKosher Hotline uses its rabbinical role asa representative of the OU to counselcallers in the proper way.

In one extreme example, a callerasked if Zoloft (a prescription medicinecommonly taken by those suffering fromclinical depression) is kosher for Passover.Since Zoloft is of life-saving importance,the caller was informed in no uncertainterms that the medication does not haveto be kosher. Since many people sufferingfrom depression commit suicide, it isabsolutely mandatory for him to take his

dosage no matter what might be in it.While it is impossible to know whetherany lives were directly saved from ourefforts, it is a privilege to prevent peoplefrom unnecessary danger.

Another area in which moderation issuggested is that of other non-food items,such as soap, shampoo, or laundry deter-gent. Jewish law states that items such asthese are considered beyond the scope offood and thus do not have to be kosherfor Passover.Thus when callers ask aboutthe kosher for Passover status of these andother similar items, the legal reasoningbehind these questions is discussed whenadvising leniency.

The Kosher Hotline receives callsfrom all over the United States, fromMaine to Washington, as well as from for-eign countries such as France, theNetherlands and Sweden, to name just afew. Additionally, while the majority ofcallers are Orthodox Jews, our audience isoften much wider. First, since many non-

Orthodox Jews keep the laws of kashrutto varying degrees, we receive calls fromthem as well. There are also many Jewswho do not keep kosher the rest of theyear but make a point of keeping kosherfor Passover. Once they decide to keepkosher during the Passover season, theyseek our advice in trying to “do it right.”

At times we have received questionsabout OU products from Muslims andmembers of other religions who seekinformation regarding kosher law. Forexample, Muslims ask whether the gelatinfound in various OU certified productscomes from pigs or other non-permittedanimal sources. In alleviating their con-cerns, we tell them that OU Kosher pol-icy requires OU-approved gelatin tocome from either fish or properly slaugh-tered animal sources.

In another instance, I received a callfrom a Muslim who had called the con-sumer service hotline of an OU certifiedbreakfast cereal. He wanted to find out

continued from previous page The OU KosherHotline is animportant factorin the OU’s prominence in the kosher worldand is one more reasonwhy the OU is the brandthat kosher consumers allover the world look to.


what the source was for the Vitamin B-12found in the cereal.The customer serviceoperator told him that the source waslanolin, an animal derivative. SinceMuslims also cannot partake of animalderivatives that are improperly slaugh-tered, the questioner was perplexed.Because the cereal is OU certified, hecalled the Kosher Hotline. When hecalled, I told him that lanolin is a deriva-tive of sheep hair, and does not comefrom the actual body of an animal. Forthis reason, I explained, our rabbinicalauthorities permit the use of lanolin inOU-certified products, though I addedthat before he partakes of the cereal hemight want to get a second opinion fromhis local cleric.

The OU Kosher Hotline is animportant factor in the OU’s prominencein the kosher world and is one more rea-son why the OU is the brand that kosher con-sumers all over the world look to.If you have questions, call the hotline at212.613.8241, or email at [email protected]. Itwill be our pleasure to respond to yourquestions to the best of our abilities,backed by the resources of OU Kosher.

Rabbi David Polsky who joined the OU Kosher Department in 2004, studied at Yeshivat Sha’areiMevaseret Zion in Jerusalem from 1996-98, prior to attending Yeshiva University,from which he graduated in 2001 with adegree in Jewish Thought. He received

ordination from YU’s Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminaryin 2005 and is now completing his MA in Jewish Philosophy atYU. Rabbi Polsky and his wife, Mindy, a Ph.D. candidate inApplied Behavioral Analysis at Columbia University TeachersCollege, live in Morningside Heights on the Upper West Side ofManhattan, close to Columbia and close to the neighborhood in which Rabbi Polsky grew up. In addition to his Hotline responsibilities, Rabbi Polsky contributes pieces for the OU Kosher website, www.oukosher.org.

OU PROFILE

Post the OU logo — one of the world’s best-known symbols of added attention to quality — on your website.Ask Suzanne Beck at [email protected] or Aviva Sabov at [email protected] to send you a beautiful, hi-res OU logo.

compared to only a quarter as many who said less likely.While many symbols are present in the market today, the top eight trust marks

consumers look for include low sodium, natural, heart healthy, organic and kosher.“Interestingly, we’re seeing more mainstream shoppers ask for the quality, freshness

and purity assurance they get from the kosher seal,” the ConAgra study said.Concurrently, more companies and consumers select the OU as their kosher symbolof choice, recognizing that OU Kosher brings a boom forbusiness and consistent quality to consumers. Consequently,the Orthodox Union’s coveted kosher certification symbolappears on more products than ever before, produced in over6,000 plants in more than 80 countries worldwide, withmore than tens of inquiries coming in weekly seeking theOU’s guidance on how they too “can join the ever-growingOU family.”

We are humbled by the ever-increasing confidence theinternational kosher community places in our symbol, evenas we seek to enhance our services to our growing clientele.

Best regards,

Rabbi Dr. Eliyahu Safran

Today,kosher isperceivedas chic.

S P R I N G 2 0 0 6 21

EDITOR continued from page 2

The farmed salmon productscoming from these OU certifiedcompanies are being producedby conscientous expertsdevoted to improving theconditions under which salmonare farmed, processed anddelivered to your local market.

S THE WAVE OF HEALTHY EATING pervadesAmerican consumers, even the mostentrenched in their bags of junk food havebegun to take notice of the trend. Amongthe foods our couch-potato society hasbegun to more actively incorporate in its

diet is fish, particularly salmon.As such, news reports have high-lighted the differences between wild and farmed salmon.

Many such reports have questioned the health value offarmed salmon, claiming that the fish are kept in unsanitary con-ditions, fed excessive amounts of antibiotics, and generally arethe victims of improper treatment at the hands of the capitalistsystem. Others have pointed out that the fruits of the ocean arenot limitless, and that as the human population of the planetgrows, so too must the sources of food. Responsible aquaculturein general — and salmon farming in particular — is an excellentway of meeting this need.

The Orthodox Union continues to certify products of bothwild and farmed salmon producers, keeping our organizationabove the fray, but at the same time trying to remain educatedabout the situation. In light of concerns regarding the conditionson salmon farms, I took a trip to Puerto Montt, Chile, arguablythe farmed salmon capitol of the Western Hemisphere. In addi-tion to reviewing the kosher program at many of our certifiedfacilities, I was invited to observe the entire farmed salmon life-cycle at OU certified Salmones Multiexport.

AN RCEXPLORES THELIFESTYLES OFCHILEANSALMON, OR,How Are You Going to Keep Them Down on the Farm,After They’ve SeenSalmones Multiexport?By Rabbi Chaim Goldberg

LEFT: Rabbi Yitzchak Shaked, OURFR in Santiago, Chile, Rabbi C.Goldberg, and Ms. Berta Contrerasof Marine Harvest in Chile

RIGHT: Rabbi Goldberg withMr. Brian MacDonald of Salmones Multiexport

A

Multiexport was good enough togrant me a day of touring its facilitieswith Brian MacDonald, OU Koshercontact and North American SalesManager at Salmones Multiexport, andBenjamin Holmes, their in-house experton salmon biology and feed.Together, wesaw some of the most scenic areas ofChile’s Tenth region, in addition to thefacilities that care for the fish during eachstage of life.

Salmon cannot simply be dumpedinto a tank and fed until they “get big.”Each stage of their lives requires differentcare and different conditions. First, thehatched salmon must be raised in largepools of fresh water. These pools musthave an artificial current swirling aroundthem, as the fry are biologically pro-grammed to swim against the current!Florescent lights above their tanks simu-late sunshine, and turning them off for awhile replicates the day-night cycle. Asthey grow, the fry are transferred to a larg-er tank with similar sized fish. At each

stage feeding needs change. Smaller fishsometimes need to be hand fed, as themachine dropping pellets into the tank isstartling to a few. Larger fish receiveslightly larger pellets, made up of slightlydifferent ratios of the same ingredients:sardines, soy, wheat and vegetable oils

“After finishing their laps around thehatchery tanks, fish are brought to a set ofopen-net floating pens, located in fresh-water lakes right outside the hatchery.There, the fish will continue to grow foraround nine months until they are largeenough to be transferred to saltwaterwhere they will swim for another yearuntil they take the final dive.

Transferring smolts (as salmon at thisstage are referred to) from a lake to theocean is no walk on the beach. The fishmust be carefully pumped into, and thenback out of, a climate-controlled trans-port tank and trucked to the company’ssea cages. We passed caravans of suchtrucks along the highway, with watersloshing out of the top at sharper turns.

Once they reach market size (typical-ly around eight to nine pounds) they arebrought to the processing facility wherethey are humanely slaughtered, processedand packaged.

After touring all of SalmonesMultiexport’s facilities, I visited the pro-cessing plants of several other producers.Rabbi Yitzchok Shaked, the OrthodoxUnion’s Rabbinic Field Representative inChile, and I toured the OU certifiedfacilities of Marine Harvest,Aguas Claras,Pesquera Puluqui and Safcol Chile. Onlythen could one fully realize that profes-sionalism, expertise and dedication toquality is as valued in the entire farmedsalmon industry as it is in the wild salmonindustry.

Not being an expert in health issues,it would be impossible for me to offer anopinion in the wild vs. farmed debate.However, this I can say: The farmedsalmon products coming from these OUcertified companies are being producedby conscientous experts devoted toimproving the conditions under whichsalmon are farmed, processed and deliv-ered to your local market. The OUremains proud to count these among theother outstanding products manufacturedaround the world and deemed worthy ofbearing the OU Kosher symbol.

In addition to serving asrabbinic coordinator formany OU certified oliveoil companies, potatoprocessors and flavor

houses, Rabbi Chaim Goldberg has served asrabbinic coordinator for a majority of the OU’sfish companies for four years. He also speaks toschool groups around the New York area aboutkosher topics. If your company is interested inarranging a product placement during one ofthese lectures, please feel free to contact theOrthodox Union.

TOP: View from thebeach outside the Don Luis Gran Hotel in Puerto Montt.

BOTTOM: Local life onthe road to Calbucco.

S P R I N G 2 0 0 6 23


SALMONES MULTIEXPORT isa salmon farming companylocated in beautiful PuertoMontt, Chile, where the land-scape consists of towering

snow-capped volcanoes, beautiful crystal-clear glacier-fed lakes, and impressive andexpansive fjords. Not only is this locationawe-inspiring in beauty, but it is also idealfor rearing salmon and steelhead. ThePuerto Montt area has become theworld’s mecca for farmed salmon. Theideal water conditions and currents pro-

vide the perfect environment to growhealthy and robust fish.

Production of farmed salmon, a rela-tively new industry, has been growingexponentially over the past two decades.The farming of salmon has enabled con-sumers to be able to enjoy this wonderfulfish fresh, 52 weeks a year.

Salmones Multiexport was one of thefirst Chilean salmon companies to open asales and marketing office in the UnitedStates; this marketing office is AquafarmsInternational. Aquafarms oversees the

sales, marketing and logistics of freshfrozen and smoked salmon products inthe United States. For many yearsAquafarms simply sold fresh fillets andwhole fish. In November, 2002 SalmonesMultiexport opened its brand new state-of-the-art smoking facility, perhaps thelargest and most modern salmon smokingfacility in the world. Aquafarms carefullyresearched the U.S. market and developedsmoked salmon packaging and flavor pro-files that would appeal to the Americanconsumer.

During focus groups and otherresearch conducted by Aquafarms, itbecame clear that the American con-sumer closely associated quality and prod-uct safety with the OU kosher symbol. Itwas also interesting to see how privatelabel customers were pleased andimpressed that all products could bear theOU Kosher symbol on their packages.AtAquafarms and Salmones Multiexport,we are extremely proud to have our prod-ucts certified by the OU. It is a definiteand distinct advantage over products thatare not OU certified.We take great pridein ensuring that our products maintainthe highest quality and food safety stan-dards and the OU symbol further sup-ports this claim.

Rabbi Chaim Goldberg serves as Orthodox Unionrabbinic coordinator for SalmonesMultiexport.

These preeminent brands are built onconsumer needs and expectations, offeringexceptional quality and value.

SALMONES MULTIEXPORT &AQUAFARMS INTERNATIONAL:

Bringing Salmon fromChilean Lakes to theAmerican Consumer By Brian MacDonald, Salmones Multiexport and Jason Paine,Aquafarms International


MARINE HARVEST’S EMPHASIS ON QUALITY

Includes the Symbol

“The enhancement incredibility the OUsymbol provided ushas directly resulted inimproved sales for aproduct that alreadyappealed to the mostexacting of customerstandards.”

MARINE HARVEST IS

the world’s leadingproducer and sup-plier of farmed sal-mon, with approx-

imately 20 percent of the world’s annualproduction. Marine Harvest is also animportant supplier of sea trout and isexploring options for expanding its rangeby developing the production of speciesnew to commercial aquaculture.

Marine Harvest first appeared as thename of a fish farming company in the1960’s.The company was created in April,2005 by the merger of Marine Harvestand Stolt Sea Farm, the fish farming, pro-cessing and sales and marketing business-es of Nutreco Holding N.V. and Stolt-Nielsen S.A. respectively.These businesseswere both pioneers in aquaculture and inestablishing the farming of Atlanticsalmon as commercial enterprise.

Marine Harvest fish processingranges from the basic steps of guttingand head removal, through the prepara-tion of fillets trimmed from A to F stan-dards, to the production of steaks, por-tions and other preparations, smokedproducts, and special products specifiedby customers.

Further processing provides MarineHarvest products with a continuouslyevolving selection of ready-to-cook andready-to-eat products suited to retail andfood service.

Two Marine Harvest values are foodquality and food safety, which have highpriority in the company. Marine Harvesthas defined three aspects of quality, atten-tion to which ensures that the companyprovides products that fulfil the require-ments of customers and the expectationsof consumers.They are technical quality,eating quality and nutritional quality.

Supplying a safe and high-qualityproduct is Marine Harvest’s highest pri-ority, and the basis of all the company’soperations. Marine Harvest alwaysbelieved its wholesome and healthy prod-uct was perfect for the kosher home.“Adding the OU kosher symbol to ourproducts has translated Marine Harvest’sdedication to these standards into a lan-guage recognized by both the market-place as a whole and more specifically thekosher consumer,” said Jim Craig, MarineHarvest’s OU kosher coordinator. “Theenhancement in credibility the OU sym-bol provided us has directly resulted inimproved sales for a product that alreadyappealed to the most exacting of cus-tomer standards.”

Rabbi Chaim Goldberg serves as Orthodox Union rabbinic coordinator for Marine Harvest.

S P R I N G 2 0 0 6 25

The ideal water conditions and currents provide the perfectenvironment to grow healthy and delicious farmed salmon

natural sources (either from biodiesel pro-duction, soap manufacture, or fat hy-drolysis).

In all, North America has a glycerinproduction capacity of 314,000 metrictons, according to 2005 research con-ducted by chemical research companySRI Consulting. Meanwhile global capac-ity is 1.58 million metric tons with globalproduction estimated at about 1.08 mil-lion metric tons. Global consumption ofglycerin is slightly lower, at about 1.05million metric tons.

Luxem also showed glycerin demandby region (See Chart 1), according to SRIConsulting data. Between 2001 and 2006,the demand for glycerin has graduallygrown in the European Union, Asia-Pa-

cific, and the United States.Glycerin’s continued

gradual growth in theseregions is expectedthrough 2010.

Glycerin use. Nearlyhalf of all glycerin is used

by the personal care product (24%) andfood/beverage (23%) industries (SeeChart 2).

However, Luxem cited SRI Consult-ing estimates suggesting that the personalcare market will likely grow by just 3.1%annually from now until 2009. Similarly,the food additive market is expected togrow just 3.2% annually. Pharmaceuti-cals, which account for 7% of the glyc-erin market, are expected to grow by1.3% per year.

The creation of new markets, how-ever, is expected. Glycerin could replaceother glycols now used as detergent ad-ditives and antifreeze/de-icing fluids.

Value-added. Value-added deriva-tives may include propylene glycol,polyglycerols, structured glycerides, orgreen solvents.

Propylene glycol may be used in theproduction of resins, antifreeze and poly-mers, such as urethanes, while polygly-cerol esters may be used as non-ionicemulsifiers for the cosmetic and phar-

12 BioFuels Journal

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By Lynn Grooms

Byproducts of the biodiesel produc-tion process can be a significant part ofa facility’s bottom line.

A panel of speakers at the 2006 Na-tional Biodiesel Board conference, Feb.5-8 in San Diego, CA discussed tradi-tional and emerging markets for one ofthese byproducts—glycerin.

Glycerol MarketFranz Luxem, Stepan Chemical Co.,

Northfield, IL (847-446-7500), providedan overview of glycerin production andconsumption.

Approximately 75% of the U.S. glyc-erol supply is from

Reprinted with permission from BioFuels Journal (www.biofuelsjournal.com), a division of Country Journal Publishing, Decatur, Ill.The talk referred to in the article was given by Rabbi Abraham Juravel, Orthodox Union Rabbinic Coordinator, Technical Servicesat the NATIONAL BIODIESEL CONFERENCE & EXPO 2006, San Diego Convention Center, February 8, 2006

BioFuels Journal 13

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maceutical industries.Applications for polyglycerol deriva-

tives include possible APG alternatives,water-based lubricants and non-ionic sur-factants, reported Luxem. He added thatglycerol ethers from alkenes could beused as diesel fuel oxygenators and sub-stituted for MTBE.

Prices. But, Luxem expects that pricesfor glycerin will remain weak in the nearterm due to European Union and U.S.legislation that has supported the growthof biofuels. This has consequently in-creased the production of glycerin.

Chart 3 shows the increasing levelsof biodiesel and glycerin production inboth the European Union and the UnitedStates.

Prices for glycerin remain flat or con-tinue to slide (See Chart 4). Non-koshertank truck bulk delivered glycerin rangedfrom 36 cents to 48 cents a pound inNovember 2005.

However, when used as replacementsfor more expensive glycols (e.g., propanediol, dipropylene glycol, ethylene glycol),glycerin may become more attractive,said Luxem. Prices for ethylene glycol inJuly 2005 ranged from 55 cents to 60cents per pound and propylene glycolranged from 80 cents to $1 per pound.

In addition, there are emerging pro-cesses and applications for glycerin, in-cluding glycerol/CO2 fermentation toproduce succinic acid, as well as produc-ing hydrogen via steam reforming andthe production of polyhydroxy alka-noates (PHA).

Luxem concluded that glycerin is be-coming a widely available inexpensiveraw material and that there are opportu-nities to substitute other glycols with glyc-erin, based on price. Value-added deriva-tives show promise. But, due to energyprice fluctuations, uncertainty remains.

De-Icing and MoreThe U.S. Department of Agricultural’s

National Center for Agricultural Utiliza-tion Research, Peoria, IL, is looking fornew ways to use glycerin. The work thereincludes conversion of glycerol to chemi-cal intermediates; novel surfactants andemulsifiers; de-icing and anti-icing agents;and biobased polymers, said panelistRonald Holser, a chemist at the Peoria

research center (309-681-6111).

C u r r e n t l yavailable tech-nology in-cludes produc-tion of 3-hydroxypropion

aldehyde fromglycerol by a Klebsiella

bacterium strain that converts glycerolto an acrylic acid precursor. This can beused in the preparation of fibers, paintsand plastics, said Holser. He also dis-cussed applications for glycerol as anemulsifier and viscosity modifier forfood products and as an emollient anddispersant for cosmetics.

USDA has completed laboratory stud-ies on glycerol for applications in aircraftde-icing and anti-icing. Wind tunnel andaircraft tests were conducted at PurdueUniversity, West Lafayette, IN. Octagon,Inc., Wayne, PA, and Procter & Gambleare negotiating for commercializationpending FAA approval, Holser said.

Biocompatible and biodegradable glyc-erin also may be used in combination �

Chart 1

Chart 2

with other agricultural products as analternative to petrochemical materials inthe production of polymers, Holser said.

“Glycerol is viable in polymers andcoatings because it is renewable, domes-tically produced, available in high purity,easily derivatized, non-flammable andnon-toxic,” he said.

Holser added that glycerol is “highlyfunctional” because it contains one sec-ondary and two primary alcohol groupsper molecule. Alcohol reacts easily with

organic and inorganic compounds toform aldehydes, esters, and ether deriva-tives. The presence of multiple alcoholgroups facilitates the formation of poly-mer networks and chains for polyesters,polyethers, and carbonates, he added.

Glycerin acts as both a solvent and areactant. Syntheses can be performed“solventless” and reaction products areeasily recovered.

Finally, Holser noted that glycerin isnaturally produced by plants and animals

and is metabolized by normal biochemi-cal processes. It is generally accepted as acomponent in food, pharmaceutical for-mulations, and personal care products.

Kosher Biodiesel GlycerinAnother market for glycerin is Ko-

sher biodiesel glycerin and Kosher forPassover biodiesel glycerin. RabbiAbraham Juravel, Rabbinical coordina-tor, technical services, Orthodox Union,New York (212-563-4000), discussed theproduction, distribution, and sale of bothproducts.

Kosher means something is “fit orproper as it relates to dietary (kosher)laws. It means that a given product isproper, permitted and acceptable.” Itdoes not mean that a rabbi has blessedit. The sources of the laws of Kosherare Biblical and are expounded in Rab-binical literature, Juravel said.

Juravel also explained the categoriesof Kosher: Kosher-meat, Kosher-dairy,Kosher-Passover, and Kosher-Pareve(which means that neither Kosher-meatnor Kosher-dairy are involved).

Kosher-Passover prohibits five spe-cies of grain and their derivatives onPassover: barley, oats, rye, spelt, andwheat. It is also important to note that,during Passover, Ashkenazi (Jewishpeople from European extraction) alsorefrain from kitnios: legumes, corn,seeds, peanuts, oils (including soybean,canola, corn, rapeseed, and sunflower)and rice.

Sephardim (Jewish people fromMiddle Eastern extraction) did not ac-cept this Rabbinical decree and only re-frain from the five grains and their de-rivatives during Passover.

All ingredients and sub-units in aproduct, such as biodiesel glycerin, mustconform to Kosher dietary laws for thefood item to be considered Kosher.Juravel explained that even one non-Kosher ingredient may render the entireproduct unsuitable.

Kosher equipment. Another factorone must consider is the Kosher statusof the equipment used in the manufac-ture of the product. Production, pro-cessing and storage equipment and/orfilling lines will normally be designatedKosher-Pareve or non-Kosher.

Kosher-Pareve products may only berun on or used in equipment with Ko-sher-Pareve status, explained Juravel,adding that Kosher-Passover productsmay only be run or used in �

14 BioFuels Journal

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Chart 3

Chart 4

16 BioFuels Journal

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equipment with Kosher-Passover status.If equipment is non-Kosher, a

Kosherization is required. This involvescleaning and 24-hour downtime followedby 100 degree Celsius water drawn throughthe line. If the equipment is Kosher-Pareve(and has been used for the five grain-basedproducts noted earlier) and is to be changedover for Passover, it also must undergoKosherization, explained Juravel.

Finally, if the equipment is Kosher-Pareve and has been used for kitnios (le-gume-based products), the manufacturermust flush the equipment. Juravel ex-

plained that any liquid drawn through theline at any temperature is sufficient, andthere is no downtime or kosherization.

Juravel concluded his presentationwith a discussion of maintenance issues,addressing Kosher pipes, fittings andhoses which must be properly sealed andlabeled. At Kosher certified facilities, stor-age drums also are color coded to dif-ferentiate between non-Kosher, Kosher,and Kosher for Passover products.

Lynn Grooms, Grooms Communications,Mt. Horeb, WI, is an independent agricul-tural journalist.

Response No. 161

Cargillto OpenGlycerinRefineryCargill announced in February

plans to open a 30-million-pound-per-year glycerinrefinery inIowa Falls,IA.

The re-finery will beadjacent tothe company’s new 37.5-million-gallon-per-year biodiesel production plant andexisting soybean processing plant. Thebiodiesel plant was expected to openin early May and the glycerin facilityin June.

Commercial volumes of UnitedStates Pharmocopeia (USP) gradeand other grades of glycerin from soy-bean oil will be available for custom-ers by July 1.

“We wil l be the f irst Nor thAmerican producer to combine soy-bean crushing, biodiesel production,and USP glycerin production at oneplant site,” said Kurtis Miller, presi-dent of Cargill’s industrial oils andlubricants.

“This complete backward inte-gration will enable us to deliver astable, consistent quality product af-fordable and reliably to customersaroud the world. Add Cargill’s ex-pertise in risk management andgloabl supply chain solutions, andour ability to deliver distincitvevalue will be second to none.”

Cargill will work with a full rangeof customers domestically and glo-bally.

When attending your industry conferences or exhibiting at shows besure to display your “We Are Proud to Be an OU Company” sign.Your marketing peopleand show organizersought to always have thesigns in their show kits.They are sure to attractthe kosher buyers to yourbooth. If you need morecopies of the sign, we will be glad to supply them.Email [email protected] for your copies.

Ajinomoto U.S.A. Inc. of Fort Lee, NJ, a wholly-owned subsidiary of AjinomotoCompany, Inc., of Japan, was the recipient of the National Kashrut Leadership Awardat the Orthodox Union’s 108th Anniversary National Dinner, held in April at theGrand Hyatt New York. Mr. Shinichi Suzuki, President of Ajinomoto U.S.A., Inc.accepted the Award on behalf of the company.The Ajinomoto Group is a globalfood and amino acid powerhouse, with estimated worldwide sales totaling approxi-mately $9.3 billion. Many of the company’s products proudly bear the OU symbol,and have done so for years.

Ajinomoto U.S.A.is Honored at OU Dinner

FROM LEFT TO RIGHT:OU Executive VicePresident Rabbi Tzvi HershWeinreb; Mrs. RitsukoSuzuki; Mr. & Mrs. HiroshiSato (Mr. Sato is ActingConsul General of Japan inNew York); Mr. Suzuki;Senate Majority Leader BillFrist, Keynote Speaker atthe Dinner; OU PresidentStephen J. Savitsky

Let the world knowyou are kosher.Not just kosher,OU Kosher.Ask Suzanne Beck at [email protected] or Aviva Sabov at [email protected] to send you a beautiful, hi-res OU logo for your website.

S P R I N G 2 0 0 6 29

HE ORTHODOX UNION HAS ANNOUNCED that it hascertified as both kosher pareve (containing neither meat nordairy) and gluten-free Miss Roben’s baking mixes. MissRoben’s is one of the first companies to be certified throughOU Kosher’s relationship with the Gluten-Free

Certification Organization (GFCO), a program of the GlutenIntolerance Group (GIG). Gluten-free diets are a medical necessity forindividuals who cannot consume proteins found in grains such as wheat, ryeand barley. Under the OU-GFCO ties, the OU’s nearly 500 field representa-tives all over the world, proficient as they are in modern food productiontechniques and chemical and biological processes, will conduct plant inspec-tions and product reviews for GFCO as they are certifying products as kosherfor the OU.

Miss Roben’s products are also manufactured to be allergen-friendly, inaddition to their kosher and gluten-free status.

According to Miss Roben’sVice President Jay Berger,“Food allergy indi-viduals know that finding an easy-to-make baking mix that works well withsubstitutes and really tastes ‘normal’ is a challenge. Finding one that is alsocertified kosher pareve and gluten-free seemed impossible, until now. MissRoben’s, a dedicated line of allergen-friendly baking mixes, just obtained cer-tification from the Orthodox Union, the world’s most recognized and trusted

“We’re happyto be working

with GFCO andMiss Roben’s in

providing thegluten-intolerantcommunity with

foods they can enjoy”

Rabbi Gad Buchbinder,Rabbonic Coordinator

OU ANNOUNCES CERTIFICATION OF MISS ROBEN’S

ALLERGEN-FRIENDLY BAKING MIXES AS BOTH KOSHER PAREVE & GLUTEN-FREE

T


S P R I N G 2 0 0 6 31

kosher symbol, and the Gluten-Free Certification Organization,an independent food processing inspection program that verifiesthat food products meet the highest standards for gluten-freeingredients and a safe processing environment. Consumers willnow easily be able to identify these mixes as truly free of wheat,gluten, dairy, or meat ingredients and derivatives or possiblecross-contamination.”

Obtaining OU certification is viewed by Miss Roben’s as amilestone in its marketing efforts. “We’re ecstatic to be OUKosher,” said Ms. Berger. “We’ve wanted to do this for quitesome time.We finally felt ready to proceed.The OU helped theprocess along wonderfully—everything went smoothly. Ourcustomers are going to be happy—they have requested us toobtain kosher certification. And when we did it, we wanted itto be with the most universally accepted certification—that is,the OU.”

“We’re happy to be working with GFCO and Miss Roben’sin providing the gluten-intolerant community with foods theycan enjoy,” declared Rabbi Gad Buchbinder, RabbinicCoordinator. “Gluten-intolerant persons are often unable toascertain whether a food item is gluten-free.GFCO certificationis a practical way to reach the significant gluten-intolerant mar-ket segment, while at the same time assuring its kosher certifi-cation through the Orthodox Union.”

Miss Roben’s, a proprietary line of over 50 different bakingmixes, is sold online exclusively at www.AllergyGrocer.com. Forover 13 years Miss Roben’s has manufactured mixes in its dedi-cated plant free of the top eight allergens, plus gluten, sesame,and more. The firm carefully selects ingredients suppliers whocan make those same claims. While Miss Roben’s mixes havebeen well known to those following a wheat-free or gluten-freediet, over the past nine years the company has evolved into anAllergy Grocer product by responding to the many requests ofcustomers with multiple food allergies and intolerances, includ-ing corn, yeast, sesame, and other less common foods.

Allergy Grocer, a national online store, boasts over 750unique and quality products selected for their taste, popularity,and allergen-friendly status. Each product is fully researchedand information is posted online to provide the consumerknown plant conditions and potential cross-contamination risks,with actual manufacturing contact information made plainlyavailable. Allergy Grocer provides an extensive online search fea-ture to find products based on a customer’s specific food needsand provides free personal baking support. “With suggestionson the label for using multiple food substitutions and over 1,700free recipes on the website, no one, no matter what the foodconcern, should have to do without Miss Roben’s mixes,”declared Ms. Berger. “Now, those who keep kosher, can enjoythem as well.”

For more information, call 800.891.0083, [email protected], or visit www.AllergyGrocer.com.

As an organization which spans the globe, the OrthodoxUnion has representatives in all parts of the world. Recently,the OU maintained a booth at the Food Ingredients China(FIC) Show in Shanghai. Seen here are members of theOU’s China staff.

Mr. Zhu Yanan runs the Orthodox Union’s office inBeijing and is an important part of the OU’s ongoing effortsto service not only the more than 200 factories it currentlyworks with in the country, but also the many companieswhich contact the OU for certification information. RabbiMordechai Grunberg is a veteran OU Rabbinic Field Re-presentative with many years of experience working inChina. Today he works full time in the field, visiting andreviewing companies to ensure that the OU’s strict standardsare always in force. The OU China Desk is managed byRabbi Donneal Epstein at world headquarters in New York.(Rabbi Epstein can be reached at [email protected].)

As part of the OU’s ongoing efforts to provide compre-hensive services to its clients, it recently joined forces withSGS, the global food safety and standards monitoring agency.In China, their close cooperation was highlighted by a sharedbooth at the FIC show. By working together, the OU andSGS help minimize the impact of certification visits on com-panies by performing joint audits. Furthermore, this allianceserves to emphasize the synergies between kosher certifica-tion and overall product excellence.

FIC ShowHighlights OUPresence in China

At the OU booth, Zhu YananwelcomesRabbiMordechaiGrunberg toShanghai.

If you likedthe first OU

Kosher Video,you’ll love the second one,“The KosherStandard.”

Here in 20 minutes is everything you

need to know about the procedures and

requirements necessary to produce an

OU Kosher product, and how to design

an effective system at your company.

Recommended for personnel in

management, production and quality

control and for in-house training.

CALL 212.613.8115

E–MAIL [email protected]

VISIT WWW.OU.ORG

TO ORDER EXTRA COPIES

OU KOSHER VIDEO–THE SEQUELOU KOSHER VIDEO–THE SEQUEL

NON-PROFIT ORG.U.S. POSTAGE

PAIDSTATEN ISLAND, NY

PERMIT NO. 301

ORTHODOX UNION

Eleven Broadway, New York , NY 10004

For applications to certify NEW COMPANIES or ADDITIONALPLANTS,call Civie Birnbaum at the OUApplications Desk212.613.8249 or [email protected]

Is there anyone else at your company (in management, marketing, production?)

who should be receiving a copy of Behind the Union Symbol?

Do let us know at [email protected]. We will add them to our mailing list. . . .

0d 0o 6 spring 2006 f r e d 0 6 g n i h c a e s e v i t u ... · spring 2006 continued on page 21 2...

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