| ABOUT
US - What is Kosher? |
The word Kosher means "suitable for consumption by Jews
according to Jewish law".
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The Federation KF Kosher Supervision is an international
organisation providing the highest standards of Kosher food
certification.
Our KF emblem is a registered trademark, protected under
International Law against the unauthorised use of any product
or service.
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It is the exclusive property of the Federation KF Kosher Supervision,
and only products and services meeting our rigorous standards
are permitted to display the Federation KF symbol.
Foods can be grouped into three broad categories:
1. Innocuous: Some food items are always acceptable as
Kosher. Examples are unprocessed natural foods without any additives,
flavourings or colourings, such as fruits and vegetables (provided
that they are not susceptible to infestation).
2. Never Kosher: Some food categories are inherently non-Kosher.
Examples include pork, lobster, oyster, and crab. These foods
are prohibited by Biblical law.
3. Kosher when certified: Other foods may be Kosher if
(A) the ingredients and (B) the manufacturing process meet Kosher
definitions, as ascertained and supervised by a reliable Kosher
authority.
| Categories
of Kosher food |
There are, in general, four main Kosher food categories.
1. Meat products. Only certain species of animals and
poultry are Kosher, and only if they are slaughtered by a qualified
and trained religious slaughterer, in accordance with a method
prescribed in Jewish law. Following this the meat must be further
treated by means of a special process designed to remove blood.
For all practical purposes, the only Kosher animals are cows,
sheep and goats; and the only Kosher poultry are chicken, duck,
turkey, geese and pigeon.
Meat products derived from non-Kosher animals or poultry are
non-Kosher (eg lard and tallow).
2. Dairy products. Milk and its by-products (eg cheeses,
curd, whey, lactose) are only Kosher if they come from one of
the Kosher species of animal listed in paragraph 1 above. In addition,
all cheeses have to be prepared under special Kosher supervision.
3. Parev products. This is a term denoting "neutral"
foods, which contain no derivatives of either milk or meat, eg
fruit, vegetables, fish, and chemicals.
4. Alcoholic beverages. Alcoholic beverages, in general,
are Kosher, but there are special requirements relating to the
production of wine and grape-juice. Consequently all wines, port,
brandy and cognac have to be produced under Kosher supervision.
| The
Kosher manufacturing process |
Equipment used to manufacture non-Kosher products, or products
containing non-kosher ingredients, may be rendered unsuitable
for Kosher production. Often, however, the equipment can be made
acceptable for Kosher production by means of a special process
known as "Kosherisation". This has to be controlled
and carried out by a reliable Kosher authority.
The Federation KF Kosher Supervision provides expert advice and
guidance in relation to all aspects of Kosherisation.
This is an eight-day festival which occurs in March or April.
Throughout the festival, Jews may not eat any leavened or fermented
products (such as bread, cake, biscuits, pasta, noodles, as well
as beer and whisky) or any products containing even the slightest
amount of such products (eg wheat-flour or starch). In addition,
some products such as soya, lecithin, and similar pulses are also
not used.
In practice, all foods which are Kosher throughout the year require
additional supervision and certification to render them Kosher
for Passover.
The Federation KF Kosher Supervision provides expert advice and
guidance in relation to all aspects of Passover supervision.
This is a term used to describe products which have been prepared
according to the most rigorous and highest standards for Kosher
acceptability. For example, milk products which not only come
from a Kosher animal, but have also been supervised from the time
of milking, will be Glatt Kosher. Meat products may also be Glatt
Kosher, as well as standard Kosher. If they are Glatt, they will
have been prepared and supervised in accordance with special requirements.
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