[Sca-cooks] kosher

[Kirsten Houseknecht]

absolutely.
there are a number of Kosher certifications out there... and some of them
are very large groups (like the Othodox Union.. the U in a Circle)  and some
of them are very local...

the "OK" mark. or the K in a circle  is one. there are several that are
hebrew letters.. and some companies that just put a "k" on their product are
actually certified by a large group.... and some are not!

it helps to have a knowledgable guide take you shopping the first time
<grin>

BUT, for simplicities sake.... if you see some kind of Kosher label, it
means it is free of non-kosher ingredients.  and the more reputable and well
known 9and strict) the certifying agency, the more trust i have in the food.

(oh, and dont forget the infamous "kosher crab" problem.... a company that
has ONE product that is legitamitely Kosher.... (say, a canned fish) re-does
their labels and the labeling folks put the *same* design on all their
labels. including the Orthodox Union logo!!!  it happened.  the OU people
were NOT amused)
Kirsten
kirsten at fabricdragon.com
http://www.fabricdragon.com

"Did you vote?  No?   Then don't come whining to me...."
----- Original Message -----
From: "Avraham haRofeh"

> > as to the sugar/kosher question........
> > *some* sugar is refined using pig blood (or was.... I don't know if they
> > still do) but that sugar is NOT kosher.  most of the sugar should have a
> > small "K" or a "U in a circle" or something indicating that it is NOT
> > processed with animal product.  this sugar is kosher.
>
> Just for the record, any product labelled with JUST a "K" may not be
kosher. It
> is not a protected trademark (unlike the O-U), and there are instances
reported
> of less-than-reputable manufacturers putting a K on their labels just to
> increase sales or out of ignorance. ("We thought EVERYONE who makes this
puts a
> K on the label!") This is NOT Urban Legend, there are cases on file with
the
> Union of Orthodox Rabbis (which is the organization that trademarks and
> licenses the use of the O-U). Only a clearly identifiable
trademark/service
> mark (the O-U, the Chof-K, KVHR, etc) identifies a product as certified
kosher.
>
> ****************************************
> Avraham haRofeh
> mka Randy Goldberg MD