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What is Kosher Food Production?

Kosher refers to a set of food production rules and standards rooted in Jewish laws and traditions. These laws spawned a concrete list of foods considered kosher or acceptable to eat. Thus, kosher food production requires food manufacturing facilities to comply with specific requirements for processes, ingredients, and equipment. Despite these religious roots, kosher food production today extends far beyond a religious concept. As the ethnic food industry steadily grows, the base of dedicated kosher consumers continues to expand, allowing manufacturers to tap into a thriving market of loyal consumers and diverse products.

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Zosi offers a full training solution for all levels of kosher production. Whether you are already kosher certified, on the road to kosher certification, or seeking an introduction to kosher guidelines, this collection has an online course for you. See how kosher product diversification can increase your consumer base and, thus, your bottom line.

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What foods are kosher? What foods are not kosher?

There are three types of kosher foods:

  • Meat
  • Dairy
  • Pareve (“neutral”) – food without meat or milk ingredients, such as fruits, eggs, and more.

Food items that are not kosher include but are not limited to certain fowl and fish (such as pork, rabbit, eagle, owl, catfish, sturgeon, and more), insects, any shellfish, or reptile. Kosher animals must be slaughtered and prepared in a designated manner. In addition, meat and dairy may not be manufactured on the same equipment or consumed together.

What does it mean to be kosher certified?

Kosher certification denotes a food product’s approval by a rabbinic certifying agency. The agency verifies all products, ingredients, tools, machinery, and production procedures follow kosher guidelines and contain no evidence of non-kosher items. The symbol that comes with kosher certification tells consumers that your product adheres to kosher law and is safe to eat.

Our Online Kosher Courses

Our Kosher eLearning courses help plant managers or senior management understand the significance of kosher within their plant and get kosher certified. Managing Kosher Production is a flexible curriculum for all food production and manufacturing facilities. Specialized training for the bakery, beverage, and dairy industries is also available through Managing Kosher Bakery Production, Beverage Production, and Dairy production courses. Our kosher production courses are taught by a rabbi with extensive firsthand experience on the food processing and manufacturing floor.

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Managing Kosher Production

Understand the meaning of kosher with Managing Kosher production, taught by OU Kosher’s Rabbi Avrohom Stone. Get clarity on kosher production guidelines and inspection via modules complete with practical application scenarios and expert advice for realistic and successful implementation.

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Managing Kosher Bakery Production

Ideal for bakery facilities looking to diversify with kosher production or improve their existing kosher practice. Offers essential information on special situation specific to kosher baking with additional learning on process steps.

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Managing Kosher Beverage Production

Explore the details of kosher production in your beverage facility. Get online resources necessary to passing your kosher inspection and sustaining a successful kosher program.

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Kosher dairy

Managing Kosher Dairy Production

Dive into the essentials of kosher dairy production. Learn how to navigate unique industry guidelines and Jewish holidays like Passover.

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Expert Insight

Created by rabbis with decades of experience

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Roadmap to Certification

Get the training you need to achieve kosher certification

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