Special Kosher productions
KF certified companies will find the below information to be a useful guide for instances where a special Kosher production has been required.
What is a special Kosher production?
Many products require special attention from a qualified expert in order to ensure that they meet Kosher requirements. In these cases, Kosher products will be produced with close rabbinic supervision.
A Rabbi will attend the production and he will be responsible for ensuring that Kosher requirements are met. His job will be to focus on supervision and verification of the Kosher requirements. In many cases, he will become a valuable member of your team as your work towards a Kosher product.
When is a Special Kosher production needed?
There a number of scenarios in which a Special Kosher production is required:
Special Kosher requirements - where Kosher law has special requirements for the product type (eg Rabbi turns on oven) (see question 3)
Kosherisation - where equipment has been Kosher compromised and a special Kosher upgrade clean is needed. In some cases, cleaning can be undertaken without supervision; KF Rabbis may decide that close supervision is required.
Kosher sensitive ingredients - where the product uses ingredients which require close Kosher supervision (eg Kosher milk powder, grape juice); this will be judged on a case-by-case basis
Which types of products would have special Kosher requirements?
The table below offers further details about the types of products which would generally require a special Kosher production:
| Product name | Kosher procedure | Details of procedure | Equipment | Raw materials |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bread | Afiyas Yisroel | Rabbi turns on oven | Kosherisation of equipment generally required | Rabbi releases raw material before production commences |
| Cakes and biscuits | Afiyas Yisroel | Rabbi turns on oven | Kosherisation of equipment generally required | Rabbi releases raw material before production commences |
| Cheese | Gevinas Yisroel | Rabbi doses rennet and cultures | Depending on type of cheese: kosherisation of equipment may be required | Cholov Yisroel milk must be used |
| Confectionary | Kosherisation of equipment generally required | Rabbi releases raw materials before production commences | ||
| Cooked foods | Bishul Yisroel & kosherisation | Rabbi supervises special kosher upgrade of equipment. Switches on the cooking equipment. | ||
| Fish products - filIeted | Verification | Rabbi confirms that fish are from a Kosher species. | ||
| Fish products - tinned | Verification | Rabbi confirms that fish are from a Kosher species. | Kosherisation of equipment may be required | |
| Meat products | Kosher meat | |||
| Milk | Cholov Yisroel (Super-Kosher milk) | Rabbi attends milking procedure. He must be there from the start of the milking session. | Rabbi inspects the tanks and pipework to ensure it has been emptied and cleaned before session starts | |
| Wine or grape juice | Kosher wine |
What is the procedure for a special Kosher production?
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Raw material review - Rabbi will confirm that materials to be used in the production are those which have been pre-approved by KF Kosher's Rabbinic team.
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Line / equipment review - Rabbi to confirm that the equipment has been cleaned to Kosher standards
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Special Kosher requirement / procedure - as defined in question 3 (eg Rabbi to turn on cooking equipment)
How do we prepare for a special Kosher production
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Raw materials - ensure you have correctly submitted the full list of raw materials and processing aids which are to be used in the Kosher production. Contact certificates@kfkosher.org to ask for a list of your materials and confirm their KF approval status for the project
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Kosherisation process - ensure your production and technical team are familiar with the requirements for the special production. You may need to discuss the temperatures which are to be reached during the cleaning process, the time this process may take and the fact that they will need to ensure that the Rabbi has been able to verify that these steps have been undertaken
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Special Kosher requirements / processes - ensure your team are aware of any special instructions. Eg materials to be dosed after Rabbi approval, Rabbi to turn on cooking equipment or boiler.
What happens after the production?
After the production, the following will take place:
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Company submit batch details to KF - Click here to find the form which you should fill in after the production
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Rabbi's report - the supervising Rabbi will send a report to KF confirming that all Kosher requirements for the production have been fulfilled
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Kosher certificate - to be issued by KF; the certificate will be batch / lot-specific
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Chief Rabbinate report - products to be marketed in Israel will be issued with a special report required by Chief Rabbinate of Israel