BTUS Fall 2013

BEHIND THE UNION SYMBOL 1

behind theUnion Symbol

FALL 2013


Who’s Watching the Store PG. 1THE EDITOR IN CHIEF OF BTUS SAYS THAT SELF-REGULATION IN THE KOSHER FOOD SECTOR IS A POSSIBLE MODEL FOR GOVERNMENT FOOD REGULATION AND INSPECTION.

Mainstreaming Kosher PG. 5A MARKETING EXPERT EXPLORES HOW KOSHER PRODUCTS CAN BECOME “MASS APPEALING.”

My Summer Trip to Uganda PG. 11AN OU KOSHER RABBINIC COORDINATOR TAKES A LONG TRIP IN A SHORT TIME. THE GOAL: TO CHECK ON NILE PERCH.

OU’s Bird Expert Rabbi Loike PG. 9THE TALE OF AN OU KOSHER RABBINIC COORDINATOR RAISING A WHITE MALLARD DUCK.

Bimbo Bakeries PG. 15AN OU CERTIFIED COMPANY GOES FROM BEING KOSHER TO INSPIRING KOSHER! READ HOW BIMBO DID IT.

HIGHLIGHTS



Who’s Watching the Store? Self-Regulation in the Kosher Food Sector is a Possible Model for Governmental Food Regulation and InspectionBY RABBI DR. ELIYAHU SAFRAN, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF, BTUS

The numbers are compelling. The kosher marketplace is booming. While a great deal of this growth can be attributed to a large and increasingly dynamic observant community, the Orthodox Jewish population alone could not power such an increase. The fact of the matter is that as the population as a whole becomes more concerned with, and focused on, the quality of the food they eat, they look to a kosher certification agency that can earn their trust.

Government regulators and certification agencies do not earn that trust.

The “natural food” segment has been unable to fully win over large numbers of consumers.

Only the “kosher” certification has proven to be consistently respected and trusted. It wasn’t so very long ago that such trust was sadly misplaced. Professor Timothy D. Lytton, in his recently published book, Kosher – Private Regulation in the Age of Industrial Food [Harvard University Press, 2013], notes that kosher certification was not always as reliable as today. At the beginning of the last century, the kosher food industry was corrupt and rife with fraud. The New York City Department of Markets estimated in 1925 that 40 percent of the meat sold as kosher in the city was, in fact, not kosher. Consumer groups and industry associations estimated that figure to be too low and placed the figure between 50 to 65 percent.

Kosher certification suffered from the same financial incentives to cut corners that characterize private food safety auditing.

We learn from those past failures in order to arrive at our current success. And what success! The kosher food market is big business. Kosher foods generate more than $12 billion in annual

sales. This market is represented not only by observant Jews but also by health-conscious non-observant and non-Jewish consumers who have come to trust and value that a kosher certification speaks to our deep relationship with the food we eat.

Professor Lytton suggests that the growing popularity of kosher food among a broader constituency of both non-observant Jews and non-Jews reflects a pervasive anxiety about the industrialization of the food supply. Not only does rabbinic supervision ensure a heightened degree of food purity but it also personalizes a vast, complex and globalized food production system.

KOSHER – PRIVATE REGULATION IN THE AGE OF INDUSTRIAL FOOD

[HARVARD UNIVERSITY PRESS, 2013]



By and large, these consumers are right to place their faith in the kosher certification system. Regular, unannounced inspections of kosher food production facilities serve many purposes, not the least of which is a general increase in vigilance. Such vigilance not only prevents any contamination that would render a product “non-kosher,” but also serves to prevent the kinds of pest infestations that occur all too often when such vigilance is lax.

A famous advertising campaign proclaimed, “We answer to a higher authority.” Whereas federal regulations actually articulate an “acceptable” threshold of contamination in food – for example, fewer than two maggots per 500 grams of canned tomatoes – kosher certification allows for zero tolerance for contaminants.

When the authority is God, there is no “wiggle room.”

From Professor Lytton’s perspective, the most valuable contribution that kosher certification offers to food safety might be a model of reliable private certification. The key to this, he suggests, is to yoke market demand for certification with the kind of competitive pressures that minimize corner cutting. That is, utilize the kosher certification model.

In an opinion piece he wrote for Food Safety News entitled “Kosher Certification: A Model for Improving Private Food Safety Audits,” Professor Lytton lists a number of features of the kosher certification system that make it so successful.

1. Sufficient consumer demand. As we have noted, the kosher food market is significant. In order to succeed in this market, companies are willing to allow kosher inspectors into their facilities.

2. A core of vigilant and active consumers. Ultimately, it is the consumers who hold producers’ “feet to the fire.”

3. Brand competition based on reliability among kosher certifiers vying for food company clients, counteracts incentives to cut corners.

4. Interdependence among certifiers creates incentives for interagency oversight.

5. Concentration of market power in the hands of a few large certifiers simplifies the development and enforcement of industry-wide standards.

6. Certification agency personnel are motivated by a shared sense of mission that counteracts conflicts of interest and promotes cooperation even between competing certifiers. No one should ever doubt that kosher certification is a business, a highly competitive business. But it is not just a business. For the rabbis who staff certification agencies, it is a sacred trust.

I can speak directly to this final point.

Geared with a divine mission, those of us who work in the kosher certification world approach our task with awe and reverence toward God. Our awe of heaven touches every attitude,



decision, response and approach relating to the certification process.

It is not the government’s role to bring to bear this same sense of divine mission. That said, the kosher model provides a number of important insights for anyone concerned about food safety and food certification.

At the Orthodox Union (OU), the world’s largest and most renowned kosher certification agency, kashrut personnel agonize over each and every detail, nuance, and implication of kosher law as it pertains to each specific food product and producer. Only then, with knowledge, humility, and faith, is a decision made and a ruling issued about how exactly to evaluate a specific ingredient, or make a particular piece of equipment kosher. Or perhaps a plant has erred and a new evaluation is required and its equipment and processes must be re-koshered. Such issues are part of the daily kashrut agenda at every certification agency. Each issue, each product, each decision is confronted with a genuine sense of fear and trembling. Not only do we answer to a Higher Authority but countless consumers rely on our correct decisions in their own pious observance.

So weighty is our responsibility that OU kashrut personnel often consult colleagues who match them in years of learning, training, expertise and erudition before making a determination. In many cases, they will seek out the invaluable scholarship and world renowned expertise of OU’s senior consultants, Rabbi Yisroel Belsky and Rabbi Hershel Schachter. In these situations, they will render the final determination, particularly when the question is new or unusual. In all instances, the decisions are posted in OU Kosher’s halachic database for future reference and study.

Granting a kosher certification is more than a statement that the food and its producer are kosher “at that time.” It is an agreement to engage in an ongoing process. When a company applies for OU Kosher certification, it submits its ingredients and sources for a painstakingly meticulous review of its raw materials can begin even as an initial inspection of its facilities is scheduled and conducted

At the initial inspection, there is a physical assessment of each and every component of production – equipment, processes, use of parve and dairy ingredients in the plant. Only after this inspection and a thorough review of the company’s raw ingredients and sources is an initial report submitted to OU headquarters.

How could such vigilance and tenacity fail to result in a better product? Still, it is hard to imagine any governmental certification system having the motivation, or the resources, to engage in such a process.

An OU hechsher is not so much a “seal of approval” as it is a promise – and oath – that assures consumers that the producer and product is and will remain kosher. An OU kosher certification means regular, consistent, unscheduled plant visits to verify that every aspect of that food’s production remains in conformity with the policies and regulations stipulated and outlined in the OU Kosher certification contract signed by the company and the OU.



More than ten years ago, OU Kosher established a Review Department to revisit certified sites and its plant-specific kosher policies as well as to bring new sets of eyes to the information being sent to us by the Rabbinic Field Representatives.

Again, verification.

It strains the imagination that there could ever be a governmental agency as committed to on-going, zero-tolerance excellence. Is it any surprise that Professor Lytton finds kosher certification to be “most remarkable”?

However, all this is relatively straightforward and offers little in the way of insight into how kosher certification can provide a lesson to governmental regulators. That is because kosher certification is such a success. The lesson is not so much in our success but also in our past failures.

Jews have always had the same awe of God and heaven so, the question is, “Why had kosher certification been such a failure in its early days in this country?” My sense is that the past failures and the current success have everything to do with the community the kosher certification agencies serve. The kosher certification system that existed in the earliest part of the last century was a reflection of a financially impoverished immigrant community that, more than financial means, lacked dynamic spiritual leadership. There were no yeshivas, no day schools, and no seminaries to teach and enlighten the New World’s emerging Jewish community.

The modern Jewish community could not be more different. Likewise with the kosher certification system. We are a knowledgeable community intensely committed to observance of every aspect of Jewish life, including kashrut. This is the community of consumers that keeps the kosher certification system honest.

Professor Lytton observes that, despite its many strengths, the kosher certification system will never be perfect. “Fraud still occurs on rare occasions, and there are cases of lax supervision. But there is no denying that the kosher food industry no longer suffers from the widespread dishonesty and corruption of a century ago.”

Of course it is an imperfect system. After all, while God created a perfect Torah, He created imperfect mortals. We err. We fail. Making mistakes is part of the human condition. Acknowledging mistakes and repairing them is a divine imperative.

Verify!

If the kosher certification process models just that for governmental regulators, it will have accomplished a great mitzvah. And, in the process, it would establish a central tenet of Professor Lytton’s fascinating and enlightening thesis!

RABBI DR. ELIYAHU SAFRAN HAS BEEN SERVING AS EDITOR-IN-CHIEF OF BEHIND THE UNION SYMBOL SINCE ITS INCEPTION IN 1997.



“Mainstreaming” KosherBY MILT WEINSTOCK

The Dream:A dream of manufacturers of products that were originally developed and positioned to serve the Jewish/kosher observant consumer is to have these products “cross over” and become appealing to “mainstream consumers.” These entrepreneurs point to ethnic products, like the ever-present bagel, that started out as a niche product that appealed to Jewish consumers and became an everyday bread alternative to consumers of all groups, with impressive sales to match. Just ask Murray Lender, the father of the frozen bagel.

And who could forget Hebrew National Hot Dogs, whose famous tag line, “We answer to a Higher Authority,” made this kosher product appealing to mainstream consumers and realized more than $600 million in annual sales.

What I’d like to explore is why and how one can take initially Jewish/kosher-positioned products and make them “mass-appealing.” What elements are needed for their “mainstream” success? And, in a slightly reverse mode, how a “mass-positioned” brand can become more appealing to the Jewish/kosher consumer.

First, Some Background:According to Mintel, the well-respected market research organization, U.S. consumers believe that kosher products are healthier and of superior quality. Surprisingly, only a small number of American consumers buy kosher because of religious reasons. These figures confirmed research I had been involved with when I was working at Grey

Advertising, where we handled the Hebrew National advertising account. This well-funded media campaign that said Hebrew National products “answer to a Higher Authority” was the first campaign that communicated to the general market that kosher products, like Hebrew National Hot dogs, were purer and of superior quality than competitive “mystery meat” hot dogs. The implication was since it was kosher it had a higher standard of supervision, which insured the product was made with 100-percent pure beef. No additives. No artificial colors. Interestingly, the research showed that only 20 percent of Hebrew National’s consumers were actually Jewish.

WHY AMERICANS BUY KOSHER



And so it was the mainstream consumer who came to believe this association of superior quality and standard was true of all kosher products.

Being Kosher Is Just the Beginning:While being kosher is a great start for a product, becoming a mainstream success requires a number of additional disciplines and requirements. Below are five key factors to be considered:

• Differentiation — Providing a meaningful point of difference versus existing products in the marketplace is a critical element for mainstream success. Importantly, the difference must answer a consumer need not being satisfied by other available options.

• Consumer Evaluation — Understanding how mainstream consumers rate your product is important. This includes evaluating the competitive landscape and understanding the attitudes, usage, and positioning of competitive offerings among your target consumers and providing a reason why consumers should select your product.

• Marketing Investments — Like all successful mainstream brands, be prepared to invest in appropriate marketing activities in areas such as:

– Packaging made to appeal to the general marketplace and consumer;

– Trade programs including allowances, promotions, and merchandising to obtain trade support;

– Consumer promotions like sampling and trial incentives to entice your potential customers to try your product; and

– Public Relations and advertising to create trade and/or consumer awareness for your product.

• Price Sensitivity — Today’s price-sensitive consumers are seeking good value. The potential benefits of a product, including its superior quality, need to be communicated to support its good value. Being kosher may be part of the sale, but it should not comprise the entire communication.

• Patience — Balance your sense of urgency to execute and succeed quickly with the realistic need to plan, research, develop strategy and then execute for the general marketplace. Mainstreaming requires time and patience.

Gold’s Horseradish – A Mainstream Success:While OU-certified Gold’s Horseradish started out as a traditional Jewish/kosher condiment, its early growth and audience was limited to associations with Jewish food like gefilte fish. With a strong desire to become a mainstream success, Gold’s did research and discovered two consumer insights. First, the research supported the multi-faceted nature of the product as a flexible condiment that went well with a wide range of foods, especially those that had broad



appeal. Second, research indicated that horseradish was loaded with many health benefits, including being all natural, gluten-free, virtually fat-free, with both anti-bacterial and anti-oxidant benefits.

With these insights in mind, Gold’s invested in marketing programs that disseminated many recipes to demonstrate the versatility of its horseradish. In addition, it launched a mainstream advertising campaign highlighting the many health benefits of its horseradish products. Today, consumers of all persuasions utilize Gold’s Horseradish, which has become a condiment leader with broad appeal and strong usage frequency accompanying many foods.

Successfully taking a Jewish ethnic-appealing food and making it broadly appealing is happening more and more often. For example, hummus, which started out as a kosher Israeli-based salad, has, with clever packaging, enhanced appetite appeal and, through aggressive mainstream marketing, become a $500 million+ category with broad appeal.

Temp Tee Cream Cheese – A “Mainstream” Brand Seeking Enhanced Jewish/kosher AppealInterestingly, sometimes, mainstream brands want to be more appealing to the Jewish market. But this too requires a clear strategy to help differentiate the brand from existing competitors. Last year, OU-certified Kraft’s Temp Tee Cream Cheese wanted to tap into the high consumption Passover period, which they noted had a high frequency of cream cheese consumption among Jewish consumers during the intermediate days of the Passover holiday (Chol Hamoed).

Kraft developed an extensive campaign positioning the product as an antidote for “matzah fatigue,” when the palate begins to yearn for variety after a number of days of matzah consumption. Temp Tee tapped Jamie Geller, a well-known food writer, chef and founder of the Kosher Media Network known for its Joy of Kosher brand, and asked her to create and promote unique recipes and usage ideas using Temp Tee cream cheese. These ideas were communicated via a recipe booklet, video clips of Ms. Geller preparing recipes, social media like Facebook and Twitter, and personal appearances. This comprehensive campaign resulted in great interest among consumers, with results described as “phenomenal” by Brant Wheaton, Senior Associate Brand Manager of Kraft Foods. In fact the campaign was so successful, it was the subject of a multi-page profile in The New York Times.

Conclusions:Successful mainstreaming requires product differentiation, appealing benefits, good marketing, broad distribution, and strong value delivery. While kosher brings a long list of attributes that can be broadly appealing including superior quality/purity, perceived health benefits, and strong taste attributes, kosher should not be the only benefit you communicate if you want to insure a mainstream success.



But there’s more….the critical importance of “branding”:While this article has as its objective to describe many of the functional requirements for mainstream success, it did not cover the critical element of “branding.” This is the crucial component that helps differentiate a product from its competitors. It can use functional, emotional and/or psychological benefits to achieve this objective. In a nutshell, a successful brand plants an image in the hearts and minds of its target group that is motivating and inspires brand loyalty. This, too, is a key element for mainstream success. How can one transform their products into distinctive, appealing brands? Let’s leave this to a follow-up article.

MILT WEINSTOCK IS A CONSUMER MARKETING SPECIALIST HAVING SPENT 35 YEARS AT GREY WORLDWIDE, WHERE HE SERVED AS EVP-GLOBAL ACCOUNT DIRECTOR. HIS CLIENTS INCLUDED DANNON, CONAGRA, KRAFT/GENERAL FOODS, P&G, M&M/MARS, NOVARTIS, GERBER, CIBA VISION, AND BRISTOL-MYERS SQUIBB.

HE IS CURRENTLY PRESIDENT OF KMN, A MULTI-PLATFORM NETWORK WHICH COMBINES TRADITIONAL MEDIA WITH THE LATEST IN DIGITAL, SOCIAL AND ONLINE TOOLS TO PROVIDE CLIENTS WITH A TOTALLY INTEGRATED MEDIA AND MARKETING COMMUNICATIONS PRESENCE. HE ALSO SERVES AS A CONSULTANT IN A CMO ROLE FOR A NUMBER OF FOOD COMPANIES, INCLUDING TOUFAYAN BAKERIES, CHALLYWOOD LLC, AND THE STRAUSS GROUP.

WWW.OUKOSHER.ORG, the world’s most frequented kosher website, features OU certified companies and their products on its OU Featured Companies section. Close to 1,000 companies are already posted.

In order to be posted at no cost, please submit the following information to [email protected]:

• Name of company or brand to be featured• Jpg image in 75x120 px• Website link• 25-75 word description of your products/company

Currently featured companies can be viewed at http://www.oukosher.org/index.php/consumer/featuredcompanies



OU Kosher’s Bird Expert Rabbi Chaim Loike Never Quailed at the Prospect of Raising a White Mallard DuckOU Kosher Rabbinic Coordinator Rabbi Chaim Loike has been sighted on subways, buses and in and out of the office carrying members of an avian menagerie. If this sounds strange, it’s probably because you’re not familiar with the work Rabbi Loike does for the Orthodox Union, under the guidance of OU Posek (decisor of Jewish law) Rabbi Yisroel Belsky. During his seven-year tenure, Rabbi Loike has raised dozens of birds including quail, geese, ducks, partridges and finches as part of an ongoing effort to document the mesorah (tradition) of kosher birds.

Before any bird is even considered it is first thoroughly researched and, often, raised full cycle. That is, a flock is maintained until it has offspring which reach maturity. In the words of Rabbi Loike, “Birds which are young behave differently than nesting birds. I would never present a bird to Rabbi Belsky unless I knew everything about the bird.” While the primary objective of his research is to determine the kosher status of the birds, Rabbi Loike has presented his findings at lectures at educational institutions including Columbia University, Princeton University and Lander College.

“Rabbi Chaim Loike is among the world’s leading rabbinic experts on the kashrut of exotic birds,” said Rabbi Dr. Ari Z. Zivotofsky, a member of the faculty of Bar-Ilan’s University’s Brain Science Program in Israel and himself a kosher bird enthusiast. “A natural consequence of his involvement in recognizing and identifying fowl from around the globe is a concern for interesting and unusual breeds. His passion is preserving both the Jewish traditions and the variety in God’s natural world.”

A few years ago the OU was trying to determine the kosher status of a number of breeds of domestic duck. Rabbi Belsky suggested a comprehensive study of specific wild and domestic breeds. As part of the study, Rabbi Loike acquired a small flock of white mallards which were raised by a veterinarian not far from Rabbi Loike’s home. The white mallard, as the name implies, is a strain of the species which is completely white. To be a white mallard, the bird must be anatomically identical to the mallard in all regards, except color. “A lot of people claim they have a white mallard,” Rabbi Loike explained. “It’s not a mallard; it’s usually just a domestic duck.”

A few years after the duck study, Rabbi Loike visited the veterinarian to research cerebral hernias in Polish chicken. After the veterinarian gave Rabbi Loike some eggs from the white mallard, Rabbi Loike placed the eggs in his incubator. Only one duck, a female, hatched. During Hurricane Sandy, the veterinarian’s flock was destroyed. Rabbi Loike also discovered that the

BARVAZ VISITS THE OU



flock of the original breeder had been wiped out during Hurricane Katrina. Consequently, Rabbi Loike had one of the last white mallards. The bird is the Loike family’s pet and is named Barvaz, Hebrew for duck. This past winter, Barvaz started laying eggs. Rabbi Loike’s son, Avidan, would diligently collect the eggs, placing them in the refrigerator. In the words of Rabbi Loike, “As the eggs kept coming, we were running out of room.”

At about this time, Rabbi Loike received a phone call from painter Ken Gibson. Mr. Gibson’s art has been published in a number of bird books, and is widely respected for its accuracy in portraying avian species.

Having read about Rabbi Loike’s campaign to save an endangered kosher bird, the Philby Partridge (view the campaign at www.indiegogo.com/shecht), Mr. Gibson asked if he could paint some of Rabbi Loike’s birds. “I was talking to Mr. Gibson on the phone,” remembers Rabbi Loike “and then I opened my refrigerator to get some orange juice. I saw all these eggs and I had an idea.”

Rabbi Loike was recently involved with a Metropolitan Museum of Art study to determine the provenance of art based on the yolk used in the paints. Rabbi Loike suggested to Gibson that the yolk from the white mallard egg be used to paint the image of the white mallard. “I just couldn’t get over the irony,” laughs Rabbi Loike. “The likeness of the bird is being perpetuated by the egg, but in a very unnatural way.”

Mr. Gibson visited the Orthodox Union’s main office to collect the eggs. He gave an impromptu session on how the paints could be enhanced by the yolks and then, in the OU conference room, Gibson painted a nest using yolk taken from several white mallard eggs. Gibson and Rabbi Loike hope to sell some of the paintings to raise money to launch a conservation effort for the white mallard and other endangered birds. Watch the campaign at www.indiegogo.com/shecht.

MR. GIBSON, ON THE LEFT, AND RABBI LOIKE HOLD UP THE PAINTING IN ITS EARLY STAGES



My Summer Trip to Uganda, or, A Globe-Trotting OU Rabbinic Coordinator Seeks More Kosher FishBY RABBI CHAIM GOLDBERG

June 17, 2013 8 p.m.I am about to endure a grueling and treacherous journey (albeit via Comfort Class on Turkish Air) to the city of Kampala in Uganda. My mission: to perform an initial inspection on a facility processing Nile Perch, and report on both the feasibility of granting OU kosher certification to the plant and to make recommendations and suggest limits on how to do so.

Similar excursions are, frankly, laid-back affairs for me. After all, the plant is looking to convince me why I should recommend granting OU certification and I’m looking for any possible concern or issue we might ever encounter in granting that certification, and possibly deny the application. In the American court system you might be innocent unless proven guilty. In the court of initial OU kosher inspections, the onus is placed on the manufacturer to explain why we should have no concerns about granting kosher certification. Practically, honestly advising us what the plant does, how it does it and the internal reasons why the plant sticks to this formula will alleviate our concerns. If the plant’s internal systems are not sufficient to cover kosher concerns, we can often create additional systems to meet OU concerns. Sometimes the plant’s business really is not conducive to kosher certification. In such a case, like with most relationships, it’s best to find that out as early in the courting process as possible, thus saving time, money and unnecessary ill will.

The logistics associated with this current assignment have changed the game plan slightly. While I might otherwise look for a hotel close to Jewish amenities or a local rabbi whom I might delight with kosher treats from New York, there are no local rabbis or Jewish amenities of any kind in Uganda. Nor am I interested in trying to explore the area after my inspection is complete, as the State Department’s tepid endorsement of travel to Uganda is peppered with warnings of which regions to avoid due to wars and terror concerns. While Kampala is reported to be pretty safe (and, from what I saw during the journey, is economically depressed but

otherwise friendly and pleasant), the travel schedule I have been given was designed to get me in and out as quickly as possible. (In fact, I’ll spend a total of just 20 hours on the ground, and nearly double that in the air getting there and back!)

This trip afforded an additional adventure: vaccination against yellow fever, to allow travel to the

DEPLANING IN ENTEBBE



country. My doctor doesn’t offer it, and neither did most of the recommended suppliers on the website of the Centers for Disease Control. One reference to a group limited to members of the New York Stock Exchange gave me a provider near the OU office that dispenses the vaccine, and I was able to receive it within the recommended ten days prior to travel.

To ensure my safety, the plant has offered to provide roundtrip transportation between the airport, the plant and my hotel. This is critical since, when we will finally clear customs at 4:00 a.m. on June 18, the last thing I need to do is try and figure out which cab driver is safe to take me, in the middle of the night, to an area I know nothing about, and who will accept United States currency, since the money changing desks at the airport are closed.

My 60-hour roundtrip begins at JFK, where a midnight flight will take us to Istanbul. We’ll then transfer for another eight-hour flight to Rwanda (it seems that all flights to and from Uganda include a stop though Rwanda, either on the way in or the way out, to transfer more passengers) and then on to a 3:00 a.m. landing in Entebbe. (Yes, that Entebbe!)

June 18, 5:00 a.m.Just arrived at the beautiful Sheraton Kampala, where a 45-minute drive on the wrong side of bumpy roads from the airport at Entebbe brings us the offer of a quick nap and shower, noting that sunrise is just over an hour away. I haven’t had any dinner yet, so now’s my time to grab a shower and a late night bagel before sleep.

9:30 a.m.Getting up at 8:15 on a work day, as I did today, seems luxurious. That is, until you hear the rest of the story! After a half-hour answering all my emails, it’s time for a power breakfast of Gefen whole-wheat chicken noodle (ramen-style) soup, along with the New York City tap water I smuggled in my checked bag, and I’m off to work.

10:30 a.m.Just figured out which fellow in the hotel lobby is my driver (not the same fellow who drove us from the airport last night), and I’m off to see some Nile perch! Most of the plant’s processing is done manually, and the process is very simple from a kosher certification standpoint. Nile perch were introduced during the era of British control of the entire region, including Lake Victoria, which is often referred to as the largest and most productive fresh water source in the world. As a top predator, Nile perch have basically eaten any other commercially viable species found in the lake, save for tilapia, the other top predator. This plant tried to handle wild tilapia (we only

OUTSIDE THE SHERATON HOTEL



eat farmed in the United States), though the sourcing was very spotty.

The production process is as follows: Local fishermen use gill nets to catch Nile perch (vertically placed straight nets with holes sized according to dimensions of the desired catch’s gills; when the fish swim through the net, they get caught around the gills), and buyers from the company purchase the fish. The fish are brought back to the plant wearing tags showing from whom and when they were caught, so that after being weighed in the plant, the fishermen can be properly paid by the kilo for their work. Large fish (estimated at 20 kilograms and more) are handled together with smaller fish (five kilo), and the process is the same. After

being weighed, they are de-slimed (to remove the natural mucus which protects the bodies of most fish in the water), bled out and gutted, headed, filleted, skinned with the blemishes then being removed, before being cut into desired sizes (whole fillets or 150-172 gram portions), frozen, boxed, palletized and shipped.

There are no other species handled in the plant, and there is no reasonable access to other species. After asking my litany of questions, observing plant procedures and looking at the photos all around the manufacturing facility and office, I see no mention of other species and can detect no reason why they would try and handle another species. As no additional ingredients are added to the process, there is no reason to deny the application for kosher certification.

2:00 p.m. I return to the Sheraton after having negotiated a late checkout (they don’t need the room until 6:00 p.m., which is just enough time for lunch in my room and another quick shower and nap), before the ride back to the airport.

7:00 p.m. Though my return flight is scheduled for 11:30, the plant recommended leaving at least two hours for the return drive to Entebbe. Good thing they did, because the traffic was very heavy and a 45-minute drive took more than two hours. Unlike New York, no one honked their horns or shouted, they merely shut off their engines when stuck in traffic rather than idling on the road. Some enterprising boys have taken advantage of the traffic to sell various sundries on the road, particularly fresh fruit,

A WORKER UNLOADING FRESH NILE PERCH

READYING NILE PERCH FOR PRODUCTION



toilet paper and sponges. I bought 1,000 shillings worth of bananas from one eight-year-old old boy bearing a basket of fresh produce on his head (roughly 40 cents in US currency), and they are quite possibly the tastiest bananas I can remember eating. The driver explains that these boys are trying to raise money to pay their school fees, 200,000 shillings a year ($80 U.S.). Since child labor is illegal in Uganda, formal employment of any kind is impractical. Their parents often work long hours just to provide the basics, so selling small items on the highway is the only way for these boys to get the money needed to remain in school.

10:00 p.m.After clearing security and a passport check, I’m getting some great locally made souvenirs here at the airport. Bead necklaces and even key chains (amongst the first I’ve encountered NOT made in China) are much more interesting than duty-free alcohol from the United States. We are warned that purchases of bottled water are dangerous, due to concerns of locals refilling bottles with untreated municipal water, so I’m busy finishing the last of my New York water before the final screening that will confiscate any liquids I have before boarding. An 11:30 departure will take me through Amsterdam back home to JFK, where the comfort of safe drinking water is overshadowed only by the promise of landing tomorrow and finally getting to spend the night resting in my own bed, knowing that there is now another food manufacturing facility available to provide the kosher consumer with OU-certified kosher fish products.

Moving forward, we’ve arranged with a rabbi in South Africa who would be willing to make regular inspections when required. His journey will be much less harrowing, likely a direct flight to Nairobi, Kenya (where there is a Jewish community) and then a one-hour flight over Lake Victoria.

As the final accounting goes, I spent the intended 20 hours in the air going there, 20 hours on the ground in Uganda and 20 hours back in the air (thankfully, with no delays). While the journey was exhausting, the opportunity to serve the needs of the kosher-consuming community invigorated me throughout (with the help of some great snacks from New York). This was the first time the OU asked me to visit Africa. Previous excursions through Peru, Chile, Colombia, Trinidad, Panama, Iceland, Norway, Greece, Thailand and the Philippines were far less challenging in some ways; the trek to find the next kosher fish product means my passport must be up to date at all times.

IN FRONT OF THE PROCESSING PLANT



Bimbo Bakeries Tells OU’s NCSY Teen Program in South Florida: You Can Have Your Cake and Eat it Too!

BY RABBI BEN GONSHER

Thanks to the creativity and dedication of Rabbi Eli Casper, OU Kosher rabbinic field representative in South Florida, a prestigious OU-certified company was transformed from being kosher to actually inspiring kosher!

Recently, Bimbo (pronounced Beem-bo) Bakeries became a Southern NCSY corporate sponsor by providing hundreds of dollars of edible goods for regional conferences and weekly clubs to the in North Miami Beach-based region.

NCSY is the Orthodox Union’s youth movement, dedicated to connecting, empowering and inspiring the next generation of Jewish leaders. Through innovative informal education, social action and advocacy clubs, NCSY inspires Jewish high school students to become active members in their communities and to live passionate, Jewish lives. And yes, they serve food at ALL their events!

Six months ago, Rabbi Casper realized the opportunity for a partnership. Bimbo Bakeries, producer of nationally famous brands such as Thomas’ English Muffins, Entenmann’s and Arnold Breads, has been OU-certified for many years. But it was only recently that the company became a corporate sponsor for NCSY.

“In addition to my RFR responsibilities, I am the director of operations for Southern NCSY,” explained Rabbi Casper. “Through our wonderful relationship in kashrut certification, it became clear to me that Bimbo Bakeries is not only taste-conscious — who doesn’t love Entenmann’s? — but are socially-conscious as well.

They donate thousands of dollars in products each week to local charities, including food banks and homeless shelters. And although I don’t typically like to mix my ‘meat and milk,’ I figured it was worth it to see if they’d be interested in helping NCSY with our outreach to youth.”

Anthony Miceli, district sales manager of the West Palm Beach-South Division of Bimbo Bakeries, was delighted that Rabbi Casper invited him to participate in NCSY programs. “We try to give back to the communities in which we operate, as much as we can,” Mr. Miceli said. “So when Rabbi Eli explained to me just what it is that NCSY does for our local youth, I told him we would be honored to help in any way we could.”

RABBI ELI CASPER WITH MR. JOHN BRANDENSTEIN, DISTRICT SALES MANAGER –

NORTH PALM BEACH, BIMBO BAKERIES



John Brandenstein, district sales manager, North Palm Beach agreed. “We are proud to partner with Rabbi Eli Casper and Southern NCSY,” he said. “Thank you for your continued good work and for making a difference throughout the community.”

Given the go-ahead, and with a Regional Convention coming up in just under a month, Rabbi Casper sprung into action. “Typically, we feed over 200 participants at our regionals from as far north as Myrtle Beach and as far west as New Orleans,” he said. Bimbo Bakeries volunteered to provide us with all our baked goods needs, including breads, treats, breakfast items, etc., and have saved us literally hundreds of dollars.”

But that was just the beginning.

NCSY operates ongoing advocacy and Israel clubs in 47 schools across the Southern Region. And they serve food at each one. “We serve over 5,000 slices of kosher pizza every month in our clubs,” said Todd Cohn, Southern NCSY Executive Director. “It’s one of the ways we get kids in the door, as we’ve found that when we don’t offer food, or when we offer food that doesn’t speak to a ‘teenager’s discriminating palate,’ attendance is drastically reduced. Bimbo Bakeries allows us the financial and programmatic abilities to announce that we’ll start offering donut-eating contests and breakfast-themed cuisines as part of our recruitment techniques!”

“Hungry teenagers? A philanthropic bakery? It’s a win-win for everyone!” Rabbi Casper said.

RABBI BEN GONSHER SERVES AS DIRECTOR OF INSTITUTIONAL ADVANCEMENT, SOUTHERN REGION NCSY



A Refreshing Message from Rabbi SafranInevitably, whenever I ask beverage company officials applying for Orthodox Union certification what prompts them to seek the OU symbol, the answer is, “I can’t possibly imagine introducing our new products into the marketplace without the OU.” It seems that is the widespread feeling among the great majority of new beverage companies. Between January 1 and July 1, 2013 nearly 50 beverage companies have attained OU certification, including:

ALEXANDER’S BEVERAGES, AQUA BLOX LLC, BCGA CONCEPT CORP., BEVERAGE INNOVATIONS, BODY ARMOR NUTRITION LLC, C&A PRODUCTS CO. LTD., CLOVERLAND FARMS DAIRY, GOOD GROCERIES, H2O INN, HAIN CELESTIAL GROUP INC., HIE HOLDINGS, JJ MARTIN GROUP, LIDESTRI FOOD & BEVERAGE,

MOJO ORGANICS, MR. PINK COLLECTIONS LLC, NATURE’S PURE, PANACEA BEVERAGE COMPANY, POP CULTURE BEVERAGE COMPANY, R. TORRE & COMPANY, W ORGANICS LLC, YAKIMA FRUIT WORKS INC.

L IVE ULTIMATE

TM

2B DRINKS LLC

BEES BEVERAGE

LIVE ULTIMATE

POP WATER POWERCOCO SPINDRIFT SODA SUNBERRY LIMITED VIRTUSNATURA

LO J USA INC. LORENZO ENTERPRISES NEXUS HEALTH JUICE MINUTE MAID

COOLER CLEANSE HEALTHY BEVERAGE DOX SOLUTIONSCSD COPACKERS LLC

AGUA ENERVIVA LLC AQUAHYDRATE AURELI MARIO AQUATION LLC



KONEX–TIVA Ltd, Sofia, BulgariaBY ILIANA LAMBREVA, MARKETING MANAGER

Konex-Tiva is a Bulgarian private company established in 1955 producing and exporting fruit and vegetable preserves. Production facilities are located in the south of Bulgaria, where vegetables with rich taste and high quality are grown.

Back in 1995, we decided to attend the Summer Fancy Food Show in New York without any knowledge of the market and therefore with no high hopes or expectations of what would happen. At that time we offered a limited number of products: dill pickles, roasted peppers, some pickled mild and hot peppers, Letcho (pepper strips in tomato sauce), and a few fruit compotes. These products were well-known by ethnic customers

and therefore were available at Eastern European or Middle Eastern pantries only. Nevertheless, there was great interest in us, perhaps because we were the first Bulgarian company participating in the show.

Today we realize that our first Fancy Food Show was a very important one — we were lucky to meet reliable importers and distributors and one of them is still our major United States account. It made up for the fact that on the second day of the program, half of our samples were missing.

Just two years later, in 1997, driven by the strong urging of our customers, we signed the agreement for certification of our products by the Orthodox Union. Back then it wasn’t so easy to start the certification process. We were put in contact with OU Kosher by the Rabbinate office in Sofia. Soon after, we became the first Bulgarian company whose products bear the OU Kosher symbol.

Our ties with the Orthodox Union have been important and very helpful to us in finding reliable suppliers and customers. At the same time, interest in kosher food has risen significantly, giving increasing importance to the OU logo. Our customers from the United States, Canada, Israel and Australia search out brands or suppliers with OU certification. Therefore we know that OU kosher certification was the right decision and a good investment, which is still helping our company increase its market reach and share.

“It is a pleasure dealing with the dedicated staff at Konex-Tiva,” Rabbi David Bistricer, OU rabbinic coordinator for our company, has said. “The successful OU program at the company demonstrates that proper kashrut is achievable in any part of the world.”

Now 18 years after our first appearance, we still attend the Fancy Food Show. The difference is

IN THEIR WORDS



that today we pack more than 50 different specialty food items: roasted peppers and eggplants; antipastos; a range of roasted pepper, eggplant, zucchini spreads and dips; eggplant-zucchini ratatouille; savory chili red pepper sauces; ready-to-eat dishes including stuffed vine leaves with rice, giant beans cooked in tomato sauce Mediterranean-style, and many others. Our company commitment is to pack and offer only healthy, tasty and safe products.

We do not use any GMO ingredients, artificial colors or preservatives. Most of our ingredients are all-natural and hand-picked. We believe that today, taste for good food is a main driver behind food preference and buying decisions.

It took us many years and considerable effort to explain to customers that our roasted pepper spreads and dips (ajvar, pinjur or lutenica) are great as sandwich fillers, antipastos or served with pita bread, crackers or corn chips. They are a treat to be consumed along with cheese plates or to be placed on spaghetti or cooked rice with olives and parmesan added.

The roasted peppers we pack are great, sliced and added to a fresh salad. If you add some finely diced fresh garlic and sprinkle with olive oil, you will get a nice accompaniment for your omelets for a light lunch or a side dish for a BBQ meat such as sliced cold turkey or roast beef. The stuffed grape leaves with rice are a great addition to a picnic basket. Together with a can of giant beans in tomato sauce, you can enjoy a Mediterranean-style mezze platter.

Today we are proud that many of our products can be purchased not only from the shelves of ethnic stores but can be found on the aisles of some mainstream grocery stores, too. American customers love to explore the world right at their own table. We are confident that our sales can expand in many markets. Part of this confidence comes from the feeling that we are part of a large group of manufacturers worldwide under the OU symbol. Participating in that family not only made a large market all over the world available to us, but also provided much expertise during the certification process; contacts with thousands of manufacturers of certified products; and increasing credibility in a multi-language and multi-ethnic world.

At the end of a long day what really makes us feel great is receiving an e-mail which says, “We love your products. Where is the nearest location we can find them?”



The OU Symbol: Handle with Care BY RABBI GAVRIEL PRICE

One of the costliest mistakes an OU company can make is putting an OU symbol on an uncertified product. It would seem that this point is so obvious that it is not necessary to draw attention to it. Yet, hardly a year passes without at least a handful of certified companies who misapply the OU symbol. In a worst-case scenario the product has to be withdrawn from the marketplace, the company suffers great stress and financial loss, and the kosher consumer deeply regrets using the product.

It is therefore worth every regulatory professional’s time — particularly those who work in companies that produce both kosher and non-kosher, or parve and dairy — to assess how robust their artwork and label review system really is. The key, says Howard Katzenstein, business manager of the OU, is to review all labels used by a manufacturer for validation of the kosher symbol. “It is common for companies who produce both kosher parve and dairy to review their labels to make sure that the “D” appears on dairy, and not just a plain OU,” he said. “But it is not so common for companies to make sure that their non-kosher products are also evaluated for the absence of the OU symbol.”

Had this advice been heeded, a mislabeling episode with painful repercussions could have been avoided. The graphics department of a global and well-respected food manufacturer was revising its artwork on a product line of both kosher and non-kosher spreads. The “Lite” version was formulated with a non-kosher ingredient and was not kosher certified; the standard spread was formulated with only kosher ingredients and was OU certified. While creating new labels, one of the graphic artists adapted the OU symbol, already on the kosher certified product, to both the standard and “lite” versions. Somehow, the labels passed whatever review (or lack of review) structure there was.

The result: the “Lite” spread was withdrawn from supermarkets across the country, and advertisements in national and local Jewish media notified the kosher-consumer public of the mislabeled product.

“Many consumers rely on the integrity of the OU certification mark,” says Gad Buchbinder, in-house counsel of OU Kosher, “so the Orthodox Union has no choice but to take whatever means necessary to ensure that the damage ensuing from any mislabeled product is minimized. When in its judgment the mislabeled product cannot remain available, the OU, he says, “must maintain the integrity of its symbol.”

An area to focus on, Mr. Katzenstein adds, is with managing the symbol on private labels. “Some private labels get an OU, and some don’t. A company may be dealing with many, many private labels. Someone is paying for an OU to go on their label, and they’re certainly looking for that symbol. But is anyone making sure that the OU is not going on a label that is not authorized to bear it?”



In another recent case, another nationally-known manufacturer of kosher and non-kosher condiments overlooked a mislabeled product because it did not have the rigor and formality for label validation that its own in-house brand had. In fact, the company had two different groups: Corporate Regulatory, which oversees the entire production and commercialization process of its own brand. Another team, called the Private Label Group, runs parallel to it and oversees those projects from start to finish. Someone responsible for kosher certification is on the Corporate Regulatory Committee, and therefore ensures that its own labels reflect the appropriate kosher status. The Private Label Group has its own regulatory review, but no one from that review board was familiar with kosher requirements. The result: an OU was applied to a bacon-based dressing (details have been changed) by someone in the Private Label Group who did not understand what the symbol represented or, because he or she was not practiced in looking for it, simply overlooked it. Not until a caterer from Cincinnati saw the product on a supermarket shelf and, puzzled by how it could be certified kosher, went the extra mile to email the OU, was the mislabeling discovered..

After coordinating the withdrawal effort, the company came up with its own rather obvious solution: Corporate Regulatory now reviews the Private Label Group’s labels while data validation for non-kosher products includes assessing use of the kosher symbol.

A more pedestrian cause for error can be that the wrong person was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. In smaller manufacturing sites – where there are no regulatory committees, private label teams, or in-house graphic designers, someone who is usually in charge of labels may be out for a week, and the substitute simply isn’t well-trained enough in label review. A few months ago the printer at a small juice company broke, and the standard template was not used, and the labels were prepared manually. A label was prepared by revising an existing label – which happened to have an OU, but the juice product was not kosher. The OU symbol appeared on a handful of drums of non-kosher grape-pomegranate juice, shipped to its customers.

How did it get caught? In this case, a rabbinic field representative of another agency visited one of those customers, and noticed the grape-pomegranate juice that bore the OU. He was perplexed, because the juice was designated for a non-kosher production, and he couldn’t understand why the company he was visiting would want to spend more money on a kosher version of grape-pomegranate juice when a non-kosher version was all that was called for and would certainly be less expensive. He emailed the OU in case something was amiss… and something was.

“These mistakes underscore the complexity in keeping the integrity of the OU symbol intact,” says Mr. Buchbinder, the OU Kosher in-house counsel. “It involves a lot of people, and you just need one person in the chain who doesn’t excersize proper care. There are all types of scenarios—such as this situation where a new employee wasn’t aware of the rules. If there are multiple people that need to be aware of something for that thing to work, it’s possible that something will fall through the cracks.”



Even when a manufacturer has an excellent system in place, it still may face challenges if a distributor mislabeled a product. Rabbi Kalman Scheiner, Orthodox Union RC for a major confectionary company, reported that this client was brought into discussions about a withdrawal when it was found that one of their uncertified products bore an OU symbol. After an evaluation it was discovered that a distributor had taken multiple units of their product, added them to a container, and placed the OU on the container itself.

“When multiple parties are involved, a party may not want to admit having made a mistake, or may believe that it was up to the other party to take responsibility over the OU symbol,” said Mr. Buchbinder, a lesson he’s learned from some experience. “It is clear, however, that in any case, the persons in control of the mislabeled product will be held accountable for placing a product into the market that infringes a trademark.”

Formalizing a system to ensure that the OU symbol is used properly may appear to be an unnecessary bother. But the examples above, all recent and all committed by otherwise extremely well run companies, demonstrate how the possibility for mislabeling exists. Since the damage that ensues is significant, any investment in making the label review process a rigorous one is well-worth it.

RABBI GAVRIEL PRICE SERVICES THE TRANSPORTATION, INGREDIENTS AND FLAVOR INDUSTRIES AT THE ORTHODOX UNION. A FREQUENT CONTRIBUTOR TO BTUS, HIS “UNDERSTANDING THE COMPLEXITIES OF BILLS OF LADING” APPEARED IN THE SPRING 2013 ISSUE.



Supervising ‘The Good Stuff’ Keeps OU’s Rabbi Bendelstein Busy 24/6BY BAYLA SHEVA BRENNER

For every OU-certified product and plant across the globe there’s a tireless Rabbinic Coordinator (RC) with a pile of papers on his desk, a phone at each ear, and his eye on the target – excellent service. Meet OU Kosher rabbis in the driver’s seat – keeping kosher programs running on course.

In between updating schedules, maintaining records, processing applications, and troubleshooting kashrut glitches, the RCs at OU Kosher headquarters in Manhattan field many daily phone calls and emails from Rabbinic Field Representatives (RFRs), reporting their critical findings from the field. RFRs are on the frontlines of kashrut and RCs serve as liaisons between the companies and the greater world, constantly on top of the development of their kosher programs, new ingredients, new products and new projects.

Each RC develops his area of expertise. Rabbi Yisroel Bendelstein, an RC for almost 13 years, is OU Kosher’s “bakery man,” supervising what he calls “the good stuff,” for America’s surplus of kosher carb-consumers.

Rabbi Bendelstein supervises more than 100 accounts, including manufacturers who produce some of America’s favorite indulgences, such as Oreos, Tastykakes, Entenmann’s, Dunkin’ Donuts, David’s Cookies, Two Bite and more. His exposure to the kosher industry began in the 1960’s, when he was a young boy in Bayonne, New Jersey. His father, an OU RFR for Best

Food’s production of Hellman’s mayonnaise, as well as Muller’s macaroni in Jersey City, taught him the fundamentals of commercial manufacturing and kosher certification. He soon followed in his father’s OU Kosher footsteps.

In 1994, he moved to Albany with his growing family and worked for the local rabbinical council supervising OU dairy plants, bakeries, flavor companies and salad dressing products; he got to see the full gamut of commercial kosher production and supervision. The experience gave him excellent preparation for his next career move. In 2000, he heard about an OU Kosher RC position and seized the opportunity to work with the most recognized certifying symbol and highly respected kosher supervising agency in the world.

“I love every bit of my job,” says Rabbi Bendelstein. “I’m fascinated by the way kosher law addresses the questions related to food technology and with the knowledge and dedication of

RABBI BENDELSTEIN IN THE OU’S NEW YORK OFFICE.



the people I work with, both in the office and in the field.”

Apparently, the feelings are reciprocal.

“RFRs have reported to me that when they make their unannounced visits to one facility in upstate New York, the president of the company stops what he’s doing, even if he’s in the middle of an important meeting, and escorts the rabbi around the plant. The president, a non-Jew, who grew up in Williamsburg, Brooklyn (which boasts a large Jewish population), told me that his father would make sure to buy kosher chickens,” says Rabbi Bendelstein. “He’s convinced that this is the reason his father lived to be 101. He genuinely respects the rabbis and the kosher process. He tells me, ‘Whatever you want, I’ll do it.’”

Rabbi Bendelstein devotes the first hour of his busy schedule to answering emails from companies and customers, making sure anyone who sent in a question or problem the night before gets an immediate response. “It’s a nonstop, 24/6 job,” he says. “I could get phone calls on Saturday nights and Sundays. RFRs visit plants in the wee hours of the night and morning; bakeries generally start up at two or three a.m. in order to get out a fresh product.” Requests also pour in from companies who want to start new plants, new products, and new labels. He prides himself on his organizational and writing abilities. “They come in handy,” he says. “Companies need information and what’s required of them in order to certify. I’m able to explain it to them in a concise and understandable way.”

He welcomes venturing out of the office to visit plants; while insuring the OU Kosher protocol is in place, he also gets to know the individuals behind the products. “Sometimes companies think of us as the kosher policemen. These meetings reinforce and solidify both our professional and personal relationship,” he says. “I tell them we are ‘kosher partners,’ working together for the greater cause.”

Evidently, his message is well taken.

According to Rabbi Bendelstein, one particular plant manager regularly reads the OU Kosher website, including the religious content. On the eve of Yom Kippur (the annual Jewish “high holiday” when family and friends ask forgiveness from one another and from God for any transgression or hurt caused by their words or actions over the past year), he sent the rabbi an email asking him to please forgive him if he did or said anything to offend him over the past year. “He told me, ‘I give rules to our workers and follow the necessary protocol for my companies,’” relates Rabbi Bendelstein. “‘Bottom line – kosher are God’s rules and that’s the most important thing.’”

Representing a substantial slice of the food industry, manufacturers of bakery goods make sure to keep up with consumer trends. “There is no question that the public is increasingly interested in kosher products,” says Rabbi Bendelstein. “They’re also looking for more healthful and gluten-free options.” And popular OU Kosher companies are responding. Snack seekers can now enjoy Bellows House Bakery gluten-free brownies and gluten-free Girl Scout cookies; waist watchers can indulge in a guilt-free crunch with diet-friendly KIND bars and Barry’s Bakery French Twists.



Eager to share his kosher knowledge, Rabbi Bendelstein contributes to OU Kosher’s online and in-person educational program. He presented the first of the now 200 Kosher Tidbits on OURadio online and brings his expertise and passion for his work to schools and synagogues as an OU Kosher Coming presenter.

As countless satisfied plant administrators refer colleagues in the field to get on board with OU Kosher, Rabbi Bendelstein’s list of companies continues to grow. “They realize that OU certification is very meaningful to them and their businesses are booming,” he says. “They like the service we have to offer and the positive relationship that goes right along with it. I’m personally thrilled to be an OU Kosher RC. In fact, I’m tickled pink!”

AN INTRODUCTION TOOU Certification and the Kosher Marketplace:

A PowerPoint Presentation Dear Friend, Thousands of companies choose OU Kosher certification. OU Kosher is recognized as the world’s largest and most respected kosher certification agency and symbol. OU Kosher certification is a clear mark of superior quality, and OU certified companies know that having the OU Kosher symbol enhances the marketability of their products worldwide. The OU Kosher symbol opens untapped channels of distribution in new markets for OU companies, thereby increasing their revenues.

The PowerPoint presentation, for which you have the attached link, can be used to educate and enlighten your colleagues about why OU certification is so important to your company. Please share it as well with your suppliers, your customers, and others with whom you do business. It will give them a better understanding of the scope and reach of OU certification, the ever growing kosher marketplace, and the OU advantage for your company’s growth and development. They will agree that OU certification is a major contributor to your company’s success.

Sincerely, Rabbi Dr. Eliyahu Safran Editor-in-Chief, BTUS



OU Kosher’s Multi-Talented RC, Rabbi Eliyahu Ferrell, Keeps Them Laughing BY BAYLA SHEVA BRENNER

While keeping in-step with food technology, OU Kosher’s Rabbinic Coordinators (RCs) are also employing the latest media technology. Watch them on the Web and on DVD, sharing their kosher knowledge with consumers – and entertaining them in the process.

For example, there is Rabbi Eliyahu Ferrell.

Rabbi Ferrell, an RC for nearly 14 years, oversees the kosher protocol of 157 OU Kosher companies and 278 factories, which include chemical industries, as well as companies that manufacture imitation cream cheese, mustard, pickles, pierogies and more. In addition, he co-coordinates the production of OU Kosher’s popular educational programs. In-person and online, he has a knack for explaining the intricacies of kosher law as it applies inside and outside the kosher consumer’s home — and he makes it fun.

As coordinator of and contributor to OURadio.org’s popular Torah Tidbits series, instructional DVD’s, and presentations at schools, institutions, and synagogue communities, Rabbi Ferrell leaves OU Kosher consumers better informed and laughing. Whether he’s demystifying the contents of ingredient panels or explaining how air-borne substances could affect food in the home or factory, Rabbi Ferrell regularly spices up the Kosher Tidbit online mini-series with his signature sense of humor.

In a segment on the kosher law and science behind certifying inedibles and animal derivatives, Rabbi Ferrell

quipped: “Glycerin seasoned with glass-cleanser may not be so delicious, but you’ll enjoy this Tidbit anyway!” And he means it. Torah Tidbits is close to reaching segment no. 200 and has received 30,000 page views since its inception. See why at: http://oukosher.org/kosher-tidbits/

During his initial visit to Ateeco, a company in Shenandoah, Pennsylvania, that produces Mrs. T’s Pierogies, he and Rabbi Zorach Spira, RFR for the Northeast region, enjoyed seeing firsthand the extent of care the company put into their OU Kosher certification. “I had never done pierogies (a dough dumpling stuffed with potato and/or cheese filling) before,” says Rabbi Ferrell. “I came in with my OU documents, the list of raw materials and certified products all stapled together and was promptly informed that I could not enter the manufacturing area with anything stapled. They explained that the staples might come out and go into the food. ‘We can’t risk it,’ they told

RABBI FERRELL PICTURED IN HIS OFFICE NEXT TO PICTURES OF HIS CHILDREN.



me. We took out the staples. Then they asked us if our pens had caps. ‘You can’t come in with caps. They might fall into the food. We’ll give you a ballpoint pen that clicks.’ Duly impressed, he also found an opening for some humor. “I eat the pierogies myself,” he says. “Absolutely no staples in them, but they are a staple of my diet.”

He honed his engaging people skills while serving as a congregational rabbi on the Lower East Side of Manhattan from 1988 to 1993 and went on to cultivate his talent for teaching at The Frisch School in Paramus, NJ. In 1998, Rabbi Avrohom Gordimer, an OU Kosher RC and Rabbi Ferrell’s classmate at Yeshiva University in Manhattan, informed him that the OU was looking for new RCs. “It’s something I aspired to become,” says Rabbi Ferrell. “It’s a position in which you need enough humility to say I better speak to someone who knows more than I do. It requires the capacity to say I don’t know and I need to ask; that’s true with the technology and the kosher laws.” He’s proven that when one asks, one can learn well – and then share the riches.

Rabbi Eliyahu Safran, vice president of OU Kosher’s Communications and Marketing Department, and the originator of many OU Kosher educational programs, says, “Rabbi Ferrell has proven his commitment to our programs’ excellence and to the mission of broadening the base of kosher education,” says Rabbi Safran. “His caring, meticulous follow-up and attention to detail have enabled us to achieve as much as we have.”

Over the years, Rabbi Ferrell’s fellow RCs joined him in bringing their kosher expertise to online and in-person presentations. His favorite Torah Tidbits include: “Fermentation: A Jug of Wine, a Loaf of Bread, and Th’O.U.” “Kosher Wine: What Do the Rabbis Let Us Put In Decanters?” “Kosher Yogurt: An Uplifting Cultural Experience” and “Let’s Ex-salmon the Kashrut of Fish.” Rabbi Safran encourages communal rabbis and lay leadership to forward all kosher-related concerns and questions to OU Kosher rabbinic leadership, as well as to OU Kosher RCs, so that they can address them within the program.

Rabbi Ferrell takes great pride in his work as an OU Kosher RC, a job he takes quite seriously, even when he’s funny. “It’s an opportunity to provide people with kosher food and to help support the OU’s humanitarian services to the community,” he says. “The favorite part of my job is knowing that I’m helping people.”



Bai 5 Achieving Beverage Excellence with OU KosherBY BARAK BAR COHEN, COO, BAI BRANDS LLC

The advantages and gratification that come with being kosher far outweigh the challenges we encounter along the way. When Bai Brands LLC decided to make a kosher product we sought certification from OU because it’s the most comprehensive, sophisticated and respected program in the kosher community.

A key advantage to being OU-certified is that it proves that we have met the regulatory approval of an organization with a stellar reputation for quality. That is impactful – within kosher communities and on the international business stage. If OU certifies and endorses you as a business you gain instant credibility by association.

Furthermore, the access to expertise that OU membership grants is unparalleled in this business. We have found the best co-packers and the finest ingredients through OU recommendations. Kosher is also gratifying because it allows us to be non-exclusionary: Our beverages can be enjoyed by all, including the segment of the population that keeps kosher. Furthermore, as a company founded and operated by Jews, it allows us to incorporate our faith and values into our business even as we satisfy our customers’ desire for quality.

We have several challenges associated with maintaining our OU Kosher program but we’ve been able to overcome them with careful oversight that is driven by our commitment to the program. First, the fact that we operate multiple production runs of our beverages in multiple locations simultaneously can create timing and logistics issues for us. We have addressed this by holding our vendors accountable and ensuring that raw material manufacturers and co-packers adhere to OU standards.

Second, it can be a challenge to keep non-OU companies from cutting corners that could jeopardize our OU certification program, so we mitigate that by leveraging companies that are already OU whenever possible. On the occasions when we don’t have that alternative, we insist on having an OU rabbi present who will check our entire production line to make sure it’s up to standards and maintains the integrity of our certification program. Maintaining certification requires that level of intensity.

IN THEIR WORDS



A further challenge is making sure that our own internal team has the right training and commitment and that our procedures are aligned to support our program. Having a key point person who is ready and able to own kosher operations is critical to the success of the program. Establishing an OU Kosher program can be challenging but I would recommend it to any company that might consider doing so. The rigors of meeting OU standards will raise a company’s expectations of the quality it can deliver and result in all-around excellence.

RABBI ELI ELEFF SERVES AS OU KOSHER RABBINIC COORDINATOR FOR BAI BRANDS LLC



Sanitation at the OU Plant: Cleanliness Really Is Next to GodlinessBY RABBI ELI GERSTEN

Good sanitation procedures are important for every company, but they are absolutely critical for companies that manufacture food. Even tiny amounts of food left inside equipment can be a breeding ground for pathogens or can be an allergen concern. Today, many companies employ sophisticated computerized cleaning systems that control, monitor and record every phase of the cleanup. Aside from the obvious advantages of such systems as far as efficiency, effectiveness and reliability, from a kosher perspective these systems have many advantages as well.

The first step in transitioning from a non-kosher production into “kosher mode” is to thoroughly clean all surfaces that came in contact with the non-kosher product. Then the RFR (rabbinic field representative) must verify the cleanliness of the equipment. This can either be done by physically inspecting the equipment for cleanliness (and in some cases there is no other option) or by verifying that an established cleanup procedure was followed. With a computer monitoring system, one can easily verify that all the cleaning steps were followed, such as that the washing was performed for the prescribed length of time, and the proper levels of caustic and acid were used.

Next the RFR must oversee the kosherization process, which is intended to purge all contact surfaces of the equipment with boiling water. An automated CIP (cleaning in place) system that records time and temperatures at multiple locations can ensure that these requirements were fulfilled. Additionally, all valves need to be cycled open and held open for a minimal duration to ensure that all sections of the equipment are adequately purged. While overseeing this tangled maze of pipes and valves can be dizzying, a properly programmed cleanout will take the mystery out of the process. The RFR need only check that the kosherization protocol was run, and he is guaranteed that all sections received the time and temperature that they require.

OU RFR RABBI SPIRA INSPECTING A SMALL PRODUCT HOPPER.

THE BELTS ARE ABLE TO BE REMOVED FOR CLEANING. HERE RABBI SPIRA AND MR. TOM STEVENSON

ARE LOOKING AT A CLEAN BELT.



In any system, one of the most difficult obstacles to overcome is that of human error. We humans tend to make mistakes. We read gauges incorrectly, and we write down the wrong information. Computerized systems help to minimize the human factor. As far as kosher is concerned, the more we can remove human error from the equation the closer we can come to cleanliness. After all, “Cleanliness is next to Godliness.”

RABBI ELI GERSTEN SERVES AS OU RABBINIC COORDINATOR – RECORDER OF OU POLICY. A FREQUENT CONTRIBUTOR TO BTUS, HIS “THINKING OUTSIDE THE BOX” APPEARED IN THE SPRING 2013 ISSUE.

When attending industry conferences or exhibiting at shows, be sure to display signs that say:

“WE ARE PROUD TO BE AN OU KOSHER-CERTIFIED COMPANY”

Marketers and show organizers should always have the signs in their show kits.

They are sure to attract kosher buyers to your booth.

If you need more copies of the sign, we will be glad to supply them.

Just email [email protected].



Sweet Mavens Receives OU Kosher Certification For Delicious Biscotti Products

Sweet Mavens, manufacturer of an award-winning line of tender biscotti, has been certified kosher by the Orthodox Union (OU). “Becoming certified by the Orthodox Union is the result of the natural marriage of OU’s rigorous standards of food quality and documentation, with Sweet Mavens’ strong commitment to quality ingredients and freshness,” stated Anita Carpene, president and founder of the company.

Established in 2003, and with the name Sweet Mavens (a “maven” in the Yiddish language is one who is knowledgeable about something), it seemed obvious that kosher certification would be a priority for the product. But it was only when Sweet Mavens moved into its own facility that it was able to pursue certification. “We were approached by several rabbinical organizations,” explained Ms. Carpene, “but we quickly realized that the Orthodox Union’s broad acceptance, both nationally and internationally, fit best into our business model.”

“Rabbi Gershon Segal, East Coast OU Kosher rabbinic field representative who conducted the initial inspection, and worked with Rabbi Dovid Rockove, OU Kosher rabbinic coordinator to set up the OU certification, declared, “Sweet Mavens evokes memories of traditional mandelbrot refined with gourmet flavors and confections. The personal devotion of Anita Carpene in every aspect of the creation of the Sweet Mavens delights results in a unique specialty product. Throughout the certification process, Anita demonstrated complete familiarity with all aspects of the operation and her commitment to quality and excellence was obvious.”

Baked in pans, sliced, and baked again, Sweet Mavens biscotti is tender, not hard, and can be enjoyed as a delicious cookie. Hand crafted in small batches, its mantra is “Anything fresher is still in the oven!” Based on a family recipe, the interesting flavor profiles run from the traditional Anise Almond to the newest varieties, Caramel Biscotti dipped in Chocolate, and Sea Salt and Gingerbread Biscotti dipped in Lemon White Chocolate. The Caramel Biscotti with Chocolate and Sea Salt result in a wonderful marriage of sweet and salty, and the Gingerbread Biscotti is reminiscent of true gingerbread, studded with raisins and holiday spices. The lemon white chocolate dip is a perfect finish for the gingerbread, giving it a refreshing citrus flavor.

There are also a No Sugar Added Tropical Orange which appeals to diabetics; seasonal varieties;

SWEET MAVEN’S DELICIOUS PRODUCT LINE

NEW TO THE OU



and two whole grain varieties under the Biscotti Rustica line. The distinctive packaging in eye-catching colors allows consumers to identify their favorite variety by color, which dramatically adds to shelf appeal. The addition of the OU symbol enhances marketability and consumer acceptance at the retail level.

Sweet Mavens has a number of packaging options, including nine-ounce plastic canisters (SRP $5.99-$7.99), individually wrapped, and in bulk. Sweet Mavens’ commercial facility is located in Glastonbury, CT where the company produces its line of Artisan, All-Natural Biscotti, which can be purchased directly or through a distributor, and is available nationally. A complete listing of products along with additional information can be found on the website, Sweetmavens.com. For further information, including distribution, contact 860-490-1407.

RABBI GERSHON SEGAL IS OU KOSHER EAST COAST RABBINIC FIELD REPRESENTATIVE FOR SWEET MAVENS.



Original NYC Rooftop Salt Farm Gains OU Kosher Certification

Urban Sproule, makers of locally grown rooftop sea salt, Rooftop Raw & Local, has received kosher certification for its sea salts from the Orthodox Union, the world’s largest and most respected kosher certification agency.

Urban Sproule is a small company started by Sarah Sproule in the summer of 2012. After noticing a gap in the local food market, Sarah started experimenting with making her own sea salt. What started as a fun hobby quickly became a working business, consisting of weekly meet ups with local fishermen Glenn and Charlie from a small Long Island fishery —American Pride Seafood.

“We are ecstatic to gain such a prestigious certification and to be able to call ourselves the first Rooftop Raw & Local kosher sea salt available in the market,” Sarah said. “Working with the Orthodox Union has been a great experience. Rabbi Eliyahu Safran, vice president of communications and marketing, believes in our product, saying: ‘There is a story to tell!’ We at Urban Sproule are so grateful that such a respected world renowned organization can pay such attention to small companies; this is an encouragement to all small businesses seeking certification.”

“Gaining OU Kosher certification further reinforces the consumer confidence in our sea salt and opens a larger market to a small start-up urban farming business,” Sarah added. “Our sea salt is made entirely by hand, with help from the sun and wind; from the gathering of the ocean water through evaporation and crystallization each grain of salt is grown with care.”

“They gather our water 30 miles east of Montauk, where they fish for the freshest fish in the farmers market. I used to do this myself but figured I would partner with local fishermen to really get this locally made sea salt business off the ground,” she further explained. In early fall 2012 Urban Sproule acquired a rooftop in midtown Manhattan and began construction of small “salt-houses” and eventually built a larger 8’x12’ salt house to meet the public’s demand. Urban Sproule currently features five different sea salts; all infused salts use local farm ingredients.

During their short time in business Urban Sproule has partnered with Oak Grove Plantation, Lucky Dog Farm, S&SO Farm, Berried Treasures Farm and Butterfield Farm, all located less than 150 miles from New York City. “I love that I can put such confidence in a local product, only to find that buying their salt means supporting at least five additional local family run farms and a Long Island Fishery,” says an avid New York City Greenmarket shopper and local foodie.

For further information, contact Sarah Sproule at [email protected] or visit www.urbansproule.com.

URBAN SPROULE’S THAI CHILI FLAVOR

NEW TO THE OU



OU DIRECT Introduced ‘Product Automation’ To Online Program

In breaking news from OU Kosher, OU Direct, the website available to all OU Kosher certified companies, became even more direct today, with the addition of Product Automation. This new feature includes a variety of options to make it easier and quicker for companies to maintain their certified product lists and to add new products.

“We are very excited to introduce the newest OU Direct feature,” declared Rabbi Menachem Genack, CEO of OU Kosher.

“Previously,” explained Rabbi Moshe Elefant, COO of OU Kosher, “companies had to fax or email their requests for a new product by using a form. The improvements allow the process to be entirely online, going right into the system.” Companies will be able to get their approval 24/7 he said.

The “Product Automation” initiative was under the Direction of Dr. Sam Davidovics, Chief Information Officer and Director of the Information Technology (IT) Department of the OU; and Rabbi Moshe Zywica, Executive Rabbinic Coordinator/Director of Operations of OU Kosher.

Product Automation will allow certified companies to:

• View all of their OU Certified Products (Schedule B) in multiple formats namely PDF, Excel and a new customizable grid;

• Add new products online;

• Copy products from one plant to another;

• Terminate products instantly online;

• View status of all submissions.

The new grid format allows for:

• Easy filtering and sorting of products;

• Easy navigation from one page to another;

• Increasing and decreasing the number of records that appear on each page;

• Viewing detailed product information, i.e. the plant(s) at which the product is produced, and the certification status of the product within each plant.

New products can be added to the Schedule B of one or more plants by simply completing an online form and clicking submit.

OU NEWS



• One or many existing certified products can be copied to one or multiple plants;

• Product Certification can be terminated immediately at a specific plant or at all the plants where the product is produced;

• All submissions can be viewed online to determine the current status of each request.

It’s fast, simple and easy to use and is certain to make OU Direct an even greater asset.

For further information, visit www.oukosher.org.


OU KOSHER RABBI MENACHEM GENACK RABBINIC ADMINISTRATOR / CEO RABBI MOSHE ELEFANT EXECUTIVE RABBINIC COORDINATOR / COO DIRECTOR, NEW COMPANY DEPARTMENT

RABBI YAAKOV LUBAN EXECUTIVE RABBINIC COORDINATOR

RABBI MOSHE ZYWICA EXECUTIVE RABBINIC COORDINATOR,

DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS

RABBI DR. ELIYAHU SAFRAN VICE PRESIDENT, COMMUNICATIONS

AND MARKETING

RABBI NACHUM RABINOWITZ SENIOR RABBINIC COORDINATOR

RABBI YOSEF GROSSMAN SENIOR EDUCATIONAL RABBINIC COORDINATOR

RABBI YERACHMIEL MORRISON INGREDIENT APPROVAL REGISTRY

RABBI ABRAHAM JURAVEL INGREDIENT APPROVAL REGISTRY

RABBI HOWARD KATZENSTEIN DIRECTOR, BUSINESS MANAGEMENT

HARVEY BLITZ CHAIRMAN, JOINT KASHRUT COMMISSION

RABBI KENNETH AUMAN CHAIRMAN, RABBINIC KASHRUT COMMISSION

RABBI EMANUEL HOLZER CHAIRMAN EMERITUS

ORTHODOX UNION MARTIN NACHIMSON PRESIDENT

RABBI STEVEN WEIL EXEC. VICE PRESIDENT

RABBI DR. TZVI HERSH EXECUTIVE VICE WEINREB PRESIDENT, EMERITUS

MAYER FERTIG CHIEF COMMUNICATIONS OFFICER

BEHIND THE UNION SYMBOL RABBI DR. ELIYAHU EDITOR-IN-CHIEF SAFRAN

STEPHEN STEINER EDITOR

BATYA ROSNER ASSISTANT EDITOR

CARRIE BEYLUS COPY EDITOR

ELLIANNA SCHWAB ART DIRECTOR

BTUS Fall 2013

Documents

Transcript of BTUS Fall 2013