Natural Value Inc’s Coconut Milk is now Kosher!

Star-K Kosher Certification recently approved the coconut milk produced by Natural Value Inc of California to be kosher certified. The milk is originally from the Celebes Corporation of the Philippines. The Star-K logo (Pareve) will soon be seen on the cans of Celebes Coconut Milk.

Natural Value Inc was established by Mr. Gary Cohen and his wife Jody Stephens 17 years ago. The couple’s goal is to offer natural products sourced from around the globe at a price more reasonable than the other natural products in the market. The company can cut cost because it is more of a family business. Natural Value offers have lesser expenses because their distributors pick up the products in places where the goods are actually produced.

The company’s broad line of products include Green Chiles and Organic Chiles from New Mexico, Lasagna from Illinois, Organic Tomato products from California, Pasta Sauce from Pennsylvania, Organic Popcorn from Nebraska, Tuna from Thailand and a whole lot more! These products can be bought online in Amazon. The company is also in the process of making all their products packed in BPA free cans.

The supervising rabbis from Star-K will periodically monitor the production of the kosher products from Natural Value Inc. Star-K Kosher Certification has been known to uphold the highest standards of Kashrus in all the products they certify and supervise. The Kosher Certification of a product can make it more marketable and available to consumers who prefer kosher.

Kosherfest Review- World’s Biggest Kiddush

The upcoming Kosherfest on November 13-14 is starting to create a buzz in the local Jewish communities in New York – New Jersey area. Kosher Fest is a small regional kosher trade fair expo held annually in Meadowlands Exposition Center, New Jersey exhibiting ethnic kosher Jewish food predominantly for the local Jewish food market. It is expected to be flooded by over 2000 kosher food producers and buyers from the Williamsburg, Borough Park, Crown Heights, Flatbush, Midwood, New Square and Lakewood Township areas.

Kosherfest displays a wide array of Jewish food like  potato and onion kugel, coleslaw, gefilte fish, kokash cake, bagels and  kosher wine from the local food grocery stores and supermarkets.  If you want to try out delicious Jewish food, Kosherfest is a great way to start. Kosher foods like  cold cuts from Meal mart,  Streit’s Matzos,  Cheese From Mehadrin Dairy, Manischewitz’s Tamtam, Gefilte Fish,  Schmaltz Herring are usually featured in Kosherfest. It is a good means for kosher food producers to sell their products and for the buyers to try out these kosher certified products.

This trade show is considered in the Jewish circles as the world’s biggest kiddush in the middle of the week because of the huge crowd of consumers who attends and tastes everything. It is not likely  for the companies like Walmart, Unilever, Coca-cola, Hershey’s, Pillsbury and  Ferrero Rocher  to display their kosher products in Kosherfest. As these companies do not usually target the local Jewish communities as the Kosherfest is trying to to cater. Kosherfest has a few booths or exhibitors displaying  food  additives and new technologies. Kosher manufacturers looking for kosher food additives can check out Kosher Register’s tradeshow section where famous ingredient shows around the globe like  FIA in Shanghai or the FIE in Paris are featured. Kosherfest is more of a showcase of local Jewish food and beverage, likened to a benediction over wine before Sabbath  – kiddush. Also, these kiddush size foods in the expo are a treat to the eyes and to the palate. Kosherfest is a celebration of Jewish food and sustainability.

In a way, Kosherfest is a manifestation of the growth of the local Kosher Industry. More people are preferring kosher food these days. It is not just restricted to the Jews. Muslims, Seventh Day Adventists, lactose intolerant and many others trust the supervision of kosher certification agencies. Kosher News Wire featured that the “kosher” claim on new products topped once again in a recent study by Mintel. Kosher food is tasty too! Well, we’ll just have to see what Kosherfest will offer this year.

Kosher Register’s New Website Look

Kosher Register, the world’s official kosher registry has recently made a new website launch with a new look! The website is now more user friendly with bigger fonts and brighter image hues.  The user can now explore the website with ease and clarity. Along with the homepage changes, Kosher Register has another special part for the listing of all kosher products suppliers. In the tab named SUPPLIERS, buyers can now search for suppliers in various food categories and from different countries.

Over 1,000 companies from China, India, Germany, Italy, Japan, Philippines, Indonesia, United States, Singapore etc are listed in  Kosher Register’s suppliers. Companies manufacturing and distributing kosher products like healthy snacks, instant noodles, spices and seasonings, sugar and sweeteners, vegetable oils, canned fruits, milk and dairy products and a whole lot more are included in the new website. Kosher Register made it easy to contact these kosher suppliers because it also offers the address, telephone number, kosher status, products of some of the suppliers. This could be one of the world’s most comprehensive list of kosher products suppliers. The complete of suppliers list can be found here. –http://www.kosherregister.com/Ingredients/Company_search.aspx

One of the changes also is the interface in the PRODUCTS tab. http://www.kosherregister.com/foodproducts/foodproducts.htm The changes made it a lot easier to navigate through all the kosher products listed in Kosher Register. The products are easier to find because of the powerful search engine at the header and the display of the  catalog of categories of all kosher products. Buyers looking for kosher products can take advantage of this great service and information very unique to Kosher Register.

Aside from the list of suppliers and products, Kosher Register also offers a business to business (b2b) trading platform for business in the kosher industry. It also has another comprehensive list of all kosher certification agencies including the personnel and rabbis information, the locations of the agencies all over the world. There is also the list of of prestigious food trade magazine and publications and the featured and upcoming tradeshows in the food industry. Last but not the least, Kosher Register is the home of the Kosher News Wire. Kosher Register boasts of this great information source for the updates and news on the kosher world. Some of the unique features of Kosher News Wire is the Oh Vey, Shame on U! portion, Kosher Status Revoked Latest news and the Kashrus Alert Latest News

With all the information offered by Kosher Register, indeed this website is worthy to be named as the official kosher registry.

Kosher News: Astro Pops are now Kosher Certified by Star-K!

Kosher News Wire – Kosher Register recently announced that the all time kids’ favorite Astro Pop is now back in the market. Astro Pops recently applied for kosher certification of their products and finally Star-K labeled these rocket lollipops as kosher Pareve. These candies come in three flavors: passion fruit, cherry and pineapple in 1.5 oz and 1 oz packages.

Leaf Brands LLC, the famous producer of Whoppers®, Jolly Rancher®, Milk Duds®, RainBlo Bubble Gum®, Heath Bar® and PayDay® revived the classic Astro Pops. The company started its candy business in the 1920 but production stopped when Hershey Corporation bought their US Division in 1996. Now, they are back in giving lots of joy to kids with their new line of products: Astro Pops®, Yummers!™, Farts™ and David’s Signature Beyond Gourmet™

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According to the CEO of the company,Ellia Kassof,” I have such fond memories of Bertha Leaf loading me up with sample candy and my uncle Ed Leaf as the distributor for the East who was always giving my dad bags of candy for us kids. Whenever I went to the supermarket, I was always excited to see the Leaf logo on every gumball machine or on every bag of Whoppers®, and felt I had to bring back the name.”The Leaf family saw the need to revive the famous name in the candy business. The Astro Pops was featured back in the Sweet and Snacks Expo in Chicago last May 24-26.

Leaf Brand LLC has chosen to partner with Star-K Kosher certification for the kosher certification of these famous lollipops. Star-K has been in the business of helping various food companies in obtaining kosher certification of their products for over 50 years now. A kosher certification can help a product become available to many clients and consumers who prefer to choose products approved by the kosher certification agencies.

Kosher Certified Olive Oil from ArteOliva is now in Tetra-Pak

Kosher News Wire reported that ArteOliva’s Extra Virgin Oil which is KLBD kosher certified is now in Tetra-Pack and Tetra-Brik. The purpose of this  type of packaging is to preserve the Vitamin E content of the Olive Oil. The exposure to sun and air can cause a loss of some nutrients of the oil.

Studies have been conducted to determine if the Olive Oil’s exposure to sun and air (from the factory until it is used by the customer) can lessen its beneficial properties. One study from the Instituto de la Grasa (Seville) proved that oil inside glass and polyethylene lose almost 50% of its Vitamin E content when the oil is exposed to daylight for three months. While the Vitamin E content of olive oil packed in Tetra-Pak remained intact after three months of sun exposure.

In 2002, Mary Tasioula of the Journal of Agriculture conducted an experiment on the effect of the oil’s exposure to the sun and it revealed that virgin olive oil in transparent containers lose 30% of its Vitamin E content after two months of exposure to the sun. Another study from the Institute of Fats and Derivatives of Seville in the VIII Conference on Organic Farming showed that when organic and conventional oils are packed in clear glass at  30 °C with an illumination of 3568 lux and exposed to sun for 30 days, there could be a loss of 60% of Vitamin E content

A conclusion could be drawn that Olive Oil can lose 30%-40% of its Vitamin E content due to the lights in the supermarkets and packing it in closed containers like Tetra-Paks can preserve it beneficial properties.

Aside from the KLBD kosher certification, ArteOliva has certificates from Halal Certification, BRC, International Food Standard. The KLBD Kosher Certification is the largest single department of the London Beth Din and it operates in more than 50 countries, providing kosher certification to many of the major food companies.

Kosher Certification for Kosher For Passover Products

Passover or “Pesach”  is a special holiday held annually  by  the Jews. It is a celebration of freedom because it commemorates the time when the Hebrew slaves were given freedom from their bondage in Egypt. On the first night,  the Passover story is retold (Seder) and the observance concludes with a dinner. Only kosher for passover food is allowed during the celebration. Kosher for Passover kosher certification has much stricter guidelines than the regular kosher and needs full time supervision for the certification.

Kosher for Passover products assures the consumer that the food has no grain derivative. Matzah (unleavened bread) is eaten during the festivity and all food products like oats, spelt, wheat barley and rye are to be avoided if they have leavening –  “chametz”.  The flour of these grains are only permitted to eat if used for the baking of matzah. Under full rabbinic supervision,  the flour is mixed with water and it is baked in less than eighteen minutes  Food containing legumes, corn, rice, millet (and their derivatives) are also observed  prohibited by some Jews during the week long celebration –  “kitniot”.

The equipments used for Kosher for Passover food products have to be sanitized in accordance to kosher for Passover laws. All food items and household products that are usually considered kosher year round must meet the proper passover requirements to be considered kosher for Passover.

Kosherregister.com presents a comprehensive listing of kosher food ingredients, kosher chemicals and various kosher food additives. One of the perks of the website is they have an advanced search for year round kosher food products as well as for kosher for passover products. The producers, manufacturers, retailers etc will no longer have to go looking all over the internet for all the ingredients that met the special kosher certification. They only have to go to kosherregister.com and take advantage of the kosher for passover listing of products the website has to offer.  Kosherregister.com also has all the list of all certifying organizations (from all over the world) and their personnel who can help kosher food producers attain kosher for passover kosher certification.

Kosher news: SKS Shatz Kosher Services Acknowledged By Israeli Rabbanut

A news from Kosher News Wire bared that   SKS Shatz Kosher was recently recognized by the Israeli Rabbanut as one of the kosher organizations which follow higher kosher standards thereby making the agency a member of the elite kosher organizations allowed to import products to Israel. The international agency with offices  in USA, Israel, Vietnam, India, Malaysia, Singapore  and China is under the stable and experienced leadership of Rabbi David Moskowitz..

The Rabbi was quoted saying, ““We are not surprised to get this high validation as SKS has always been a leader in showing that an international kosher organization and  high standards in kosher certification can go hand in hand, without any compromise with regards to Halacha” .

Indeed SKS has been a world renowned leader in upholding the laws of Kashrus ever since it was established in 1995. The company provides unique service to their clients whose industries range from pharmaceuticals to food ingredients. SKS has helped many businesses succeed in making their  products available to a  wide range of new customers.

Kosher News Wire further reported that a leading importer of food products to Israel gave this statement –  “It was about time that a person of Rav Moskowitz caliber got finally recognized as a leading and reliable voice for the world of kosher.”  when he was asked on the significance of SKS recognition.

Products that are identified as kosher bear the kosher symbol that identifies the organization that gave the certification (for SKS Shatz Kosher’s case it is a seal with the SKS letters). The manufacturers greatly benefit from the kosher certification because it make the product marketable to people who observe the Kashrus dietary laws and kosher certification is usually perceived as a higher food standard.

Kosher News: Kosher-for Passover Section Provided by Whole Foods Market

A selection solely kosher-for passover products was recently unveiled by the Whole Foods Market Products include organic and whole wheat matzo, gluten-free macaroons and antibiotic-free poultry.

Errol Schweizer, the Senior global grocery coordinator said, “Good food brings people together and is a huge part of every community. Whether they’re serving up a secret family recipe, or adding an organic, vegan or gluten-free twist to their Seder Plate, shoppers can count on Whole Foods Market to help make this holiday one their guests – and their taste buds – will remember.”

Whole Foods Market wonderful kosher section includes:

• boutique olive oils and premium poultry picks to high-end teas and gourmet snacks
• Organic whole wheat matzo, matzo meal, matzo farfel and cake meal from Aviv, a well-known matzo producer in Israel.
• Avvio Organic Grape Juice, an important part of the Passover Seder
• Glick’s Macaroons in chocolate, chocolate chip, almond and coconut varieties.
• Gluten-free, organic matzo from Yehuda

Stores all over the country will sell high quality kosher poultry like Kosher Valley such as fresh and frozen whole young turkeys and chickens, freshly ground chicken and turkey options. These fowls are fed with strictly vegetarian diet without the aid of added hormones and antibiotic.

Theo Weening, global meat buyer for Whole Foods Market said, “Our Passover chickens and turkeys meet our strict Quality Standards and are dual kosher certified to ensure that shoppers are getting the highest-quality, most flavorful bird, processed in accordance with kosher law. In addition, our Quality Standards for meat mean our chickens and turkeys are raised with no antibiotics, no added hormones*, and on an all-vegetarian diet.”

Kosherregister.com offers also a good selection of kosher products from all over the world. It is the World’s only Official Kosher Registry and it powers a  good “filter search” both for Year Round Kosher Food and kosher-for-Passover food. It is the leading online B2B (business to business) information source for everything that bears a kosher certificate, the Kosher Symbol, the Kosher Certification,Trade Show Directory,Trade Publication Directory and the  World Kosher Newswire.

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Israel’s Rabbanut Downgrades Orthodox Union Kosher Status

One of America’s  famous kosher certification organizations- Orthodox Union (OU Kosher) was excluded from this year’s “Kosher Le’Mehadrin” for Passover by Israel’s official state kosher authority.  “Kosher Le’Mehadrin” is a list that separates top grade ‘strictly-Kosher’ certification and regular lower-class kosher certification. Foods not included in this prestigious list are rejected in Israel especially during the Passover. The Jewish community are more careful on Kosher related issues during this festivity.

The Kosher News Wire reported that a Kosher consultant in Israel said  that the removal of OU from the list will have a drastic effect on Orthodox Union  and their affiliated certified companies since only the products approved in the list can be stocked in Mehadrin supermarkets and establishments during the Passover.

The “Rabbanut” has been known to be complaining about the quality of the OU certification considering that OU’s Haagen Daz ice creams failed the “Rabbanut” kosher standards in Israel  and OU has been lower on their standards on the kosher certification of tuna fish canneries.

However, Orthodox Union still claim that they have high standards in their products and they have not made any changes in their Kashrus programs.

According to KosherRegister.com,  a senior official at the Israeli Rabbanut revealed that the Rabbanut that OU has been removed from the approved Kosher le’Mehadrin for Passover only but they will be carefully observing if OU will be qualified again to be in the list after the festivity.