Ask The Rabbi
Do you have a question about kosher? Email us your question at questions@cor.ca or call us at (416) 635-9550. You can also use the contact form provided below. In the meantime, feel free to browse some of our frequently asked kosher questions below.
Many of the muffins sold at Starbucks stores in Canada are manufactured at facilities that are kosher certified by COR. According to Jewish law, one must see a kosher symbol on a product’s packaging in order to guarantee that the particular product is in fact kosher. Many Starbucks locations keep the boxes used to package the muffins on hand and these boxes do carry the COR Kosher symbol. Kosher consumers may ask baristas to see these boxes so that the consumers may verify the kosher status for themselves.
Many products, both kosher and non kosher, share production lines. If the kosher products are made after non kosher products a "kosherization" process usually needs to take place. The plastic Heinz baby food containers in question are produced in a smaller factory where there are very few scheduling conflicts to attend to and thus kosherization can be done easily. The glass bottles are produced in a different facility, one that is very busy, and the scheduling conflicts are too great to allow for koshering of the equipment between runs. Therefore, they are not kosher certified.
One of the main reasons for this is that the product is made by a different manufacturer who does not have kosher endorsement. A good example of this is the Kit Kat chocolate bar. Kit Kat in the United States is made by Hershey Foods Corporation, which has the Orthodox Union certification. Here in Canada, it is made by the Cadbury Schweppes group which does not have kosher endorsement for Kit Kat. The formula may be the same but the raw materials and sourcing of the ingredients may not. The glycerin used in Canada may be from an animal source whereas the American kosher product would use glycerin from a kosher source.
Food manufacture is an extremely complex process. Many ingredients that are not commonly known are problematic. For example, Lipase is extracted from animal tongues or pancreases, Glycerides are used in many gums and candies and are usually refined animal fat, or Polysorbates which are often combined with glycerides and as such contain animal fat. But that’s not the whole story. Even if all of the ingredients were kosher, what about the equipment they are made on? There could easily be considerable cross contamination that would render the product non kosher. For these reasons amongst others, a reliable kosher certification on a food product is a must.
The requirements include a thorough ingredient review which includes processing aids and an inspection of the plant. We make scheduled and unannounced inspection visits to the company to review their food processes and raw materials. There is a contractual agreement entered into between the company and the COR Council along with a supervision fee.
Kosher certification is a rigorous process. It has nothing to do with “blessing.” In fact, the only “blessing” we do is blessing companies with much success once they have fulfilled the rigorous requirements of the certification process.. It is generally because of non-compliance with the requirements of the written agreement that a company is delisted.
The numbers are our way of identifying a registered manufacturing facility. The COR without a number on a processed food may raise a question as to its authenticity.
If they are truly raw, with no coating, flavouring, dusting etc., bulk products can be purchased if they are items that do not require kosher certification and are kept in a clean, insect-free environment.
NO. Not all “Generic Products” are necessarily produced at kosher certified companies. The store brand name labels use manufacturing companies, some of which have kosher certification and others that do not. You cannot assume that all their products are kosher and you must look for the kosher endorsement each time you buy the product.
