WE WELCOME YOUR COMMENTS & CONTRIBUTIONS fax 212.613.0775 e–mail [email protected]S INCE OUR BEGINNING in 1920 as a thriving bakery in Jackson, Michigan, we have grown to become one of the world’s largest full-service, family-owned bakery industry suppliers. Dawn is a single source supplier to the bakery and food- service industry providing a complete range of mixes, bases, icings, fill- ings, frozen and ready-to-bake products, ready-to-sell prod- ucts and equipment, plus commodities, packaging, ingredients – literally everything one needs to run a profitable bakery. We know “Bakery” – it’s all we do, and we do it with 14 manufacturing facilities and 19 distribution centers in North America. We are American-owned and operated to provide friendly local service to our customers through 46 manufacturing and distribution locations worldwide. Visit our website at www.dawnfoods.com to contact one of our 2,600 employees near you. All our North American production facilities are certified kosher, the majority by our OU partnership that began in 1985. We have never had a customer’s rabbi reject OU certification. Many con- sumers don’t realize that our industry is inspected by organizations such as the American Institute of Baking and the Food and Drug Administration. But they do see the OU and they realize that an outside agency is certifying our facilities and look upon it as a seal of approval. Strict vegetarians and some Islamic communi- ties seek OU certifica- tion as well. In 1991 we began pareve production of many fillings and icings at our plant in Louisville, KY, and can now serve bakeries that produce only pareve products. Lactose intol- erant consumers know that OU pareve means that there are virtually no traces of dairy allergens in the product. Rabbi Yis- roel Bendelstein in New York and Rabbi Yosef Levy in Louisville assist me in maintaining the OU’s high standards. Dawn became so famous for our donuts in 1920 that our competitors would ask for our prepared mix. Demand U nion behind the 3 8 Summer 2004 Triaminic Becomes OU Kosher Salad Days for the OU Kosher Pizza Cardboard No More 18 CONTINUED ON PAGE 19 symbol symbol ❝ Consumers see the OU and look upon it as a seal of approval. ❞ Spotlight on OUCompanies Dawn Food Products: Where Bakery Success Starts By Jim Peacock A PUBLICATION FOR CERTIFIED COMPANIES Reaching 4,000 Food Executives & Over 2,500 Companies Worldwide
SINCE OUR BEGINNING in1920 as a thriving bakeryin Jackson, Michigan, we have
grown to become one of the world’slargest full-service, family-owned bakeryindustry suppliers. Dawn is a singlesource supplier to the bakery and food-service industry providing a completerange of mixes, bases, icings, fill-ings, frozen and ready-to-bakeproducts, ready-to-sell prod-ucts and equipment, pluscommodities, packaging,ingredients – literallyeverything one needs torun a profitable bakery.We know “Bakery” – it’sall we do, and we do itwith 14 manufacturingfacilities and 19 distributioncenters in North America. Weare American-owned and operatedto provide friendly local service to ourcustomers through 46 manufacturingand distribution locations worldwide.Visit our website at www.dawnfoods.comto contact one of our 2,600 employeesnear you.
All our North American productionfacilities are certified kosher, the majorityby our OU partnership that began in
1985. We have never had a customer’srabbi reject OU certification. Many con-sumers don’t realize that our industry isinspected by organizations such as theAmerican Institute of Baking and theFood and Drug Administration. But they
do see the OU and they realize thatan outside agency is certifying
our facilities and look uponit as a seal of approval.
Strict vegetarians andsome Islamic communi-ties seek OU certifica-tion as well. In 1991 webegan pareve production
of many fillings andicings at our plant in
Louisville, KY, and can nowserve bakeries that produce
only pareve products. Lactose intol-erant consumers know that OU parevemeans that there are virtually no traces ofdairy allergens in the product. Rabbi Yis-roel Bendelstein in New York and RabbiYosef Levy in Louisville assist me inmaintaining the OU’s high standards.
Dawn became so famous for ourdonuts in 1920 that our competitorswould ask for our prepared mix. Demand
Unionbehind the
3
8
Summer 2004
TriaminicBecomesOU Kosher
Salad Days for the OU
Kosher PizzaCardboard No More18
CONTINUED ON PAGE 19
symbolsymbol
}Consumerssee the OUand look upon it as a seal of approval.~
Spotlight on OUCompanies
Dawn FoodProducts: Where Bakery Success StartsBy Jim Peacock
A P U B L I C A T I O N F O R C E R T I F I E D C O M P A N I E S
Reaching 4,000 Food Executives & Over 2,500 Companies Worldwide
“YOU SHALL LIVE BY THEM, BUT YOU SHALLNOT DIE BECAUSE OF THEM.” Basing themselveson the verse in Leviticus, “You shall live by them”(i.e., the laws of the Torah), the Rabbis concludedthat the Torah’s laws are intended to enhance life,never to cause death. Thus, whenever observanceof the law endangers life, the requirement to observeis suspended, unless one is confronted with the threecardinal sins of murder, idolatry and adultery.Judaism teaches that the value of human life issupreme and takes precedence over virtually allother considerations. This noble attitude is most elo-quently summed up in a talmudic passage regardingthe creation of Adam: “Therefore only a single human
being was created in theworld, to teach that if anyperson has caused a singlesoul to perish, Scriptureregards him as if he hascaused an entire world to per-ish; and if any human beingsaves a single soul, Scriptureregards him as if he saves anentire world.” Human life isnot a good to be preserved asa condition of other valuesbut as an absolute, basic, andprecious good in its ownright. The obligation to pre-serve life is commensuratelyall encompassing.
With that in mind, allJewish sources have ruledthat saving human life takesprecedence over all obser-vances including the holySabbath day. Indeed, Mai-monides rules that in thoseinstances when the Sabbathmust be violated, it is prefer-able to have an adult andscholarly Jew do so, “to teachthat the purpose of the lawsof the Torah...is to bringmercy, loving kindness andpeace upon the world.” Evenon Yom Kippur, the mostsacred of days when fastingis paramount, when humanlife is at stake it is obligatoryto eat and not fast. The greatJewish scholar Rabbi HayyimSoloveitchik of Brisk was
known for being particularlylenient in permitting very sick people to eat
on Yom Kippur. When challenged about this, the greatsage responded, “I am not at all lenient about allow-ing sick people to eat on Yom Kippur. I am just verystrict in matters involving endangerment of life.” It isthis basic premise that is the guiding principle inallowing the ingestion of any medicine for any illnessthat is even remotely life threatening, without anyconcern as to its kosher status. One need not be con-cerned as to whether the prescription drug, tablet orpill prescribed by the physician is kosher. Jewish lawrequires that it be taken so that health be promptlyrestored.
Many over-the-counter consumer health prod-ucts and medications, such as cough syrups, are how-ever, another story. Overwhelmingly, they are takenin non-life threatening situations, and wherever possi-ble ought to be kosher certified, as many containingredients and flavors that may not be kosher. More-over, the product could be a liquid that is ingested,much like food, and should be treated as food. Flavor-ings actually give the product a pleasant taste, makingit even more like a food.
It is therefore of tremendous significance thatNovartis Consumer Health Inc., a leader in pharma-ceutical, consumer health, has joined with the Ortho-dox Union, the world’s leading kosher certifier, inlaunching a new era of kosher certification of majorOTC medications with the recently announced OUcertification of their Triaminic products. You can readabout this important news in this issue of Behind theUnion Symbol.
The Triaminic brand has always committed itselfto a standard of excellence in pediatric OTC medica-tions by providing a complete range of multiple
RABBI DR. TZVI HERSH WEINREBExecutive Vice President
DAVID OLIVESTONEDirector, Communicatons and Marketing
BEHIND THE UNION SYMBOL
RABBI ELIYAHU SAFRANEditor–in–Chief
STEPHEN STEINEREditor
PAMELA WEIMANGraphic Designer
OrthodoxUnion
From the Editor
}The value of human lifeis supreme and takes precedence over virtually all other considerations.~
CONTINUED ON PAGE 15
Cardboard No MoreCardboard No More
2 BEHIND THE UNION SYMBOL SUMMER 2004
www.oukosher.org 3
by Rabbi Andrew Gordimer
SIMILAR TO MANY OTHER INDUSTRIES, kosherpizza has finally come of age. Whereas many yearsago, kosher pizza was limited to one brand, and its
texture (and taste) resembled cardboard more thanpizza, today’s kosher market is flooded withan abundance of top-quality product in amultitude of varieties.
The OU is proud to certify thelarge bulk of kosher pizza; in fact,nearly all recognized brands ofkosher pizza bear the OU symbol.Our certification extends to inter-nationally famous pizzerias, dom-estic frozen pizza factories, and evensome Italian pizza companies.
WHAT IS INVOLVED INCERTIFYING PIZZA AS KOSHER?
INGREDIENTS: The most sensitive ingredientin standard pizza is cheese. Kosher hard cheese has aspecial requirement that it be rabbinically supervisedfrom setting to packaging; mere assurance that thecheese’s ingredients are kosher is not enough. Thus, onlycheese which is manufactured under constant rabbinicwatch is permitted.
Although sauce and spices are not encumbered byspecial supervision requirements, they too must bekosher-approved. Many tomato sauces and pastes areprocessed in plants which also handle non-kosher meatand/or cheese; thus, pizza sauce sources must be care-fully examined for kosher status. So, too, many spicesmust be verified as to kosher specifications, as the OUneeds to assure that the spices are processed in aninnocuous environment and are free from infestation.
PROCESSING: Although many OU-certified pizza plantsare all-kosher, others are not, and the OU thereforeneeds to set up elaborate systems for production, whichensure kosher status of ingredients and equipment.
All-kosher pizza plants often operate without full-time rabbinic supervision. In such cases, the OU visitsfrequently to monitor the use of all ingredients. Kosherpizza cheese (made under special supervision, as notedabove) must be sealed and signed by the supervising
rabbi at the cheese plant, and OU visits to pizza facili-ties must include verification of seals on all cheese.
Non-kosher plants, which schedule separate kosherproductions, pose a much greater challenge.
There are two types of such plants:(a) Cold-process plants apply
all pizza ingredients at ambienttemperatures. In such facili-
ties, the oven is used only forbaking plain pizza crust (orshells); sauce, cheese, spicesand any additional toppingsare applied once the doughis cool.
These facilities are simplerto deal with from a kosher per-
spective, as the non-koshercheese (and any other ingredients)
used during non-kosher productiondoes not have hot contact with equipment,
thus alleviating the need for kosherization (kosher san-itizing after hot non-kosher use). Nevertheless, the pres-ence of non-kosher residue on belts which conveyproduct under sauce and cheese stations and on cuttingand packaging equipment requires thorough, abrasivecleansing before kosher campaigns. Full-time rabbinicsupervision is needed to take care of these procedures, aswell as to assure segregation of non-kosher ingredientsduring kosher productions and to monitor the use ofkosher packaging materials.
(b) Hot-process plants bake the entire pizza —including toppings — in the oven. Thus, regular non-kosher runs utilize the oven for non-kosher cheese (andperhaps meat and other non-kosher ingredients), ren-dering the oven fully non-kosher and requiring com-plete kosherization prior to kosher production.
In such plants, the rabbinic field representative mustsee to it that the oven is heated to its maximum, whichmust be at least 950oF. Otherwise, a blow-torch is neces-sary to scald the oven’s interior. So, too, kosher productmust be made on kosher-dedicated baking pans, whichare sealed by the supervising rabbi between each koshercampaign. If dedicated pans are not used, the baking
Cardboard No Morekosher pizza
Cardboard No Morekosher pizza
Nearly all recognized brands of kosher pizza bear the OU symbol
CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE
} In a food-service setting, the OU requires full-time on-site rabbinic supervision, despitethe establishment being all-kosher.~
Since 1968, Macabee Foods has produced premium quality kosherfrozen pizza products for the entire family.We started with a variety of delicious items, including pizza bagels, pizzasquares, regular pizzas and French bread pizza products. Over the years, we’veextended our delicious line, and today we keep pace with the nutritionalrequirements of carbohydrate-conscious consumers with products like ourbrand new Low Carb 3 Cheese Pizza Bagels.
All of our products carry the OU symbol.
For over 35 years we’ve remained committed toproduct quality and to our relationship with theOrthodox Union. On an individual basis, our prod-ucts are Cholov Yisroel, Pas Yisroel, Bishul Yisroel,Parve or Yoshon, and all of our products carrythe OU symbol of kashrut and quality. We spe-cially design our products for flavor, cookingconvenience and value.
Our relationship with the OU is critical to thequality of our products, the satisfaction of
our customers and our ultimate business success.Discerning kosher customers will only purchase products
with kosher symbols they recognize and trust. At Macabee Kosher, webelieve that the OU is a symbol of true kosher certification for the broadestbase of our core kosher consumers.
For our entire existence we’ve been a category leader and product innovator,with a deep commitment to developing quality products. Working with theOU, our industry leadership will surely continue.
Rabbi Yosef Goldberg is Rabbinic Coordinator for Macabee Kosher Foods.
pans need to be passed throughthe oven during its kosherization ortorched directly at 950oF (quite ascary scene, for those of us whohave witnessed it).
All belts, trays and holdingequipment which contact hot non-kosher pizza subsequent to its exit-ing the oven must be kosherizedwith boiling water. Practically, thisis usually accomplished by using asteam generator (“genny”). Steam isdirected for long periods at all partsand equipment requiring kosheriza-tion, so that the steam condenses onthe surface of the equipment andheats it to its maximum.
As in the case of cold-processplants, full-time rabbinic supervi-sion is necessary for the entirety ofkosher runs (and kosherizationbeforehand), and cold-use equip-ment (such as conveyors and pack-aging machinery) must be cleansed,ingredients must be monitored, etc.
FOOD-SERVICEESTABLISHMENTS:
The above protocol is standard forall frozen pizza plants. However,the OU certifies many retail estab-lishments whose main fare is pizza,and the kosher programs at thesefacilities have additional features.
In a food-service setting, theOU requires full-time on-site rab-binic supervision, despite the estab-lishment being all-kosher. Manysuch establishments are Jewish-owned, and are thus subject to aspecial requirement that a portionof each batch of dough — calledchallah — be separated as a titheprior to use. The on-site rabbi usu-ally handles this procedure.
So, too, the use of fresh additivesin retail pizza operations presentsthe need for careful inspection
before use, as certain types of produce are very prone toinfestation. The on-site OU rabbinic supervisor must betrained to target and inspect all such ingredients. (Includedin the list of kosher-sensitive fresh produce are spinach, let-tuce, broccoli, cauliflower and many leafy spices.)
The OU is proud to certify the following pizza com-panies and retail establishments whose main fare is pizza:Amnon Kosher Pizza, Continental Food Products,
Eddie’s Broadway J-2 NYC Pizza (Brooklyn, NY and Man-hattan locations), Il Patrizio, Macabee Foods, Mendel-sohn’s Pizza, Mey Trading and Upscale Foods.
Rabbi Andrew Gordimer is Orthodox Union Rabbinic Coordinator for a number of certified pizza companies.
A PIZZA SUCCESS STORY:
Bake It, And They Will Come
AFTER ARRIVING FROM POLAND fol-lowing World War II, Rabbi MayerMendelsohn opened a small pizza
shop in Brooklyn, NY. With no seating and a menu con-sisting of only pizza, falafel and French fries, he estab-lished the first kosher pizza store in Boro Park. Peoplewould come from far and near to taste and experiencethe sweet and succulent taste of his products.
In 1975, Mayer’s son Kalman came aboard andhelped expand the store by adding seating and featuringnew items on the menu. Within five years he madeMendelsohn’s a household name, attracting customersfrom around the world. Lines would stretch out the doorwith people wanting to experience his delicious pizza.
Kalman’s son Junior (Moti), the third generation ofMendelsohn’s, started his career in the pizza industry in1990. He also added many new items to the menu andrevolutionized the frozen pizza concept by making itavailable to the kosher consumer for the first time, ship-ping the pizza, manufactured in the Boro Park facility,far and wide. It was at this timethat the OU began certifyingMendelsohn’s.
“Attaining OU certificationbrought us new opportunities inthe kosher market,” declaresanother of Kalman’s sons, Heshy.“I’m able to sell the frozen pizza
everywhere because the OU is accepted everywhere.Being certified brings out the relationship we have withthe OU.” Of course, the OU symbol gives great confi-dence to the local clientele as well.
In 1997 a devastating fire broke out in the store andburned down a true landmark. When the store reopenedthe following year, fans were relieved that their favoritepizza store was once again back and bigger and betterthan ever. Today Mendelsohn’s Pizza is the tri-states’largest pizza store, with a seating capacity of 175 personsand a menu featuring over 100 items to satisfy everytaste. Besides pizza, the menu now includes a full line ofItalian dishes, many different pizza toppings, and a freshsalad bar, among other goodies.
Now, there is a second Mendelsohn’s, in Flatbush,another heavily Jewish area of Brooklyn, which openedseveral weeks after Passover. Like its Boro Park counter-part, the store is certified by the OU. There are many ele-ments in the success of Mendelsohn’s which led to itsexpansion – starting with a delicious product – but as
Heshy Mendelsohn affirms,having OU certification is a keycomponent of that success.
Rabbi Dov Schreier serves as the OrthodoxUnion’s Rabbinic Coordinatorfor Mendelsohn’s.
When attending yourindustry conferences orexhibiting at shows besure to display your "We Are Proud to Be anOU Company" sign. Your marketing peopleand show organizersought to always have thesigns in their show kits.They are sure to attractthe kosher buyers to yourbooth If you need morecopies of the sign, we willbe glad to supply them.Email [email protected] foryour copies.
LOOK UP IN THE SKY:It’s a Bird, It’s a Plane – No, It’s a Kosher Pizza
www.flyingpizzas.com
APIZZA, IT IS TRUE, looks like a flying saucer, oreven a giant frisbee. But despite their appearance,pizzas won’t fly unless they are Eddie Fishbaum’s
“Flying Pizzas,” baked at Brooklyn’s Broadway’sJerusalem 2 pizza parlor, which is OU certified.
Eddie’s pizzas fly wherever Federal Express will takethem, which is far indeed. They have gone to a honey-mooning couple at the Grand Canyon, to Puerto Rico,Hawaii, and all across North America, not to mentionRussia, South America, Europe and Asia.
Eddie’s website www.flyingpizzas.com includes thefollowing pizza and non-pizza selections: “Real NewYork Pizza,” for $19.95 with free shipping; one pound ofcinnamon rugelach (a small, very tasty pastry), for$17.95, also with free shipping; a “Broadway Gift Pack,”including one pizza and a pound of rugelach for $32.90;two pounds of rugelach, for $32.95; four cheese pizzasfor $64.92 with free shipping; 12 cheese pizzas for$179.95, and other treats.
Eddie Fishbaum has been in the pizza business sincehe started making kosher pies after school in Brooklyn,NY when he was 12 years old. By the age of 14, Eddie wasa master pizza maker, serving as many as 300 pies in asingle day. Years later, he and his brother Ari (nowdeceased) opened Jerusalem 2, on Broadway, in the Man-hattan Garment Center, not far from Times Square. Nowthe business is based in Brooklyn, where he serves some2,000 pizzas every week (except during Passover), plusother dishes.
In November 1995, after developing special packag-ing, the brothers started flying their pizzas, according toEddie, “because so many people from all over the coun-try ask us to open up a pizza store in their neighborhood.We’re giving them the next best thing. It’s as if they haveus right next door.”
Rabbi Dov Schreier serves as the Orthodox Union’s Rabbinic Coordinatorfor Broadway’s Jerusalem 2.
www.oukosher.org 7www.oukosher.org 7
UPSCALE FOODS, OF THEST. PAUL, MN suburb ofNew Hope, was estab-
lished in 1998 when theOrthodox owners of a kosherfood distribution companyacquired a kosher food man-ufacturing facility with aproduct line known as “TheOld City Café.” Old Citywas originally a restaurant,but over time it evolved intoa producer of frozen foods,most notably frozen pizza.Shortly after the acquisition,the new owners arranged forOrthodox Union supervision,which — in a major businessdevelopment for Upscale —enabled the new company to pro-duce pizza for “Empire Kosher,”which uses OU certification exclu-sively on all of its poultry and frozenfood products.
Upscale currently manufactures a variety of prod-ucts under a number of different national brands and pri-vate labels, including its own “The Old City Café”award-winning pizza and burrito lines. The company’s pro-duction line is run on a day-to-day basis by Managing Part-ner Rabbi Yaakov Roberts, who worked under the guidanceof his late father, Rev. Shepsel Roberts. Yaakov Roberts is nostranger to the food industry, having over thirty years expe-rience with food processing and distribution.
“There is no question that the OU is the best knownand best recognized kosher certification available today,just as it was thirty years ago when I went into the busi-ness,” declared Rabbi Roberts. “Having OU certificationin our plant has enabled us to enter into relationshipswith companies whose customers demand the highestlevel of kosher supervision.”
In 2002, Upscale Foods began plans for upgradingand relocating its plant in New Hope to a new state-of-the-art facility with greater capacity and improved capa-bilities. From the initial design elements to the finishedconstruction, the Upscale Foods facility was built to be afully certified USDA meat and poultry processing plant,with pareve and dairy components as well.
The company specializes in all-natural, ethnic, andgourmet frozen specialties — all kosher, of course. Prod-ucts manufactured at its facility in New Hope includepizza, burritos, wraps, enchiladas, macaroni and cheeseand other varieties. They are manufactured for theretail, food service and private label trades and include a
wide variety of items made fornationally known OU certifiedcompanies.
Given the fact thatUpscale Foods manufacturespizza to be sold under avariety of brand names, ituses different recipes giventhe requirements of eachof the brands. For example,some of the brands will bemade with an apple cidermix, others with a watermix; whether the pizzaincludes apple cider or not
sometimes determines thekind of blessing to be madeover the pizza when it is eaten.
Nevertheless, there are cer-tain characteristics that all of the
Upscale Foods pizza lines share,according to Vice President of
National Sales, Yaakov Bellinsky. “All ofour pizzas are produced under OU supervi-
sion, at an Orthodox-owned, Sabbath-observantcompany,” he explained. “Likewise, all of the pizzas arenot only kosher, but are all-natural – that is, they con-tain no preservatives. So you will find us in two locationsin a store, the kosher section, and the all-natural sec-tion,” Mr. Bellinsky explained.
Regarding the Upscale Foods-OU relationship, Mr.Bellinsky declared, “From our perspective, it has been apleasure working with the Orthodox Union. The OU isalways available to answer our questions and is very respon-sive to our needs. We’ve enjoyed our relationship with theOU and look forward to extending it as we add more pri-vate label brands to our product line in the future.”
Rabbi Andrew Gordimer is Rabbinic Coordinator for Upscale Foods.
For applications to certify
NEW COMPANIES or ADDITIONAL PLANTS,
call Civie Birnbaum at the OU Applications Desk
212.613.8249
AnUpscale
Brand of Pizza
IN AN IMPORTANT BREAKTHROUGH for kosher con-sumers, the Orthodox Union (OU) and Novartis Con-sumer Health, Inc., a NJ-based Novartis company,
jointly announced in June that the company’s Tri-aminic® brand pediatric cold/cough/allergy liquid med-ications have been certified as kosher by the OU.Novartis Consumer Health, Inc. is the first major over-the-counter company to attain OU certification forpediatric cold/cough/allergy medications.
OU has certified eight varieties of Triaminic liquid.The products will be available in packages bearing thefamed OU Kosher symbol this summer. They have beencertified as OU pareve, meaning they contain neithermeat nor dairy ingredients.
The Orthodox Union is the world’s largest koshercertification agency, certifying over 275,000 productsproduced in nearly 6,000 plants located in 68 countriesaround the world.
“This is a very significant development for thekosher world,” declared Rabbi Menachem Genack, Rab-binic Administrator of the OU Kosher Division. “Inaddition to the enormous growth of food productsbeing certified as OU Kosher, now a major line of over-the-counter pharmaceuticals is also being made avail-
able to the kosher consumer. Triaminic is respected asan effective cold/cough/allergy medication for children,but because of the presence of possibly non-kosher glyc-erin, among other products, kosher observant parentscould not give Triaminic to their children. Now, thanksto the Novartis Consumer Health, Inc. – OU collabora-tion, they can.”
“The kosher marketplace has expanded to such adegree that manufacturers welcome the opportunity toreceive OU certification and are willing to make theinvestment necessary to meet the OU’s demandingstandards,” Rabbi Genack declared.
“Novartis Consumer Health, Inc. recognizes theimportance of becoming a part of the ever-expandingkosher marketplace, and is proud to offer consumers aTriaminic product that meets the certified kosher stan-dards of the Orthodox Union,” said Lynne Millheiser,Senior Vice President, OTC Business Unit North America.
The issue of whether medications must be kosher isoften misunderstood, declared Rabbi Dr. Eliyahu Safran,Senior Rabbinic Coordinator at OU Kosher, who servedas liaison to Triaminic executives and oversaw the prod-uct’s OU certification process. The issue, in fact, is socomplex, that last year the OU sponsored a seminar forrabbis and other interested observers on kosher lawregarding medications and vitamins.
“The guiding principle of Jewish law, as given to usin the Torah, is V’Chai Bahem – And you should live bythem,” declared Rabbi Safran. “The Talmud explainsthat God gave us these laws for us to live by, so that ourlife may be enhanced and strengthened. However, theselaws are put aside in order to maintain and continuelife. Therefore, someone who is very sick on the Sabbathmay call the doctor or drive to an emergency room.Someone who is very sick on Yom Kippur may eat. Notonly can we do these things, we must do these things topreserve life,” Rabbi Safran explained. He added, “TheTalmud says you can violate one Sabbath in mostinstances so that you will be able to observe the next 51Sabbaths in the year.”
}Novartis Consumer Health, Inc.recognizes the importance of becominga part of the ever-expanding koshermarketplace.~
Nothing to Sneeze at: Orthodox Union CertifiesTriaminic PediatricCold/Cough/AllergyLiquid Medications as KosherBy Stephen Steiner
8 BEHIND THE UNION SYMBOL SUMMER 2004
www.oukosher.org 9
As a result of this philosophy, “Any medicine whichis required for an illness which is even remotely life-threatening is not required to be kosher. Jewish lawregarding solid tablets and pills is even less stringent, asthey are inedible and swallowing them isn’t even con-sidered like eating food.”
But over-the-counter medications, like cold/cough/allergy medications, are another story.
“People wrongly think these products don’t have tobe certified. But they are taken in non-life threateningsituations and therefore they must be certified,” RabbiSafran said.
“For the enhancement of one’s health and the treat-ment of certain conditions that are not life-threatening,one must seek out a kosher product. One such exampleis cough syrup,” he declared.
Rabbi Safran noted that in addition to glycerin,cold/cough/allergy medications may contain manyingredients – including artificial flavorings – that maynot be kosher. Moreover, the product could be a liquidthat is ingested, much like food, and should be treatedas food. Flavorings can give the product a pleasant taste,making it even more like food.
Triaminic breezed through the certification process,as complicated as it was, despite the large number ofingredients found in cold/cough/allergy medications.“As an OTC products company, Novartis ConsumerHealth, Inc. is accustomed to following the stringentrequirements of the U.S. Food and Drug Administrationto have products approved. As a result, it was very easyfor them to follow the OU’s stringent requirements forcertification,” Rabbi Safran explained.
Rabbi Safran worked closely – literally on a day-to-daybasis – with Jila Breeze, Global Head of Quality & Com-pliance for Novartis Consumer Health’s Over-the-CounterBusiness Unit, based in Parsippany, New Jersey; and withAllison Johnson, Team Leader of Quality Assurance Docu-mentation, based in the Lincoln, Nebraska plant wherethe cold/cough/allergy liquids are manufactured.
Both Ms. Breeze and Ms. Johnson maintained aclose working relationship with the Rabbi, going overdetails and peppering him with questions. Ms. Johnsonwas in charge of producing the letters of certification forthe multiplicity of ingredients that go into the variousmedications, a process that took several months.“There was a lot of documentation,” she said with alaugh, adding, “Rabbi Safran was very patient with us.”
Ms. Breeze was involved in the discussions withNovartis Consumer Health Management that led to thedecision to seek kosher certification and to pursue thematter with the OU. Given the company’s experiencewith the FDA, “we were very prepared,” Ms. Breezedeclared. “We had good documentation and goodpractices already in place.” When ingredients had to bechanged, she said, they were.
“Novartis Consumer Health, Inc. identified with thekosher consumer market and decided that among itsmany products, it would begin the kosher process withTriaminic,” Rabbi Safran declared, adding that theprocess of certifying Maalox®, another Novartis Con-sumer Health, Inc. brand, is already underway.
When Novartis Consumer Health, Inc. executiveswere visiting OU headquarters to discuss the certificationprocess, Rabbi Safran told them, “When a religious per-son is physically weakened, that person doesn’t want tobe spiritually weakened as well. By adhering to the lawsof kosher, a person – a child in the case of Triaminic –maintains his or her spiritual strength and integritywhile the body is healing. That is why what NovartisConsumer Health, Inc. has done is so important.”
Stephen Steiner is OU Director of Public Relations and Editor of this publication.
www.oukosher.org 9
}When a religious person isphysically weakened, that person
doesn’t want to be spirituallyweakened as well. By adhering
to the laws of kosher, aperson – a child in the case
of Triaminic – maintainshis or her spiritual
strength and integrity whilethe body is healing.~
WHAT DO AMERICAN BUFFALO, giraffes, sparrows and grasshoppers have incommon? They were all featured at an Orthodox Union conference in Mayon the traditions of kosher meat.
An attendance numbering in the hundreds filled the auditorium of Lander Col-lege for Men in Kew Gardens Hills, Queens, NY to learn about the traditions (meso-rah) of the kosher status of many kosher animals and birds. After 20 years ofresearch into the potential of bringing these and dozens of other exotic creaturesback into the fold of mainstream Jewish cuisine, Dr. Ari Greenspan and Rabbi Dr.Ari Zivotofsky presented their findings to the OU for endorsement.
The result, following weeks of preparation by members of the OU KashruthDepartment to compile their research, was a day of interactive lectures on various top-ics relating to the traditions of kosher meat, followed by a once-in-a-lifetime dinnerat which many of these rare creatures were consumed at an OU certified restaurant.
The day was coordinated by Rabbi Yosef Grossman, the Director of the Ortho-dox Union’s “ASK OU” programs, which sponsored the two-part event.
“The Orthodox Union is the largest and most respected kosher certifying organ-ization in the world,” declared Rabbi Menachem Genack, Rabbinic Administrator ofOU Kosher. “It is only natural that when Dr. Ari Greenspan and Rabbi Ari Zivitovskyconcluded their world-wide trek to find rabbis who could testify to the kosher statusof these creatures, they came to the OU to give their work credibility.”
Like other food items, kosher poultry must have sources that meet the strictstandards of Jewish law. Unlike other food items, however, kosher poultry can onlybe taken from those creatures whose kosher status is affirmed through tradition.Many creatures are not easily procured, and their kosher status is sadly falling awayas the few rabbis remaining in the world who can attest to the kosher status ofmany exotic creatures slowly pass away.
The OU therefore seized on the opportunity to present an extraordinary day,starting with eight hours of lectures from the top experts in kosher meat in both theUnited States and Israel. One might think that eight hours of speeches on meatcould be the cure for insomnia, but as one participant remarked, “How can yousleep with someone frying fresh grasshoppers before your eyes?”
}One mightthink that eighthours of speecheson meat could be the cure forinsomnia, but asone participantremarked, “Howcan you sleepwith someonefrying freshgrasshoppersbefore your eyes?~
CONTINUED ON PAGE 15
Water buffalo, venison
10 BEHIND THE UNION SYMBOL SUMMER 2004
MESORAHYou Don’t Have to Go to Buffalo to Find Out if Buffalo is Kosher
OU ConferenceExplores the Traditions of Rare Animals & Birds By Rabbi Chaim Goldberg
PROTECTING THE SYMBOL:
Tracking Down the Unauthorized OUBy Howard Katzenstein
CONTINUED 0N PAGE 22
AS THE LARGEST KOSHER cer-tifying agency in the world,the Orthodox Union is deeply
concerned about protecting theintegrity of its kosher symbol. Thus,when a product bearing an unautho-rized OU appears, as occasionallyhappens, the Orthodox Unionresponds quickly and efficiently.
Over 500 cases of questionableuse of the OU symbol are investi-gated each year. This number is aminiscule percentage when com-pared to the 275,000 productsauthorized to bear the OU symbol.Of the 500 cases investigated annu-ally, approximately 50 cases requirecorrective action.
It is important to note that theOrthodox Union is not the only tar-get of trademark misuse. Indeed, allmajor kosher certifying agencies,and in a broader sense, all manufac-turers of brand name goods (e.g.,Disney, Rolex, etc.), are regularlyplagued by trademark infringement.
HOW DOES THIS HAPPEN?
There are a number of ways in whichsymbol misuse can happen.
UNREGISTERED PRODUCTS: Not-withstanding a plant’s certified sta-tus, each and every product needs tobe licensed and registered with theOrthodox Union. Even though thefinished product is kosher, lack ofadherence to procedural require-ments for registering new labels cansometimes result in embarrassing sit-uations, withdrawals, and even legalaction. The importance of an Ortho-dox Union manufacturer properlyregistering each brand name andproduct cannot be understated. Afew years ago, an Orthodox Union
RFR (Rabbinical Field Representative)spotted an unfamiliar brand ofchopped liver bearing an OU. Thebrand and product were not listed inour database as certified. The com-pany listed on the container couldnot be located (since it was actuallyan alias), and the supermarket wasinstructed to withdraw the productfrom sale.
Shortly thereafter, I received acall from one of our client compa-nies identifying the ownership ofthis product. It was in fact kosher,and produced in an OU certifiedplant. Incidentally, repeated requestshad been made to this manufacturerto update its Schedule B (list of certi-fied products). The moral of thestory is that not accurately maintain-ing a company’s Schedule B can havea very negative outcome.
MISCONCEPTION THAT THE OU ISA UNIVERSAL KOSHER SYMBOL: Ajelly manufacturer in Turkey, super-vised by the local rabbinate, beginsto export jelly to the United States.Erroneously told that the OU is thegeneric kosher symbol in the UnitedStates, the company uses the symbolwithout certification. PRINTING ERROR: A major NewYork supermarket chain introduces anew line of canned meat and pasta.In order to create a mock-up of thenew label, the supermarket graphicsdepartment takes an existing label ofOU certified canned peas and car-rots. The designers unintentionallycopy the OU.
INTENTIONAL FRAUD: A beveragemanufacturer applies for OrthodoxUnion certification. During ourinspection of the plant, we learn, for
example, that the beverages are pas-teurized on the same equipmentused to pasteurize non-kosher grapedrinks. We tell the manufacturer thatwe cannot certify his products.Determined to increase sales, com-pany executives decide to use theOU anyway.
ACCIDENTAL VIOLATION: In viola-tion of the established kosher pro-gram, an OU certified companymistakenly uses a non-kosher sourceof shortening. The rabbinic field rep-resentative (RFR) spots the non-kosher ingredient during his nextvisit, but the finished goods havealready been shipped to supermar-kets around the country.
When the OU MustSeek Legal RedressThe Orthodox Union is proud tohave legal representation from Swi-dler Berlin Sheref Friedman, LLP(www.swidlaw.com)
With offices in Washington, D.C.and New York City, Swidler Berlin isa full service firm and covers a fullrange of issues, providing traditionaland emerging industries with thecoverage and experience that distin-guishes its practice. The firm is com-prised of top legal professionals whobring their own insights to bear inserving the needs of its clients.The Orthodox Union works veryclosely with David J. Butler andWendy C. McGraw, who are basedin the Washington D.C. offices.
www.oukosher.org 11
CONDIMENTS such as salad dressings andsauces have become a regular fixture oftoday’s meals. Whether at a fast food restau-
rant, an elegantly catered meal, or in one’s ownhome, these products are ever present. It is for thisreason that many companies seek OU certification,to provide kosher condiments to the large marketof consumers who demand them. This has provenvery challenging for the OU, as the level of super-vision at salad dressing and sauce plants tends to bemore complicated than in many other industries.
MONITORING OF INGREDIENTS
Since salad dressing plants may manufacturenumerous varieties of non-kosher products, thepossibility of a non-kosher source finding its wayinto a kosher product is a major concern. StandardOU protocol provides an airtight level of supervi-sion to prevent this type of mishap. All raw materi-als at the facility should appear on the OrthodoxUnion approved ingredient listing, Schedule A,regardless as to whether they are used in an OU cer-tified product. Non-kosher ingredients that areused in non-kosher products appear on the Sched-ule A and are classified as Group Six Allowed. Thisenables the OU to monitor the presence of all theingredients in the plant. Furthermore, OU certifieddressing companies do not purchase compatiblesources of kosher and non-kosher ingredients, oncethe kosher source is used in an OU certified prod-uct. All equivalent raw materials used for non-kosher labels must be kosher approved as well.Checking for compatible kosher and non-kosheringredients is an integral part of the RFR inspec-tion.
Mixed plants (kosher dairy/non-dairy/non-kosher) must submit their formulas to the OUoffice for review. The company’s formulas are keptin an office file under strict confidence. The for-mula review allows for the confirmation of thekosher pareve or kosher dairy status of the certifiedproduct. Due to the sensitive nature of the infor-mation handled by the OU office, at times compa-
nies may insist upon a legally binding non-disclo-sure agreement prior to releasing any confidentialinformation. The Orthodox Union is very sensitiveto the security concerns of companies, and gladlyrespects this request.
The use of modern technology has also greatlyfacilitated the OU’s work in monitoring plant rawmaterials. Most plants are now capable of generat-ing a where used report, which allows the OU totrace non-kosher ingredients and confirm that theyare used in non-kosher labels only.
REVIEW OF LABELS
Salad dressing and sauce companies typically pos-sess a plethora of kosher or non-kosher in-houseand private labels. Extreme care and attention mustbe devoted to the graphic design of the labels, toensure that the OU symbol does not inadvertentlyappear on a non-kosher product. To safeguardagainst any labeling error, companies will developan internal system of proofreading, and shouldalways verify that the OU symbol properly appearson a label. Reviewing all labels, whether kosher ornon-kosher, for the presence of the OU symbolshould be part of standard proofreading proce-dures. The OU RFR is especially careful to inspectall the labels at salad dressing plants due to the pos-sibility of this type of serious labeling mishap.Since the number of labels may be vast, plantsoften possess a label book that greatly facilitatesthe RFR’s inspection. The presence of a label bookat the plant inevitably brings benefits to plant per-sonnel as well, as it provides an organized and con-cise record of a company’s many labels.
It is not uncommon for companies to considerreformulating existing products. In these instances,it is imperative that the OU office be dulyinformed, even if it does not involve the purchas-ing of new raw materials. Lack of communicationin this area could result in an unfortunate misla-beling. For example, if a company intends tochange a formula from pareve to dairy, proper noti-fication given to the OU office will help guarantee
CONTINUED ON PAGE 17
SALADDAYSfor the OUBy Rabbi David Bistricer
12 BEHIND THE UNION SYMBOL SUMMER 2004
www.oukosher.org 13
OU COMPANIES Speak
Nature’s Choice
WITH ITS NATURE'S CHOICE and SunlightFoods brands, Nature's Choice is a leadingmanufacturer of quality dressings, sauces
and salad products. We are headquartered inMiami, Florida, at our multi-million dollar, state-of-the-art manufacturing and distribution facility. Allof our products are blended, packaged, inventoriedand delivered under strict quality control guide-lines, resulting in lasting perfection, stability, andgourmet taste, providing optimum performance toour customers. Nature's Choice and Sunlight Foodsbrands are supported by an organization ofresearch and development professionals thatinclude an on-site food technologist, a foodchemist, and a nutritionist.
Offering kosher products is another importantstep toward meeting the rising expectations of ourcustomers, enabling us to appeal to a broader baseof consumers. The coveted OU symbol is one ofthe best-known trademarks in the world. It is asign of quality as well as kosher certification. TheOU symbol is recognized by kosher consumers asproof that our products meet the strictest stan-dards of kosher. Another advantage of OU certifi-
cation is that it helps propel Nature's Choice andSunlight Foods to higher sales.
It is very challenging to comply with therequirements of the OU kosher program. Theprocess takes time, including the initial inspection,evaluation, ingredient compliance, re-inspectionand certification; however, the benefits are worth it.
The high standard of maintaining the kosherprogram at Sunlight Foods and Nature's Choiceresults from the tireless efforts of kosher coordinatorPeter Lane, which have enabled the company to havea long and mutually beneficial relationship with theOrthodox Union. Through hard work and effortand with help from Rabbi David Bistricer, the OURabbinic Coordinator, and Rabbi Manish Spitz, therabbinic field representative, we control all areaspertaining to the updating of Schedule A, ScheduleB, storage areas, policy issues and labels, therebyaddressing all ingredients used in kosher and non-kosher products manufactured at Nature's Choice.
by Mayra ThompsonMarketing Specialist
WALDEN FARMS BEGAN making salad dress-ing in 1972 using healthful ingredients withuniversal appeal to create consumer brand
loyalty for our products.When searching for kosher certification, our
goal was again to create universal appeal by choos-ing the certifier most trusted and respected bythose who look for kosher foods. As expected,Walden Farms consumer base, store count andmarket share have all benefited from our relation-ship with the Orthodox Union.
The supervising rabbis who work with us toassure our kosher status, not to mention our con-sumers, expect and insist on perfection in ourkosher program and will accept nothing less.When questions arise or we need a new ingredient
for our kosher products, we need to only make onephone call to the OU and help is provided.
Our relationship with the Orthodox Unioncontinues to blossom. Walden Farms senior man-agement agrees that our kosher program enhancesboth our sales and the perception of quality in themarketplace.
Rabbi David Bistricer is Orthodox Union Rabbinic Coordinator forSunlight Foods and Walden Farms.
Walden FarmsWalden Farms
Nature’s Choice
14 BEHIND THE UNION SYMBOL SUMMER 2004 www.oukosher.org 14
One of Aquathin’s water purification product is in display.
IN 2005 the Aquathin Corp. USAwill celebrate its Silver Anniver-sary, and among those wishing
the firm a Happy Anniversary is theOrthodox Union, given the closeworking relationship they share.
Aquathin, based in PompanoBeach, FL, manufactures a broadspectrum of unique and patentedwater purification, softening andfiltration systems servicing the resi-dential, commercial and laboratorymarkets both domestic and interna-tional. Established in 1980 by thefather and son team of Mitchell andAlfred Lipshultz, Aquathin nowproduces over 70 patented andtrademarked devices for marketsaround the world through morethan 600 authorized dealers.Aquathin is an E.P.A. Registeredmanufacturer, ISO 9000 Compliantand recipient of the prestigiousPresident’s Excellence Award inExport from the U.S. CommerceDepartment. It addition, it received
the Nation’s Blue Chip EnterpriseAward from the U.S. Chamber ofCommerce.
Aquathin is truly a rags to richesstory, with the firm starting outwith a 900 square foot warehouseand seed money of $14,000 andgoing through a period when it wasnot certain it could meet its payroll– one employee – to its current sta-tus featuring a 60,000 square footfacility complete with trainingschools, plus an excellent industryand international reputation.
The company has a very impres-sive global client list, which includesthe military, embassies, museums,hi-tech factories, hospitals and bot-tled water companies around theworld. Recently Aquathin launchedtwo projects several years in themaking: for Authorized AquathinDealers to provide total home airand water security; and for “Sweet-water” water dispensing sites, withTexaco as a prominent client in theCaribbean.
Much of this success resultsfrom Aquathin’s ties with the OU.In 1992 Aquathin became the firstmanufacturer of water treatmentequipment to receive kosher certifi-cation and it chose to do so throughOrthodox Union. Mitchell Lip-shultz recognized that there was a
substantial domestic market forkosher certified products, and thatin order to establish a base in Mid-dle East and Muslim nations, koshercertification would be an extraordi-nary addition to company’s alreadyimpressive resume of achievements.
Domestic dealers are trained at“Aquathin University” to understandthe benefits of kosher certificationand that such certification appearson the labels of high quality productswherever food is sold. During severalAquathin University classes, OU rab-bis have been present, leading stu-dents to remark that they found theirpresence to be astonishing, movingand noteworthy. Aquathin Corp.USA is a member of the FloridaDepartment of Agriculture’s “KosherFrom Florida” and “Fresh FromFlorida” marketing programs.
The Lipshultz Family isdelighted with Aquathin’s ties tothe Orthodox Union and is pleasedto receive the OU’s congratulationson the firm’s Silver Anniversary andits longstanding commitment toexcellence and water quality.
Rabbi Eliyahu Ferrell serves as the Orthodox UnionRabbinic Coordinator forAquathin
OU Joins inAquathin
Corp. USA’s Silver
AnniversaryCelebration
www.oukosher.org 15
MESORAH
Participants witnessed a livedemonstration from Rabbi ChaimLoike, one of the world’s experts inexotic kosher birds, and saw some ofhis 25 feathered-friends on display. They heard about the dissection of agiraffe (to investigate its kosher status); were introduced (through a video)to an exotic bovine from South America, the Zebu; and even learned thatthe humble turkey is over-shadowed by mountains of rabbinic literatureexplaining its complicated kosher tradition.
All of this can really work up an appetite. Some 145 curious and hun-gry diners traveled to Levana, an OU certified restaurant in Manhattan,which doubled that evening as a lively lecture hall. The restaurant hadbooked a capacity crowd and had to stop taking reservations for the mealseveral days in advance, while the waiting list continued to grow. Let’sface it — the opportunity to taste a cow’s udder (and learn about thepreparations necessary to make it kosher), red deer, quail, dove, pigeon,mutten, goat and bison all at one table doesn’t occur every day.
Not surprisingly, the OU has since received requests to recreate thisexploration of kosher tradition in Los Angeles, Baltimore, Chicago andother major cities.
Many creatures are not easilyprocured, and theirkosher status issadly falling awayas the few rabbisremaining in theworld who canattest to the kosherstatus of manyexotic creaturesslowly pass away.
symptom formulas designed torelieve specific symptoms for chil-dren’s colds, coughs, and allergies.For more than 50 years, parents andcaretakers have been using Triaminicas a safe and effective treatment fortheir children when they are sick.Kosher observant consumers wereuncertain as to its use because of thepresence of a possibly non-kosherglycerin and non-certified flavors,among other ingredients. Now, as asign of Novartis Consumer Health’sdedication to serving the broadestrange possible of consumers, Tri-aminic has successfully completedthe extensive process to become certi-fied by the Orthodox Union.
As a leader in the pharmaceutical,consumer health field, Novartis iscurrently divided into two divisions:Novartis Pharmaceuticals and Novar-tis Consumer Health. The ConsumerHealth Business Unit sells productsranging from nutrition to eye care toover-the-counter and generic medica-tions. With headquarters in Parsip-pany, New Jersey, Novartis ConsumerHealth Inc. prides itself on placingemphasis on the development ofstrong, consumer oriented, and trust-worthy brands such as Maalox, Ther-aflu, Ex Lax and Triaminic. It isanticipated that more of these Novar-tis Consumer Health products willgain OU certification in the future.
The Orthodox Union salutesNovartis Consumer Health Inc. for itshistoric undertaking and majoraccomplishment, as we commendand applaud the consistently skilled,caring and professional follow-through of Jila Breeze, Allison John-son and the entire Novartis teamwhose meticulousness matched theOU’s commitment to excellence. I wasproud to see it all unfold, as I antici-pate that this will be only the begin-ning of the OTC certification era.
Best regards,
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 10
EDITOR CONTINUED FROM PAGE 2
PICTURED TOP TO BOTTOM: Cow udder;
Pidgeon sparrow soup with fleishig egg; Water buffalo, served rare; Chocolate covered locust.
16 BEHIND THE UNION SYMBOL SUMMER 2004
THE BOWFIN (AMIA CALVA) is noto-rious for generating troublesomequestions. Is it a destructive menace
to recreational fisheries or an importantkeystone predator for healthy aquatic com-munities? Is it closer cousin to the primitivegars or to the modern teleost fishes? And is itkosher? The first two questions have been debated anddiscussed by fish biologists for decades. The last questionsurfaced recently and presented an unusual opportunityfor collaboration between Jewish clerics and severalNANFA members.
In November 2003, Rabbi Chaim Goldberg of theOrthodox Union in New York City contacted Mark Bink-ley. Rabbi Goldberg needed to determine whether bowfinmet the criteria established for a fish to be consideredkosher: i.e., easy removal of the scales without tearing theunderlying skin. Somehow, the fish had been been duallylisted as “kosher” and “not kosher,” and the OrthodoxUnion, the world’ largest certifying agency of kosherfoods, needed to resolve the question. The rabbi, seeingbowfin on Jonah’s Aquarium website, contacted Mark.
Mark explained that bowfin scales are intermediatein form to those of gar and modern fishes, and seemwell-attached to the skin, but admitted that he hadnever tried to de-scale one. He referred Rabbi Goldbergto Ray Wolff and myself. Ray contacted the rabbi, offer-ing to try catching one as he had no surplus specimensat hand. I have two live bowfin in a display tank in thelobby of our laboratory but they are now a featured stopon our educational tours.
I wrote to Rabbi Goldberg and sent him backgroundinformation on bowfin (including articles from Ameri-can Currents). We agreed that the published descriptionsof bowfin scales are indeed ambiguous. The scales aredescribed as “cycloid,” lacking an enamel covering(ganoin). This suggests a “kosher” designation (like com-mon carp). However, bowfin were historically classifiedalong with other “ganoid” species suggesting that it is
not “kosher” (like sturgeon, paddlefish, and gar). Amonograph on bowfins notes that the scales of our sin-gle living species are unusual (Grande and Bemis, 1998).They are thin, sub-rectangular to oval, overlap eachother for nearly two-thirds of their area, and developgrowth rings (annuli). Thus, they are very unlike thescales of gar. They are unlike the scales of most teleosts,however, because they have a series of longitudinalridges and lack radii.
Clearly, a specimen of bowfin was required to settlethe question. My co-worker Steven George, famous forarchiving all usable specimens and by-catch, checked hisfreezers. He had a 5-lb specimen that would serve theUnion’s needs. On 09 Dec, Steven packed up the fish andsent it via overnight delivery to New York City where itwas examined by Rabbi Goldberg and his colleagues.After examination, Rabbi Goldberg wrote: “The ques-tion is that, though the scales come out cleanly (and wedo not believe freezing changed this as they come outvery cleanly), there is something underneath the scaleswhich looks like it might be attaching one scale to theones under it. That might be tearing when the scale isremoved. We are not clear yet whether this is an issue ornot.” A photograph provided by the rabbi shows how thescales overlap and appear to be either embedded in theskin, or connected to each other by a skin-like material(Fig. 1). Rabbi Goldberg also reports that they conferredwith another kosher fish expert on this matter. Afterconsulting some legal texts, they together concludedthat the damage caused by removing the scales was notof the severity to preclude the bowfin from being kosher,
Ancient Bowfin Presents NewIch-Theological ConundrumJan Jeffrey Hoover
U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center, Waterways Experiment Station, 3909 Halls Ferry Road, Vicksburg,[email protected]
www.oukosher.org 17
but that they could not confirm this officially withouttesting a specimen that was not previously frozen.
The question of the bowfin’s “kosher” status is notan esoteric one. Recent popularization of “rough-fish-ing” (including bowfin) its attendant cuisine (Bufflerand Dickson, 1990) and attempts at bowfin aquaculture(Huner, 1994) make it increasingly likely that bowfinwill be a menu item for adventurous cooks and gour-mands. Whether it can be served as “kosher” tablefare,however, we hope will be resolved soon.
LITERATURE CITEDBufler, R. and T. Dickson. 1990. Fishing for buffalo. Minneapolis:
Culpepper Press. Grande, L. and W.E. Bemis. 1998. A comprehensive phylogenetic study
of amiid fishes (Amiidae) based on comparative skeletal anatomy -An empirical search for interconnected patterns of natural history.Society of Vertebrate Palaeontology Memoir 4: I-x, 1-690 + 2 fold-outs.
Huner, J.V. 1994. Bowfin culture at the University of SouthwesternLouisiana. Aquaculture Magazine 20 (5) [Sep-Oct]: 28-37.
Reprinted with permission from “American Currents”, Publication of The North American Native Fishes Association, May 2004 issue.
www.oukosher.org 17
Pic 1 (LEFT): An 1892 drawing of a bowfin.
Pic 2: A bowfin in a flume.Pic 3: Bowfin skull
that the product label will now correctly bearthe OU-D symbol.
PRODUCTION ISSUES
Common lines used for pareve, dairy andnon-kosher salad dressings will not presentcross-contamination concerns when produc-tion is cold, which is typically the case. How-ever, product residues from previous runs do.Therefore, standard OU protocol requiresthat production on common lines follow aspecific order. Typically, plants will beginrunning kosher pareve, followed by kosherdairy, with non-kosher run at the end of theday. This requirement provides additionalprotection to help avoid cross-contamina-tion between pareve and dairy, kosher andnon-kosher products, in addition to the CIP.However, production of sauces is commonlydone hot, and in such instances lines mustbe segregated or require a special productionto avoid cross-contamination from the line.Moreover, there is one stage of the produc-tion process for dressings that is hot, starchcooking. Starch cooking is common in theindustry, although not uniformly done. OUpolicy requires that all raw materials that are
used in the starch cooker must be kosher and pareve.This requirement avoids any cross-contamination fromthe heat exchanger, if it previously cooked non-kosheror dairy ingredients.
At times mixtures may sit in holding tanks forextended periods prior to the production or filling of theproduct. Tanks that hold cold mixtures for a periodexceeding twenty-four hours assume the status of thosemixtures. If the mixture were dairy or non-kosher, thetank would be considered dairy or non-kosher. Saladdressing plants must therefore ensure that mixtures donot sit in a holding tank for too long a period, to avoidany potential complications.
The dynamics of the Orthodox Union’s supervisionat salad dressing and sauce plants is undoubtedly highlycomplicated. The OU has risen to the occasion, and nowcertifies thousands of condiment varieties commonlyfound on consumers’ tables. Through meeting thesemany demands and developing an excellent workingrelationship with the plants, the OU services its certifiedcompanies and the kosher consumer by offering anunparalleled level of supervision.
Rabbi David Bistricer
serves as Orthodox Union Rabbinic Coordinator for a variety of industries, including salad, sauce,baking, spices and fish.
SALAD CONTINUED FROM PAGE 12
RABBI CHAIM GOLDBERG
After graduating from theprestigious Stuyvesant High schoolin New York City in 1995, RabbiChaim Goldberg went on to receivehis undergraduate degree in
Talmudic Law from Mesivta Yeshiva Rabbi ChaimBerlin in Brooklyn, NY. Rabbi Goldberg has beena staff member in the OU Kosher departmentsince July 2002, with responsibilities for fish,potatoes and olive oil companies. He is a memberof NANFA, the North American Native FishesAssociation, the group that published theaccompanying article. Rabbi Goldberg has a wifeand three children, and resides in Brooklyn.
OU
pro
file
FEW COMPANIES UNDERSTAND bakery andkosher as much as Dawn Foods. Dawn Foods hasa rich lexicon of kosher terms that includes the
word hamantasch (special pastry for the Purim holi-day), which the company helped make for a carnivalat the Shaare Shamayim-Beth Judah synagogue inPhiladelphia. This wasn’t any ordinary hamantasch,but one that weighed 738 pounds and measured atleast 20 feet on all three sides. The giant hamantaschpastry contained 96 pounds of sugar, 84 pounds of all-purpose flour, 108 pounds of cake flour, four gallons ofeggs and water, 60 pounds of margarine and 323pounds of pie filling, all donated by Dawn Foods.Additionally, Dawn contributed supplies and equip-ment, including a brand new sheeter. Mr. MikeGoldinger, a Dawn Edison sales representative and res-ident bakery expert, acted as head baker and haman-tasch expert for the event. The festive hamantasch wasbaked and assembled by a team of 100 volunteers
using the synagogue’s two convection ovens and 130pans of cake, and took nearly 13 hours to complete.
Aside from Dawn Food’s magnanimous gesture inassisting in the Purim obligation of giving gifts offood, what was left of the world’s largest hamantaschafter the carnival was donated to the Saligman House,a Philadelphia senior citizens home. Feats like this arequite commonplace for a company that is accustomedto doing things in a big way and with the most exact-ing of standards. It is those same exacting standardsthat make OU Kosher a perfect match for Dawn Foods.
The aforementioned exacting standards manifestthemselves in the constant communication betweenthe kosher contacts at the various Dawn Foods plantsand my office. Hardly a day passes without requestsfor new ingredient or product approvals being submit-ted to me. And invariably these same applications arethoroughly complete, using the proper request formsaccompanied by the necessary Letters of Kosher Certi-fication or batch formulae. Simply put, all the koshercontacts at the various Dawn Foods plants know whathas to be done so that all their raw materials and prod-ucts are properly registered onto their respectiveschedule A’s and B’s. Critical time is saved in properlyregistering these new ingredients and finished goods
because of the proper training and knowledge thesekosher contacts have. The high priority Dawn Foodsmakes for maintaining the exacting standards of OUKosher is a reflection of the outstanding reputationDawn Foods has in the quality of its products and theservice it provides for its customers.
Not enough can be said about Dawn Food’s Qual-ity Training Coordinator, Mr. Jim Peacock, who alsodoubles as the company’s Kosher Coordinator. (Mr.Peacock demonstrated his fluency in kosher by gettinga perfect score on Rabbi Stone’s Kosher IQ Test in thelast edition of Behind the Union Symbol!) He plays anintegral role in the education of the various DawnFoods plants’ kosher contacts and in the maintenanceof the high standards of the OU kosher program ingeneral. Although all of Dawn Food’s dry mixes andfully baked products are dairy, Mr. Peacock’s uniqueexpertise is invaluable in ensuring the kosher integrityof the thousands of fillings that are either dairy or
pareve. This includes communicating with my officeall products that are made on the designated pareve“fruit line” and the minimal kosherizing of some ket-tles to make them pareve after being used for dairy.
Also Mr. Peacock is masterfully meticulous in trou-bleshooting with my office any potentially compatibledairy ingredient that may be used in a pareve filling.He ably assists our dedicated and most efficient RFR,Rabbi Yosef Levy, in using the “where used” search inlocating any of these compatible ingredients that maypose a problem. As Dawn Foods generates its ownpackaging labels, Mr. Peacock also carefully scrutinizesall labels to make sure that a dairy product is not inad-vertently branded as pareve.
After all is said and done, Mr. Peacock is like aKosher Coordinator’s Kosher Coordinator, who coun-sels others in keeping the OU’s exacting kosher stan-dards. I personally couldn’t ask for a better businessrelationship with anyone. This is one important rea-son out of the many cited above why the OU is proudto display its world-renowned designation on thethousands of products that bear the Dawn Foodsequally world-renowned “Circle of Excellence” logo.Rabbi Yisroel Bendelstein is Rabbinic Coordinator for Dawn Food Products.
Dawn and the OU 2 perfect ‘Matching Circles’By Rabbi Yisroel Bendelstein
}The high priority Dawn Foods makes for maintaining the exacting standards of OU Kosheris a reflection of the outstanding reputation Dawn Foods has in the quality of its products ~
18 BEHIND THE UNION SYMBOL SUMMER 2004
www.oukosher.org 19www.oukosher.org 19
for our mixes became so large that we closed the bakeryand opened the nation’s first mix company. Dedicatedemployees, outstanding products and valued customershave made our name synonymous with excellence forover 80 years. Dawn Donut Company was incorporatedin 1925 to become Dawn Food Products and weexpanded our product line to a complete range of foodproducts for the baking industry.
In 1966 we moved to our new mix plant in Jackson,MI. In 1982 the acquisition of Besco Inc. (DawnLouisville) was completed and we began producing anddistributing quality fillings, icings, and glazes to the bak-ing industry. The first addition to Louisville was a drymix production line fashioned from the state-of-the-arttechnology used by Dawn to provide mixes and bases tothe Southeastern United States. With great support fromthe OU, Louisville became kosher-certified in 1986. Cus-tomer demand increased and in 1994 we completed anexpansion that doubled our Louisville capacity of bothwet and dry products. Of the original 32 Besco employ-ees, 17 of us are still serving Dawn and our customerstoday. Dawn’s Louisville family has grown to over 170and our sales have increased more than ten-fold.
With the EasternUnited States beingserviced properly, itwas time in 1985 tomove west, whichwe did with the pur-
chase of Baker Boy in Denver, CO, our first OU certifiedcompany. Dawn Denver provided both wet and dryproducts and was our first distribution center in thewest. 1987 brought us our first frozen plant in CrownPoint, IN, producing mainly puff pastry, danish andmuffins certified OU-D. Dawn initiated internationalexpansion in 1989 with the purchase of a facility in Eng-land producing both dry and frozen products. In 1997we acquired Knaubs cake plant in York, PA, giving Dawnthe capability to produce decorated finished cakes certi-fied OU-D; we also acquired Mixco Internacional SA deCV in Mexico.
Construction of our newest automated DecoratedCake Manufacturing Facility (OU-D) was completed in2001 adjacent to Dawn Atlanta Distribution. We greatlyexpanded our presence in the Canadian market with thepurchase of CSP Foods in 2002, adding production oper-ations in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan and Etobicoke,Ontario (OU-D). We also gained sales and distributioncenters throughout Canada. 2002 additionally broughtus a new manufacturing location in St. Peter, IL (OU-D).2003 added additional OU-D production in Fort Wayne,Avon and Ossian, IN as well as Taylor, PA.
The Jones Family (Backrow - Left to Right - SarahJones, Product Manager;
Aaron Jones, General Man-ager - Phoenix, AZ Distribu-
tion Center; Miles Jones,Executive Vice President;
Sam Barber, NationalAccount Manager Front
Row - Left to Right - CarrieBarber, President - DawnInternational; Ron Jones,
Chairman/CEO)
RABBI YISROEL BENDELSTEIN
BORN IN NEW YORK CITY but raised in Bayonne, New Jersey, Rabbi Yisroel Bendel-stein was educated at the Yeshiva Chofetz Chaim in Forest Hills, New York. He sub-sequently attended Yeshiva University in New York City, where he received his
rabbinic ordination and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in chemistry. Following hisundergraduate studies, Rabbi Bendelstein completed a three-year postgraduate higherJewish learning program as a member of the Yeshiva University Gruss Kollel Elyon.
Upon his illustrious father’s sudden passing, Rabbi Bendelstein assumed for five yearsthe pulpit of the synagogue in Bayonne that had been led by his father for 44 years. Eversince, Rabbi Bendelstein has been involved in a variety of Jewish communal activities for
over 20 years. These have included coordinating and directing adult educational religious classes; serving aschaplain in a naval base, hospital and nursing home; teaching Hebrew studies and high level math includingcalculus at the Rambam Mesivta High School; and supervising kosher as a Rabbinic Field Representative for anumber of large companies on behalf of the Orthodox Union.
Rabbi Bendelstein became a Rabbinic Coordinator for the Orthodox Union in 2000 for many OU-certifiedcommercial bakeries. He has contributed before to the pages of this publication as well as to Jewish Action, theOU magazine. He lives with his wife and five children in the Flatbush section of Brooklyn, where he often lec-tures about kosher and acts as Torah reader for Congregation Pri Eitz Chaim.
OU
pro
file
DAWN CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
CONTINUED ON PAGE 23
THE LAWS AND REGULATIONS governing good man-ufacturing practices and labeling of food productsare there for the protection of the consumer to pre-
vent illness from contamination or allergic reaction. Wein the food industry follow these rules not because wemay be caught by various inspection agencies that couldhurt our profitability. We do it because we are morallybound to insure that no harm comes to anyone that con-sumes our product.
Kosher food manufacturers have an additional obli-gation to Jews who observe kashrut to provide them withproducts to follow this mitzvah that God gave them over3,000 years ago. “Almost” kosher is kind of like “slightlycontaminated”, that is, totally unacceptable. So how doesa non-Jew know what to do? The answer is education andthe teacher is your local inspecting Rabbi.
Talk to him while you are walkingaround on your monthly inspection andask a lot of questions. Our local, RabbiYosef Levy, begins most sentences with“According to Jewish law.” We talk aboutproduction and he has many ideas to prevent potentialkosher problems before they happen. OU Rabbis are notpolicemen sent to catch you doing something wrong;rather, they come to teach you how to make kosher prod-ucts the easiest way to maximize the number of certifiedproducts in the marketplace.
Our Rabbinical Coordinator in New York, Rabbi Yis-roel Bendelstein, is extremely cooperative. If we want todo something new and different, he always comes upwith a process that maintains the kosher status of ourproducts. OU rabbis are extremely knowledgeable. Once,during an annual inspection, Rabbi Goldzweig saw a sin-gle box on a pallet in the top rack of our warehouse. From15 feet below he recognized that product and supplier asone that needed a rabbi’s signature on the label and heknew which rabbi. I am happy to say it had the signature.
Have your rabbi send you a copy of the “KosherVideo” and show it to all your new hires and again annu-ally at a plant-wide meeting. Production people are yourfirst line of defense in preventing kosher mistakes. Theday the rabbi visits, your friends at work will ask you howhe is since rabbis radiate friendship, kindness and per-sonal warmth. This gives you an opportunity for casual
conversation that shares with others what you learnedfrom him. Continue your kosher learning at www.ou.org.
When Dawn Louisville became kosher, the decisionwas made to make only kosher products. If some of yourcustomers require kosher, soon more will require it whentheir customers start asking. If all your raw materials areOU kosher approved, you have no problem keeping non-kosher materials out of your products. The OU gave usexcellent guidance registering all our initial raw materialsand finished goods for certification. Five years later theOU showed us how to make pareve (not meat or dairy)bakery products on existing equipment with minorchanges in our production scheduling. Pareve dessertproducts are in high demand since they can be eaten witheither meat or dairy meals.
A computer that assigns OU-Dproducts to only Dairy and OU Pareveto only pareve production lines nowschedules production. Heat processedproduction lines that produce bothdairy and pareve products are classified
as dairy lines and all products are labeled OU-D even if allingredients are pareve unless time for proper kosheriza-tion can be allowed between dairy and pareve products.Dawn Louisville has a few dairy products that must berun on pareve equipment. These products are scheduledto run last in the week. The equipment is thoroughlycleaned, allowed to dry for at least 24 hours and boiledover before pareve production begins the following week.Equipment that has no heat applied in the process hasless stringent kosher cleaning procedures between dairyand pareve products.
Keeping up with the kosher registration of thousandsof raw materials and finished goods is a challenge atDawn Louisville. It is accomplished through communica-tion between the research and development, purchasingand labeling departments. A form passes through alldepartments and must be signed off by the kosher coor-dinator for new finished goods and raw materials. Whena new or alternately supplied material is being consideredby purchasing, R & D gets kosher approval before testingto avoid wasting time on something that may not be OUapproved. The final step before finished good productionis a newly formatted kosher approved label.
Keeping Our Food Products Kosher for the Right Reasonsby Jim Peacock Kosher Coordinator, Dawn Food Products, Louisville, KY
}“Almost” kosher is kind of like“slightly contaminated”, that is,
totally unacceptable. So how does a non-Jew know what to do? The
answer is education and the teacheris your local inspecting Rabbi.~
20 BEHIND THE UNION SYMBOL SUMMER 2004
Spring 2004 Kashrut Conference at the Homowack Hotel & Resort, Ellenville NY
Addressing a keynote sessionon “Marketing Strategies”were: David Olivestone,Director of Communicationsand Marketing, OrthodoxUnion; Menachem Lubinsky,President & COO, LubicomMarketing Consulting; Eli Rosenfeld, COO &Principal, Joseph Jacobs Advertising; RabbiGad Buchbinder, who recently rejoined theOU Kashrut as Marketing Coordinator, andRabbi Moshe Elefant, Executive RabbinicCoordinator, who chaired the session. Over150 rabbinic coordinators and rabbinic fieldrepresentatives attended the two-day con-ference, which was coordinated by RabbiYoel Schonfeld and Rabbi Michael Morris. Clockwise top left: Rabbi Moshe Elefant, Mr.
Menachem Lubinsky,Mr. David Olivestone,Rabbi Elefant, Mr.Elie Rosenfeld.
MARKETINGTIPSIf You’veGot It—Flaunt It.
FLetting your customersknow that you are OUcertified should be asmuch a part of yourmarketing strategy asany other significantbenefit your productoffers.
FBe sure the OU logo isclearly visible in youradvertising—either onthe product label orelsewhere in the ad.
FFeature OU certifica-tion on your website
FAsk our marketingdepartment how bestto reach the kosherconsumer—thousandsof them contact usevery day about foodproducts they canbuy, places they canshop and eat, andinformation aboutkosher in general.
FPlan special promo-tions around Jewishholidays: Passover(March/April), RoshHashanah (Septem-ber) and Chanukah(December) are themost widely observed.
www.oukosher.org 21
OU KOSHER VIDEO–THE SEQUEL
OU KOSHER VIDEO–THE SEQUEL
If you likedthe first OU
KosherVideo, you’ll
love the second one,“The KosherStandard.”
Here in 20 minutes is everythingyou need to know about the
procedures and requirementsnecessary to produce an OUKosher product, and how todesign an effective system at
your company. Recommendedfor personnel in management,production and quality control
The OU symbol has been registered inthe United States and in many othercountries. The symbol is also regis-tered with the U.S. Customs service,which can seize and destroy itemsimported from other countries.
The Orthodox Union aggressivelyprotects the integrity of the OU sym-bol through its Trademark Compli-ance Department. The OrthodoxUnion sends a letter to unauthorizedusers of the OU symbol identifyingthe symbol as an internationally reg-istered certification mark and statingthat its unauthorized use constitutestrademark infringement and violatesinternational and United States fed-eral trademark laws (i.e. false advertis-ing, state kosher laws, etc.). TheOrthodox Union demands that theproduct’s manufacturer, as well as itssupposed kosher status (if known), berevealed to the OU within 48 hours.
The majority of products bearingan unauthorized OU do, in fact,turn out to be kosher. The productmay be innately kosher or supervisedby a legitimate kosher certifyingagency. (Orthodox Union staff willoften have to inspect the plant todetermine the product’s kosher sta-tus.) If the product is kosher, theOrthodox Union will assess damagesfor trademark infringement, requirecessation of the unauthorized use,and the case will be closed.
If however, the product is notkosher or not kosher certified to ourstandards, the Orthodox Union willrequire an immediate market recall.“Kosher Alerts,” which inform thepublic that the product bears anunauthorized OU symbol, are placedin all the Jewish newspapers in thearea of distribution, as well as on ourweb site, e-mail subscription list andother kosher related web sites. (Thecost of a withdrawal, which oftenruns tens of thousands of dollars, isin itself a strong disincentive tocheat.) The OU monitors the with-
drawal effort through spot inspec-tions of stores and warehouses. Oncethe withdrawal has been accom-plished, the OU will also assess dam-ages.
It is important to note that theentire marketing chain is liable forthe distribution of an infringingproduct, subsequent to notificationof the product’s illegal use of a trade-mark symbol. In a recent case, theOrthodox Union filed a lawsuitagainst a manufacturer, two whole-salers and three supermarket chainsbecause of their failure to withdrawproduct bearing an unauthorizedOU symbol from the marketplace.Although the primary responsibilitylies with the manufacturer, thewholesaler and retailer can be heldresponsible for trademark infringe-ment as well, once they have beenadvised that a product bears anunauthorized trademark.
At times, the Orthodox Unionmay also enlist the help of outsideagencies, including consumer pro-tection agencies, as well as stateattorneys general and departmentsof agriculture. Nearly half of thestates in this country have institutedkosher laws, which are, of course,helpful in protecting the integrity ofthe OU. What is more, the OU hassuccessfully filed lawsuits in foreigncountries. In one European country,where the legal system had nevermandated a food withdrawal, theOrthodox Union won a decisionrequiring a recall of a product bear-ing an unauthorized OU.
Interestingly, the OrthodoxUnion aggressively pursues unautho-rized usage of the OU even in non-food related items. Electronicsmanufacturers such as Casio andRadio Shack, as well as universitiesand laundromats, have all receivedcease and desist letters from the OU.The reason for this is simple: unau-thorized usage of the OU dilutesits exclusivity.
HOW UNAUTHORIZED OU’SARE DISCOVERED
There are a number of ways in whichunauthorized OU’s come to ourattention. The OU has over 500RFR’s, many of whom crisscross theUS as well as other countries, over-seeing plants. Occasionally they spota suspicious-looking product bearingthe OU. (My wife hates shoppingwith me. Having worked in thetrademark compliance departmentfor over eight years, I feel compelledto examine all products bearing anOU.) Sometimes, calls come fromRFRs, from other certification agen-cies, or even from governmentalagencies charged with monitoringthe food industry. I once received acall from someone at the MinnesotaDepartment of Agriculture who wasinvestigating a company that borefraudulent organic statements on itslabels in addition to an unautho-rized OU.
Still, other unauthorized OU’sare turned in by OU-certified compa-nies reporting on competitors whoare unlawfully stealing a share of thekosher market. I have even been pro-vided with the date of arrival andname of the ship carrying importedproducts bearing unauthorized OU’s.(I contacted United States Customsand requested they seize the prod-uct.) Whistle blowers within certi-fied companies have also reportedintentional and accidental violationsof the kosher program.
Lastly, we audit supermarkets ona regular basis. An inventory istaken of all the brands bearing anOU. This list is then matched againstthe OU database of certified productsto ascertain that the kosher symbolsare all authorized. The date code ona package may also be verified.
HOW CAN YOU HELP?
If you spot a suspicious-lookingproduct bearing the OU (e.g., adairy item without the requisite “D”
PROTECTING CONTINUED FROM PAGE 9
www.oukosher.org 23www.oukosher.org 23
OU Policy Review
What's new at your company?* New kosher contacts? * New equipment? * New plants opening? * OU-certified product to be
made at new plants?
The OU needs to be kept informed ofthese changes in order to effectivelyservice your company and to providethe top-caliber kosher program forwhich the OU is known. Please be sureto always let your rabbinic coordinator(RC) know of these changes rightaway. This will streamline the koshersystem and avoid future problems.
In terms of contacts, the OU stronglyrecommends that you designate alter-native kosher contacts in case the reg-ular one is not available when the OUrabbinic field representative (RFR)arrives for a regular visit. It is impor-tant to you and to us for a managerial-level employee to be present to workwith the RFR and to clarify any ques-tion or concerns that may arise duringvisits. Appointing alternative koshercontacts is the best way to addressthis vital communications issue, sothat a company manager will alwaysbe available to address problems andto work with the OU to resolve them.
OU Policy Review
Companies are reminded that allpackaging bearing the OU designa-tion is only authorized to be used forproduction at the plant sites regis-tered onto the schedule B for theirrespective products. OU packagingcannot be transferred to any otherfacility without express permissionfrom the Orthodox Union office.
Our largestacquisitioncame at theend of 2003
with the pur-chase of the bakery business
of Bunge Foods, which now contin-ues to focus on its edible oil busi-ness. Bunge’s bakery mix-relatedassets in Seattle, WA, Bradley, IL, andModesto, CA were included in thesale, as were its frozen bakeries inMexico, MO and Tustin andModesto CA. The syrups and top-pings plant in Seattle, and researchand development facilities in Seattleand St. Louis, were also included.Our second manufacturing facilityin Holland was added in 2004 toincrease our European capacity.
Over the years Dawn hasinvested in strategically located salesand distribution facilities to ensureon-time deliveries, backed by out-standing technical support andattentive customer service.
Our mission statement says,“Dawn is…an innovative, ethical,international organization with out-standing, dedicated people…themost cost-effective buyer, producerand distributor of quality food prod-
ucts to our customers.” This isaccomplished through our “Circle ofExcellence”: good people with out-standing work ethics, making excel-lent products, taking great care ofour customers. At Dawn, we do theright thing, the right way, justbecause it is the right thing to do.I’ve personally known the familythat owns Dawn for over 20 yearsand they live and breathe this phi-losophy. Ethical questions are bro-ken down to simple right or wronganswers and the family’s high stan-dards have rewarded them with areputation of honesty, integrity, andtrustworthiness that all employeeshave a responsibility to protect, pre-serve and enhance.
Part of my personal responsibil-ity to the Jewish community and toour other customers is to maintainthe high standards of the OU tokeep our products kosher. As RonJones, CEO of Dawn, says to our cus-tomers, “We’re here to serve you andGod and to be a blessing to eachother along the way.”
Jim Peacock is Kosher Coordinator at Dawn Foods, Louisville.
DAWN CONTINUED FROM PAGE 19
or octopus bearing an OU), tell us.(Remember — kosher canned meat-balls and spaghetti at 99 cents isprobably too good to be true.) Callus at 212-613-8241 or [email protected] to verify the certifica-tion. (You need to have the brandname, product name and companyas listed on the label.) If you knowof a product that bears an unautho-rized OU symbol or a company thatis in violation of its contract withthe Orthodox Union, contact medirectly at 212-613-8169, via fax212-613-0679, or email [email protected]. You may also contact myassociate, Rabbi Baruch Cywiak, at
212-613-8298, via fax 212-0676, oremail [email protected]. All sources ofinformation will be held strictlyconfidential. You will be required toprovide us with a label or inform uswhere we can obtain the product.
Howard Katzenstein graduated from the City Collegeof New York with a B.A. in Economics and Business Manage-ment. He has previously served as director of a genetic screeningprogram and taught high schoolbiology. He is currently Directorof Business Management & Trademark Compliance at the Orthodox Union.
}We’re here to serve youand God and to be ablessing to each otheralong the way~
WWW.OUKOSHER.ORG
ArgenKosher ‘04
NON–PROF IT ORG .U .S . POSTAGE
P A I DSTATEN I SLAND , NY
PERMIT NO . 301
ORTHODOX UNIONEleven Broadway, New York, NY 10004
At the recent ArgenKosher ‘04, held on May 18-19 in BuenosAires, the Orthodox Union was represented by Rabbi EliyahuSafran, who worked with Mr. Berl Drachman organizer ofArgenKosher and director of TodoKosher, in promoting OUkosher certification (see photo above, top right). A significantnumber of companies seeking to export to the United States submitted applications for OU certification.
From top left: representatives of OU certified Argentinean KotelWinery, visitors to ArgenKosher, Rabbi Safran and Mr. BerelDrachman, director TodoKosher, Bottom left: representatives ofOU certified Yanovsky HNOS S.R.L producers of matzos, NatureSweet and Nany Sweets - Argentinean companies seeking OUcertification.
