Kosher Encyclopedia

Market research on consumers seeking kosher-certified foods reveals an interesting finding: Jews comprise only a small portion of "kosher consumers." Other groups include people of various religious faiths who believe kosher certification is healthier or safer, as well as vegetarians and vegans. Kosher, with its strict standards, has become a widespread concept, relied upon by many consumer groups. However, the question remains: Can kosher consumers truly rely on vegetarian or vegan certification?

For those who don't know, a vegan is someone who doesn't eat (or consume) any animal products, including meat, fish, eggs, dairy, and other animal-derived products. These standards obviously mitigate some risks for kosher consumers, but others still exist. If a restaurant is advertised as vegan, here are some things kosher consumers should be aware of:

1. Insects

Fruits and vegetables are kosher by nature. Insects, on the other hand, are not kosher, asTorahAs the saying goes, "You can't eat anything that lives in groups on the ground."Unfortunately, insect infestations of fruits and vegetables have become increasingly common over the past few decades. Even the most common produce often harbors numerous small insects visible to the naked eye, such as aphids, thrips, and leafworms. Therefore, to make it kosher, it often requires special washing and inspection before consumption. Most vegetarian restaurants fail to wash produce in a manner acceptable to kosher consumers, according to kosher law.

2. Bishul Yisrael

Bishul Yisraelis a Jewish motto requiring Jews to participate in the preparation of food considered "fit for a king's table" (by al shulchan melachimRaw food cannot be eaten, including vegetables such as potatoes and eggplant, which are not traditionally eaten raw. In kosher restaurants staffed by non-kosher chefs, it is usuallymashgiachto light the initial flame for cooking. In a vegetarian restaurant, this requirement is likely to be non-existent.

3. Production Equipment

Food isn't the only thing that can be kosher or non-kosher—production equipment, containers, utensils, etc. can also be kosher or non-kosher. If the production equipment used to produce a vegetarian product is shared with a non-vegetarian producer, a vegetarian certifier will still certify the product as vegetarian. If the company is kosher-certified, the equipment may be cleaned regularly to prevent obvious signs of cross-contamination, but there is a special cleaning method called kosher that falls between non-kosher and kosher products that does not require vegan products. Therefore, it is possible for a vegetarian-certified product to be made on equipment used to produce non-kosher products, which would render the product non-kosher. Additionally, in a restaurant setting, if the plates, cutlery, utensils, etc. are not brand new, they may have been used to serve non-kosher hot food, which would also render the new product non-kosher.

4. Grape Juice/wine

Wine and grape juice hold a special place in Jewish ritual, so the entire wine or grape juice production process (from crushing the grapes, pressing them, canning them, and tasting them) must be performed by people of the Jewish faith. Natural grape flavoring extracted from crushed grapes is always kosher. Similarly, balsamic vinegar, also made from grape juice, requires kosher certification, while most products containing balsamic vinegar, such as salad dressings, are likely not kosher. Of course, vegan restaurants have no restrictions on wine, grape juice, or their derivatives.

5. Jewish Ownership

If a vegetarian restaurant is owned by a person of the Jewish faith, this may present additional problems from a Jewish perspective. For example, dishes consumed by kosher people,For ritual purity, immersion in a baptismal pool is requiredmiddleAnother possible problem relates to Passover, during which Jews are not allowed to eat anything made from the five grains (chametzEven after Passover, other Jews are not allowed to consumechametz, if it is owned by a Jew during Passover (chametz sheavar alav haPesach). It was also a requirement that a Jewish host separate white bread from products containing a combination of the five grains.

6. Third-party certification

Even if a restaurant advertises itself as vegan, it is not an industry standard to require such a restaurant to be certified by any third-party vegan certification agency. As other kosher organizations would undoubtedly agree, we at the Canadian Jewish CouncilCORWe see the importance of an objective third-party body that sets the standards and then ensures our certification bodies adhere to them through rigorous, regular audits.