Kosher Blog

Latest Kosher Headlines

ORTHODOX UNION ANNOUNCES NEW “OU-T” HEKSHER
The Manhattan-based Orthodox Union, the world’s most recognized and trusted kosher supervision organization, announced this week the introduction of a new variant on their traditional “OU” symbol — the “OU-T.” Not unlike the “P” for Passover and “D” for Dairy variants, the “T” will alert consumers to the inclusion of non-kosher, or “Treyf,” ingredients that should be avoided entirely. Exclusive to the Kosher Blog, a representative of the OU’s Communications and Marketing arm explained, “Our goals with the OU-Treyf program were two-fold. First, many consumers still insist on reading ingredient labels to decide whether a product is kosher. The presence of our new symbol will be a clear indicator that the product in question is fully off-limits to the kosher consumer. Second, the non-kosher market represents a huge, heretofore untapped opportunity for the Orthodox Union. Whether it’s Empire or Purdue, we’re committed to making our certifications globally accessible.”

RABBINICAL ASSEMBLY’S COMMITTEE ON LAW AND STANDARDS ADOPTS 5-SECOND RULE
The world of Conservative Judaism was rocked yesterday when the Rabbinical Assembly’s 25-member Committee on Jewish Law and Standards voted overwhelmingly to adopt new kashrut procedures, among which included what is commonly known as the “five-second rule.” Now, with a local mara d’atra’s approval, Conservative Jews worldwide may salvage meat or dairy products that were in contact with the opposite food type for less than five seconds. A Los Angeles rabbi who voted in affirmative expressed his approval of the change: “Keeping with our principle of viewing tradition in light of cutting-edge science, we’ve updated our halacha to reflect recent laboratory research which suggests no transfer of ta’am (taste) between foods or utensils in under five seconds.”

KOSHER DEFENSE LEAGUE’S “TREYFE SQUAD” BEHIND NEW TEL AVIV MCDONALDS SIGNAGE
Following the news last week that Israel’s 12 strictly-kosher McDonald’s eateries would receive distinctive blue signs, representatives of the Kosher Defense League’s notorious “Treyfe Squad” have stepped forward to claim responsibility for causing the dramatic move, challenging the Tel Aviv Chief Rabbi’s role in the process. “As the rest of the world stood idly by, we found ourselves with no choice but to defend our traditions with any means available,” said a masked spokesperson for the secretive group, referring to the series of violent window-smashings and drive-by pork-throwings that befell the Jewish state’s 111 uncertified McDonald’s locations in February. KDL leaders agreed that the Chief Rabbi had not been tough enough with non-kosher interests before the incidents, but insist that the attacks were carried out by fringe extremist elements no longer affiliated with the organization.

(Happy Purim!)