CONSUMER INFO

 

GENERAL INFO

 

 

 

Frequently Asked Questions (for consumers)

All questions answered by Rabbi Mordechai Gutnick, Rabbinic Administrator of Kosher Australia. Contact him at: rabbi@kosher.org.au

Q. Which international kosher agencies are deemed acceptable by Kosher Australia?

A. See the attached list: Acceptable International Kosher Agencies.

Q. What is the situation regarding Leggo’s products? We’ve recently heard some conflicting information.

A. There is no conflicting information. Most products that are produced at the Leggo plant are not acceptable due to production in retorts, cooking and packaging equipment that are shared with non-kosher products. However, after much thorough investigation Kosher Australia chemists and Rabbis have been able to identify and approve some products that are produced in a manner that avoids the Kashrus problems of the shared equipment. These products are listed as approved in the Kosher Australia Food Bulletin.

Q. What about Heinz products?

A. As printed in the Kosher Food Bulletin, we indicate that the Heinz products are approved by another agency – in this case the NSW Kashrut Authority. We have been assured that the cleaning between approved and non-approved products produced in the same plants is adequate to maintain an “approved” standard of Kashrut.

Q. What is the difference between products, such as vegetable oil, listed as “approved” and those listed as certified?

A. The distinction is sated clearly in our Food Bulletin. All products listed as “certified” are investigated, audited and monitored in a manner that ensures the strictest standards of Kashrus are maintained. All certified Kosher Australia caterers, food establishments and other licencees use only these certified products.

Products listed as “approved” are usually products manufactured for the general non-Jewish market and after manufacture are able to be classified as acceptably Kosher even though the strictest standards may not have applied to the production. These products are still carefully audited and monitored but the Rabbis and chemists may have relied on certain leniencies to allow their approval.

Kosher Australia explicitly recommends the use of fully certified products wherever possible and these are clearly highlighted in the latest Kosher Australian Food Bulletin.

Q. Is it true that the “approved” standard vegetable oils listed in the Kosher Food Bulletin are produced in plants that also produce (treif) tallow?

A. Yes. In keeping with the standards of reliable Kosher agencies around the world all oils certified as Kosher are produced in plants or on equipment dedicated to vegetable oil production only. However, oils produced in equipment shared with tallow are in some plants produced in a manner that still allows them to receive “approval” as Kosher.

Q. How can oil produced on the same machinery as tallow even be approved as Kosher?

A. Many factories produce Kosher and non-Kosher items in the same machinery. This even applies to Mehadrin standard products such as Chalav Yisrael milk produced in dairies that usually produce ordinary unsupervised milk. Of course, in such cases it is necessary to “kosherise” the equipment before the production of the Kosher product. Mehadrin/certifed products will usually have a religious supervisor present to ensure that the kosherisation and subsequent production are carried out at the proper standards.

However, it is possible that sometimes a product produced on shared equipment can be granted “approval”, even without a formal kosherisation process, if the cleaning protocol carried out in the plant is equivalent to a Halachically acceptable kosherisation.

Kosher Australia does not give blanket approval to all vegetable oils. Some oil production plants in Australia have been found to have a cleaning protocol of caustic washes combined with boiling oil flushes that can be considered an acceptable kosherisation to allow the oil to be “approved” as kosher. It is only these specific oils that are listed by Kosher Australia in the “approved” category.

Q. Do other reputable kosher agencies allow such leniencies?

A. To the best of our knowledge, no reputable agency (including Kosher Australia) will certify oils produced in machinery shared with tallow due to the difficulty of ensuring a high and fully acceptable standard of kosherisation of the equipment.
Some agencies, particularly those serving the smaller communities where properly certified oil is in short supply, have historically allowed the approval of oils produced on shared equipment if the particular cleaning protocol was deemed sufficient for an approval rating.

The latest London Beth Din Kosher Food Guide (page 66) lists ALL vegetable oils as being acceptable without exception, without distinguishing between those produced in dedicated or shared plants. Rabbi Yoseph Glicksberg of the Israeli Chief Rabbinate department while on a recent visit to Australia confirmed advice already received some time ago by us that the Israeli Chief Rabbinate allows the use, in their certified products, of oils imported from Europe that are produced in shared plants after a vegetable oil flush identical to the flush performed in Australian shared plants. In Australia, virtually all authorities (including the ones accepted as being of exclusive Mehadrin standard) have, in the past, approved and even certified oils produced in shared equipment after similar cleaning and oil flushing. It is only in the past few years we have been fortunate in being able to limit actual certification to the growing number of plants that are dedicating their plants or equipment to vegetable oil production only. To enable adequate, easily accessable supply of Kosher oils, Kosher Australia still lists a number of approved oils produced in shared equipment - but only those oils where it has been carefully ensured that the equipment is properly cleaned with regular caustic cleans and adequate flushes of boiling oil.

Q. Is there any problem regarding the oils used on Australian sultanas?

A. The particular brands of sultanas that Kosher Australia certifies actually have a coating of an imported oil that is certified Kosher by the OK. There is one other problematic ingredient used in a drying-aid spray that MAY be used earlier in some vineyards. We have ascertained that this ingredient (a vegetable oil emulsion) is actually not treif in itself – there can however, at times, be a possible shared equipment problem in its production. Before being used, this ingredient is, however, mixed with potash and water in a solution that is not only much more than shishim (sixty times the original problematic item - that allows for its nullification) but, given the nature of potash, it is absolutely and completely poigem (destructive of any taste of) the mixture. The mixture is water soluble and we are told can actually be washed off at times by rain during the drying process. The particular sultanas that we certify and list that may have had this foul tasting, inedible mixture sprayed on them during the drying stage are then also vigorously and thoroughly washed in a special cleaning to remove all foreign matter that also removes remaining traces of this inedible drying mixture. The cleaned sultanas are then coated with the Kosher-certified oil. This procedure results in a fully Kosher final product.

Because of the problems that may be associated with the oils used in other sultana products produced both in Australia and overseas, Kosher Australia does not recommend the use of any other sultanas unless they bear a reliable kashrus endorsement.

Q. Has there been any change in the procedure required to check for insect infestation in vegetables?

A. Kosher Australia has spent considerable time and effort in establishing the extent of infestation and the resultant standards of cleaning required for fruits and vegetables available in Victoria. This is because the extent and type of infestation varies from country to country and from region to region. The recent drought has caused an increase in infestation in some products that may require extra vigilance and cleaning. For further details regarding this and other requirements for checking and cleaning please see the special article in the back of the latest Kosher Australia Food Bulletin.

Q. Are products that use animal extracts such as cochineal (carmine), isinglass and gelatin during processing or as food colouring considered non-kosher?

A. There are a number of products that are clarified using gelatin and/or isinglass. The very nature of these processing aids is that they attract and trap the impurities that otherwise would pass through filters and once the impurity is attached to the gelatin/isinglass the whole mass is now easy to filter out. The gelatin/isinglass is thus filtered out completely (this is its whole purpose of being added in the first place) so that literally none remains in the final product. As such the finished product does not have any non-Kosher product left in it. While we would not allow this for a properly certified product it is permitted by almost all authorities for the purpose of “approving’ otherwise uncertified whiskeys, beers, fruit juices etc post facto - once they have been made for the general market this way.

Carmine/cochineal are not permitted in products certified by most responsible authorities (including Kosher Australia). -RMG

Q. Can you drink the juices, lemonades/sodas and hot beverages on planes? While some airlines provide the juice/lemonade/soda in the original can with a plastic cup, what about the tea and coffee or the juice from a jug?

A.There are really three issues here:

1. Lemonade/soda: This is not a problem as long as you know that that particular brand is Kosher.
2. Juices: Even so-called pure fruit juices potentially contain non-Kosher additives. I would always ask to see the original container (particularly if they are pouring from a jug) and then check the ingredients label for either a Kosher brand or that it is indeed 100% juice. The fact that the juice is served in a jug is not a problem in itself as the liquid is cold.
3. Hot tea/coffee: Many people are lenient because the tea/coffee is made in dedicated utensils and even if they are washed with other non-kosher utensils, the washing takes place with detergent (thus causing pegima) so that bedieved the utensil remain untainted. Obviously, people who are strict should not rely on such a leniency.

Q. If I want to use a non-kosher fridge, what do I need to do to use it?

A. All you need to do is a thorough surface clean of the whole fridge to remove all surface dirt. Areas that cannot be cleaned properly (e.g. some of the racks have grooves etc that defy proper cleaning) have to be adequately covered (eg with aluminium foil). As everything is basically cold in the fridge no further Kashering with hot water or blow torches (!) is necessary. – Rabbi Mordechai Gutnick

Q. Is there any problem with installing a Fisher and Paykel split system dishwashers where there is two independent drawers for washing? Can one be used for dairy and one for meat?

A. No problem. It looks fine to be used as two separate washers one for Dairy and one for Meat. – RMG

Q. What can be wrong with pure fruit Juices?

A. Increasingly, even so called "pure" fruit juices contain added flavours based on ingredients that can present Kashrut problems. Flavours are specifically added to provide extra taste and as such their addition can complicate the application of even post facto leniencies regarding "Bittul" (nullification) in the final product. Some fruit juices and drinks have also been found to be produced on the same equipment (eg pasteurisers) as dairy or even non-Kosher products. In such circumstance it is necessary to carefully ascertain cleaning methods to avoid "contamination" of the juices sharing the same equipment. In order to avoid these potential problems Kosher Australia therefore only lists those juices, soft drinks etc about which it has positive information regarding ALL ingredients and production methods.

Q. Why does Kosher Australia not advertise some products that are approved by other local authorities (or even NSW KA) e.g. Nutrigrain, Dolmio Pasta Sauce varieties, soft drinks etc.

A. Other organizations are of course free to advertise their own findings based on their own investigations and standards, however Kosher Australia only lists products in its publications about which it has reliable information that is in full accordance with its own investigation standards and Halachic rulings.

Q. Why don’t we list or accept other overseas hechsheirim (approvals) – other than those in the very limited list printed in the AKFB.) What is wrong with them?

A. Kosher Australia attempts to maintain a reliable and consistent standard of Kashrut supervision at least equal to those practiced by the major accepted international Kashrut authorities. Unfortunately, not all Kashrut authorities maintain consistent equivalent standards. For example there is one organization that even allows the use of animal gelatin based on an almost universally rejected Halachic leniency. Other organizations are, unfortunately, known to be sloppy or otherwise unprofessional in their investigative work. Kosher Australia therefore only lists those organizations about which it has positive information regarding their basic standards and reliability. However, the absence of any particular group does not necessarily mean that it is not of the minimum standard accepted by Kosher Australia – it may simply mean that we are not in possession of information required to make a decision.

Q. Printed warnings are appearing more and more frequently on products regarding traces of nuts and dairy ingredients. This causes apparent problems such as Chocolate Nesquik being listed as Parve however, there is a warning on it claiming traces of dairy product. What is the explanation for this apparent anomally?

A. Some products approved in the AUSTRALIAN KOSHER FOOD BULLETIN as Kosher and parve have a new disclaimer printed on the labels, which conform to the new food regulations regarding warnings on allergens. It is well known that contact with even the minutest amount of certain allergens can be the cause of devastating and even fatal allergic reactions in some people. Wording such as “this product may contain traces of milk”, must therefore be used when there is even the remotest possibility that some parts per million of milk may be present in the product – even though dairy-based products are not actually used or listed as an ingredient.

Such traces are now mentioned as present because of the possibility that there may be some traces left on machinery or equipment even after cleaning or kashering from other dairy-based products or there may be product-dust in the air from other dairy-based products or ingredients used in the factory which could settle in minute amounts on equipment or ingredients used in the otherwise dairy-free products. The possibility of the presence in even such minute amounts needs to be printed on the pack to protect people from allergic reactions.

However, the Kosher Australia Rabbinic Board assures Kosher consumers that the very minute amounts referred to in the statement “this product may contain traces of milk”, have no Halachic significance regarding otherwise Parve products. Such products are still considered parve even L’Mehadrin.

For more information on this topic please contact Rabbi Mordechai Gutnick at Kosher Australia on Tel: 9525 9895 or Tel: 9525 9708.

Q. Why are there very few, if any, fruit flavored skim yoghurts listed as Kosher?

A. Yoghurts can contain any number of non-Kosher ingredients such as setting agents (possibly gelatin), starters, lactose and/or various other milk based powders (possibly from non-kosher cheese whey) and flavors containing unacceptable base ingredients. Unfortunately, even after much investigation, we have been unable to find many types of yoghurt which are free of the above problems.

Q. Why are there no Kosher restaurants in the city?

A. Kosher Australia only supervises and certifies Kosher restaurants. Kosher Australia offers every reasonable incentive and encouragement to any Kosher restaurant or other such facility. However, ultimately, the absence or otherwise of Kosher restaurants or other Kosher facilities depends on individuals willing to open and conduct such businesses and the subsequent support of such facilities by the Kosher consumer.

Q. What makes wine kosher?

A. For wine to be kosher it has to have only Kosher ingredients (yeast, preservatives, tannins, flavours etc are routinely added) and also by special Rabbinic "decree" from ancient times wine needs to actually be manufactured from beginning to end (not just supervised) by observant Jewish people.

Q. Do granite benchtops have to be covered on Pesach?

A. Pure granite tops (as distinct from the "synthetic" granite made from powdered stone and epoxy) can be koshered by pouring boiling water over the entire surface after a thorough cleaning of surface dirt and then rinsing off with cold water. Once Kashered this way it is halachically permissible to use them without a cover.

Q. I would like to make green mould cheese at home and would like to buy starters and veg rennet from a mail order company. Would they be kosher?

A. All Starters, Mould Spores, Lipase, Calcium Solution, and Rennet and maybe Cheese Wax (we would need to check this product back to source), require Kosher-certification. We recommend that you contact the company and ask them if they have Kosher Certificates for their products (Answered by Kasriel Oliver B.App.Sc, M.R.A.C.I, CChem, Investigating Chemist, Kosher Australia Pty Ltd).