Articles

Q. Is it easier to certify a factory owned by Jewish people rather than by non-Jews?

A. Many people assume that a Jewish-owned food production facility would have an easier time obtaining kosher certification. However, in reality, there are additional religious requirements that apply specifically to Jewish-owned businesses, making certification more complex in certain cases. These requirements exist regardless of the owner’s personal level of religious observance, as the mere fact that the business is Jewish-owned has significant implications for kosher consumers.

Below are some examples of these additional challenges: 

1. Chametz and Passover (Pesach) Regulations

Most factories operate year-round, continuously receiving ingredients, producing food, and shipping products. If any of the ingredients contain chametz—which refers to leavened products (such as bread, cookies, pretzels, etc.) from wheat, barley, rye, oats, or spelt—a Jewish person is not allowed to own or conduct business with those ingredients during Passover (Pesach), an eight-day Jewish holiday. 

In a household setting, a Jewish person can either destroy their chametz before Passover or temporarily sell it to a non-Jew for the duration of the holiday. However, for large-scale food manufacturers, this is often impractical. Many factories cannot afford to halt production for an entire week, and finding a way to comply with Passover laws while keeping operations running can be logistically challenging. 

If a Jewish-owned factory does not properly remove chametz from their factory before Passover, it does not just create a personal religious issue—it renders the food produced in that facility permanently non-kosher, even after the holiday ends.  

Because of this, kosher certification agencies must ensure that Passover laws are carefully followed. Fortunately, there are several solutions to address this issue, and the cRc has successfully implemented them for many companies. For businesses with multiple owners, where some are Jewish and some are not, even simpler solutions may be available. 

2. The Obligation of Separating Challah (Hafrashas Challah)

In Jewish law, when making a dough that contains a certain amount of flour, a portion of the dough must be separated and set aside. This practice, called hafrashas challah, is obligatory when a Jewish person owns the dough at the time the flour and water are mixed together. 

In a home setting, this is a simple act: the baker sets aside a small piece of dough and recites a blessing. However, in a commercial bakery, it is more complicated. If there is a Jewish employee who observes Shabbos (Shomer Shabbos) present at all times in the factory, they could perform this required separation. But in most cases, this is not practical. 

To address this, kosher certification agencies have developed a workaround where they designate a portion of dough in a separate location to fulfill the challah requirement for the factory’s production. 

Conclusion 

While it might seem like Jewish ownership would make kosher certification easier, in reality, Jewish-owned factories often face additional religious requirements that non-Jewish-owned factories do not. This can make the certification process more complicated, requiring extra oversight and logistical planning to ensure compliance with Jewish law. With decades of experience in helping companies with Kosher certification, cRc Kosher is at the forefront of developing and implementing innovative solutions for all our clients, making kosher simple and easy.