Answering to a Higher Authortity: Kosher, Halal Certifications Bless the Bottom Line

Mintel’s research estimates sales of halal-certified packaged non-meat products in the United States at about $15 million in 2007. The global market for halal-certified products is reaching biblical proportions, starting at a figure of $150 billion, suggested by some analysts, and estimated at $580 billion annually and growing, according to IFANCA.

Although they are separated by religious belief, the steps for kosher and halal certification are similar. A qualified independent third party is required to supervise production, attesting that consumables were produced in conformity with the preparation and ingredient standards of kosher or halal guidelines. After successful adoption and performance of kosher or halal productivity procedures, the supervisory third party then issues certification to the producer, attesting to conformity on a per-product basis.

Before any company can acquire kosher or halal certification, its personnel must have both a basic understanding of, and a respect for, the respective traditions.

Kosher Roots

The Hebrew word kosher means “fit” or “proper” as it relates to Jewish dietary law. Kosher foods are those that Jews are permitted to eat; they can also be used as ingredients in the production of other food items.

“The laws of kashrus—a Hebrew word referring to kosher and its application—are complex and extensive,” Dr. Regenstein says. “Though an ancillary hygienic benefit has been attributed to the observance of kashrus, the ultimate purpose and rationale is to conform to the divine will, as expressed in the Torah, which is the original five books of the Holy Scriptures. Kosher laws are viewed by Jews as given to the community without a need for explanation.”

Kosher dietary laws deal predominantly with three issues, all focused on the animal kingdom: allowed animals, the prohibition against the consumption of blood, and the prohibition against mixing milk and meat.

Allowed animals include ruminants with split hooves that chew their cud. Even though the pig has split hooves, it does not chew its cud, so pork is not kosher. Traditional domestic birds are permitted, including chicken, turkey, duck, goose, and squab. The only animals from the sea that are permitted are fish with fins and removable scales.

The Torah forbids the consumption of the blood of an animal. Additionally, it does not allow cooking meat and milk together in any form, eating such cooked products, or deriving benefit from them. Therefore, eating meat and dairy products at the same meal or preparing them using the same utensils is prohibited. Rabbinic law, the extension and clarification of Torah law, also prohibits the consumption of meat and fish together.

The adjective “parve” (sometimes spelled pareve or parev) means that a food item does not contain dairy or meat ingredients and was not processed with heat on dairy or meat equipment. Parve foods are neutral and may be eaten with meat or dairy foods.

Kosher Certification

The U.S. food industry boasts at least 102,000 kosher-certified products produced by nearly 10,650 companies and plants, according to Lubinsky. The average U.S. supermarket offers about 17,000 kosher products as part of its mix. “This includes not only the well-known kosher brands but also mainstream brands,” Lubinsky says.

The value of kosher goods produced in the United States—$245 billion—is enough to make a believer out of almost any food industry stakeholder, and the kosher ingredients that are sold add $325 billion to the tally. “These numbers undoubtedly seem high compared to the dedicated kosher market,” Lubinsky says. “That’s because many people don’t realize that most of the food items they purchase have a kosher symbol on them.”

As of 2008, there are 921 properly documented kosher certification bodies worldwide, although the stamps of less than ten of those appear regularly on kosher products in the Unites States.