Editing Kashrut (section)

===Product labeling standards===
{{further|Hechsher}}
[[File:OUKosher.JPG|thumb|180x180px|The circled U means a product is certified as kosher by the [[Orthodox Union]] (OU). "Pareve" means no ingredients are derived from milk or meat.]]
[[File:Kosher labels.jpg|thumb|180x180px|Kosher labels on salt and sugar packages in [[Colombia]].]]

Although reading the label of food products can identify obviously non-kosher ingredients, some countries allow manufacturers to omit identification of certain ingredients. Such "hidden" ingredients may include [[lubricant]]s and [[flavoring]]s, among other [[Food additive|additives]]; in some cases, for instance, the use of ''natural'' flavorings, these ingredients are more likely to be derived from non-kosher substances.<ref>{{cite web|title=What foods are kosher?|url=http://www.oxfordchabad.org/templates/articlecco_cdo/aid/307920/jewish/Kosher-Foods.htm|publisher=Oxford Chabad Society|access-date=March 15, 2013}}</ref> Furthermore, certain products, such as fish, have a high rate of [[Seafood mislabelling|mislabeling]], which may result in a non-kosher fish being sold in a package labeled as a species of kosher fish.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/27/science/earth/27fish.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220103/https://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/27/science/earth/27fish.html |archive-date=2022-01-03 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |title=Tests Reveal Mislabeling of Fish |last=Rosenthal |first=Elizabeth |date=May 26, 2011 |website=[[The New York Times]] |access-date=May 22, 2013}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

Producers of foods and food additives can contact Jewish religious authorities to have their products certified as ''kosher'': this involves a visit to the manufacturing facilities by an individual rabbi or a committee from a rabbinic organization, who will inspect the production methods and contents and, if everything is sufficiently ''kosher'' a certificate would be issued.<ref>{{cite web|title=How to choose a kosher certification|url=http://www.kashrut.com/trade/trade_links/hechsher/|publisher=Kashrut.com|access-date=March 15, 2013}}</ref>

[[File:OK kosher D symbol.jpg|thumb|[[OK Kosher Certification]] (circled K) symbol with a dairy designation on a bag of [[chocolate chip]]s]]

Manufacturers sometimes identify the products that have received such certification by adding particular graphical symbols to the label. These symbols are known in Judaism as ''[[hechsher]]im''.<ref name="Hechshers">{{cite web|title=About this web-site|url=http://www.hechshers.info/about.htm|publisher=Hechshers.info|access-date=March 15, 2013}}</ref> Due to differences in ''kashrut'' standards held by different organizations, the ''hechsheirim'' of certain Jewish authorities may at times be considered invalid by other Jewish authorities.<ref>{{cite web|title=Kosher Certification|url=http://www.chabad.org/library/howto/wizard_cdo/aid/113474/jewish/Kosher-Certification.htm|publisher=[[Chabad]].org|access-date=March 15, 2013}}</ref> The [[certification mark]]s of the various rabbis and organisations are too numerous to list, but one of the most commonly used in the United States of America is that of the [[Union of Orthodox Congregations]], who use a ''U'' inside a circle ("O-U"), symbolising the initials of ''Orthodox Union''. In Britain, commonly used symbols are the "KLBD" logo of the [[London Beth Din]] and the "MK" logo of the Manchester Beth Din.<ref>{{cite web|title=MK Kosher|url=https://www.thejc.com/lifestyle/features/how-kellogg-s-keeps-the-corn-flakes-kosher-in-the-world-s-biggest-cereal-factory-1.36397|access-date=March 25, 2021|publisher=thejc.com}}</ref> A single ''K'' is sometimes used as a symbol for ''kosher'', but since many countries do not allow letters to be [[trademark]]ed (the method by which other symbols are protected from misuse), it only indicates that the company producing the product claims that it is kosher.<ref name="Kosherfest">{{cite web|title=Glossary of Kosher Terms |url=http://www.kosherfest.com/about-kosher/glossary-of-kosher-terms |publisher=[[Kosherfest]] |access-date=March 15, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130203160355/http://www.kosherfest.com/about-kosher/glossary-of-kosher-terms |archive-date=February 3, 2013 }}</ref>

[[File:Stempel potwierdzający koszerność, MŻ 44d.jpg|thumb|Stamp for identifying food as kosher. Collection of Auschwitz Jewish Centre]]

Many of the certification symbols are accompanied by additional letters or words to indicate the category of the product, according to Jewish law;<ref name=Kosherfest/> the categorization may conflict with legal classifications, especially in the case of food that Jewish law regards as ''dairy'', but legal classification does not.

* D: Dairy
* DE: Dairy equipment
* M: Meat, including [[poultry]]
*''Pareve'': Food that is neither meat nor dairy
* Fish
* P: [[Passover]]-related (''P'' is not used for ''Pareve'')

In many cases constant supervision is required because, for various reasons such as changes in manufacturing processes, products that once were kosher may cease to be so. For example, a kosher lubricating oil may be replaced by one containing [[tallow]], which many rabbinic authorities view as non-kosher. Such changes are often coordinated with the supervising rabbi or supervising organization to ensure that new packaging does not suggest any ''hechsher'' or ''kashrut''. In some cases, however, existing stocks of pre-printed labels with the ''hechsher'' may continue to be used on the now non-kosher product. An active [[Grapevine (gossip)|grapevine]] among the Jewish community discusses which products are now questionable, as well as products which have become kosher but whose labels have yet to carry the ''hechsher''. Some newspapers and periodicals also discuss ''kashrut'' products.<ref>{{cite web|title=Kosher Supervision|url=http://www.ok.org/Content.asp?ID=116|publisher=[[OK Kosher Certification]]|access-date=March 15, 2013}}</ref>

Products labeled [[kosher-style]] are non-kosher products that have characteristics of kosher foods, such as all-beef [[hot dog]]s,<ref name="zeldes">{{cite web | last = Zeldes | first = Leah A. | title = Know your wiener! | work = Dining Chicago | publisher = Chicago's Restaurant & Entertainment Guide, Inc. | date = July 8, 2010 | url = http://www.diningchicago.com/blog/2010/07/08/know-your-wiener/ | access-date = July 31, 2010 | archive-date = July 10, 2011 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110710093609/http://www.diningchicago.com/blog/2010/07/08/know-your-wiener/ }}</ref> or are flavored or prepared in a manner consistent with [[Ashkenazi]] practices, like [[dill pickles]].<ref name="pickle">{{cite web | last = Zeldes | first = Leah A. | title = Origins of neon relish and other Chicago hot dog conundrums | work = Dining Chicago | publisher = Chicago's Restaurant & Entertainment Guide, Inc. | date = July 20, 2010 | url = http://www.diningchicago.com/blog/2010/07/20/chicago-hot-dog-yellow-mustard-neon-green-relish#pickle | access-date = July 31, 2010 | archive-date = July 10, 2011 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110710130712/http://www.diningchicago.com/blog/2010/07/20/chicago-hot-dog-yellow-mustard-neon-green-relish/#pickle }}</ref> The designation usually refers to [[delicatessen]] items.