Kosher approved

First, a definition. Kosher is a Hebrew word that translates roughly, to “fit or suitable.” For Jewish Orthodox consumers, kosher is a collection of guidelines dictating which foods are acceptable for consumption and which are not.

For growers, kosher is a niche market they should consider exploring.

Over the last several decades, kosher food and drink availability has multiplied enormously, seizing a larger foothold with the general public and forcing brand-name companies to offer kosher options. Nabisco now has kosher Oreos. Gatorade offers kosher beverages. There are kosher potato chips (Pringles, for instance), bottled drinks (Red Bull, Mike’s Hard Lemonade) and ketchups (Heinz offers several kosher products).

However, standards can get tricky for produce growers.

Most crops are inherently kosher because they are food given over by the earth, says Avrom Pollak, president of Star-K Kosher Certifications. However, the presence of insects — dead or alive — can render a crop not kosher, says Rabbi Yakov Vann from the Rabbinical Council of California, an organization that certifies food providers and growers as kosher. For many fruits and veggies, maintaining kosher status means taking part in a rigorous inspection process.
 

Stringent testing

Star-K, one of the largest kosher certifying agencies in the United States, says its certifications last for a year. Once certified, there are frequent site visits to ensure kosher practices are still being followed.

“The main focus of providing kosher certification to produce growers is to ensure they have a proper washing system so any infestation of insects is addressed and taken care of,” says Pollak. “For some crops, we know that the washing system is sufficient to get rid of the insects on iceberg lettuce, cabbage, and so on. But there are other crops, like romaine lettuce, which are more problematic because the washing system doesn’t always do a sufficient job.”

For those crops, inspections are required more regularly.

“The kosher laws have zero tolerance for insect infestations,” says Rabbi Sholom Tendler, an inspector for Star-K. “For green products, that presents a tremendous challenge. Not every lot [of crops] passes inspection. Sometimes crops will have the Star-K symbol and sometimes they do not.”

Tendler says the process to becoming certified is itself somewhat difficult.

Before anyone spends money or time on securing a kosher certification, the interested company will be asked to send samples of its product. “We like to know what we’re up against,” Tendler says.

If the sample comes in and is fairly clean, then Star-K moves to the next stage, which is an on-site inspection. If the sample fails, then inspectors and growers will talk in detail about their growing practices, washing practices, etc. and what may need to be changed.

“We try to get as much legwork out of the way before we go [to the site]. If there are major problems with a sample, we’ll discuss practices with them because if we go out there and determine the site is ineffective for kosher, then it’s a waste of everyone’s time and money,” Tendler says.

Once inspectors know that the product is mostly clean and harbors few infestations, they’ll schedule an initial inspection. The initial inspection looks at the operation, how they grow their plants and how they’re washing them. “Then we’ll discuss what steps are necessary before we start certifying the product,” Tendler says.

After the certification is issued, every harvested crop is inspected. That inspection takes two forms: pre-wash inspection and post-wash inspection. Nothing is certified straight from the ground, or immediately after being harvested. If a crop has a minimal insect infestation, during pre-wash inspection, it will usually pass to the washing stage. However, once a crop goes through the wash and is inspected again, there is a zero-tolerance policy on infestation. Bugs — dead or alive — will render a crop non-kosher.

Because the certification process can be so challenging, Tendler believes the increased control over environment and yield has led to an interest in greenhouse technology. He says that Star-K is currently working with several operations to achieve kosher certification for indoor growing.

“Companies that have interest in entering the kosher market are considering greenhouses,” he says. “It tends to be the easiest way to go, but it’s not always the most cost-effective.”

Other restrictions on growing are minimal. Tendler says that it is theoretically possible for a pesticide to be non-kosher, and therefore unusable, but most EPA approved chemicals are allowed under kosher law.

“The only issue that concerns us [with pesticides] is over-spraying. That’s not inherently a kosher concern, but it concerns us as human beings. But most companies that we work with are employing well-regulated Integrated Pest Management (IPM) programs,” he says.
 

A grower’s perspective

Dole Fresh Vegetables is one of the companies Star-K certifies.

Dole has held a kosher certification since the late 1990s, according to Aaron Schneider, the vice president of food safety and quality assurance for Dole. The company originally offered both romaine and iceberg based products. In the early 2000s, the kosher community conveyed concern with the certification of romaine lettuce without active inspection by a member of a rabbinical organization at the time of washing.

Dole now primarily offers iceberg lettuce and cabbage-based products.

Schneider says Dole decided to offer kosher because it “provides healthy options to those whom require that for their healthy diet.” He adds that main issue his company faces with staying kosher certified is that some produce has a greater propensity for attracting insect infestations, particularly when grown outdoors.

But Dole is a large company with international brand recognition in more than 90 countries. Does kosher certification appeal to smaller growers?

The answer, for Matt Stong’s Preferred Produce operation in New Mexico, is yes.

“My motivation for becoming kosher certified is that I don’t want to do something that other people are doing. The kosher market, from my perspective, is in its infancy or childhood,” Stong says.

Preferred Produce has been certified kosher for about a year, growing mostly zucchini and eggplant. Stong says the process for achieving and maintaining kosher certification has been fairly challenging.

“The certification agents are very serious about what they’re doing,” Stong says. “If you make a mistake, your whole crop could be rendered almost useless. Other certifications are similar, like organic. But organic is about preparation, whereas kosher is an ongoing process. Every month there’s an inspection and every crop gets inspected.”

In terms of growing systems, Preferred Produce didn’t have to change much. Stong says the biggest alteration was the inability to employ beneficial insects. Since kosher is focused on the absence of insects, introducing bugs to the greenhouse (even bugs that kill pests) is a no-go.

“Growing kosher is a challenge,” Stong says. “[But] I like a challenge.”
 

Expanding markets

Pollak says Star-K currently certifies about 3,000 companies, and that number is constantly growing.

“We’re growing rapidly, not only in the United States but with international companies that want to send products to the United States,” Pollak says.

But finding numbers to support the conjecture on the growth of the kosher industry is difficult. Pollak says most kosher statistics are unreliable because they focus on strict kosher homes. But kosher products are not sold exclusively to Orthodox Jewish communities. Many members of the general population purchase kosher products.

Rabbi Vann also believes the kosher market is expanding. “The number of people requesting bug-free product has exploded as many people realize that their produce is not quite as clean as they had thought,” he says.

Pollak believes the number of general consumers who purchase kosher products far outpaces the members of the Orthodox community.

“The general population considers kosher certification to be an enhanced feature on the food they buy. Given the choice between something kosher certified and something not, consumers will likely choose the one that has been certified,” Pollak says.

Tendler agrees. “As the world gets greener and healthier, there’s more demand for kosher produce. The supply is not necessarily able to keep up with the demand,” he says.

So, according to Pollak, the appeal of kosher certification is not merely access to the Orthodox Jewish community, but rather a broader market.

“The real benefit of certification is wider exposure. More grocery chains are willing to carry kosher products,” he says. “Everyone is competing for shelf space and consumer attention and kosher certification offers an enhancement for your product.”