OK Kosher Certification is a major
kosher certification agency
A kosher certification agency is an organization or certifying authority that grants a '' hechsher'' (, "seal of approval") to ingredients, packaged foods, beverages, and certain materials, as well as food-service providers and facilities in which ...
based out of
Brooklyn, New York
Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...
. It is one of the "Big Five," the five largest kosher certifying agencies in the United States. OK also has a large kosher presence in Asia.
Early history
In 1935, Abraham Goldstein founded Organized Kashrut Laboratories (OK Labs) to meet the American
Jewish
Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...
community's need for
kosher food
Kosher foods are foods that conform to the Jewish dietary regulations of '' kashrut'' ( dietary law). The laws of ''kashrut'' apply to food derived from living creatures and kosher foods are restricted to certain types of mammals, birds and fish ...
products.
In 1968, Rabbi
Bernard Levy purchased OK Labs. He was already involved in kosher certification several years prior to the purchase. At the time, it was certifying a relatively small number of companies, but under his leadership, the organization began to grow, certifying companies internationally. Rabbi Levy instituted several improvements in the methods employed by kosher certifying agencies to verify the nature of products. Until then, many ingredients of products were assumed to be kosher, without visiting the company of each one. His policy was to travel to each company to see how the production was done first-hand. This led him to further investigate other companies, as many ingredients were composed of other sub-ingredients. As the organization grew, and the workload increased, Rabbi Levy's son, Rabbi Don Yoel Levy, joined the OK to help expand the organization.
Today
After the death of
Rabbi Bernard Levy in 1987, his son Rabbi Don Yoel Levy assumed leadership of the organization. Upon Rabbi Don Yoel Levy’s death in 2020, the Executive Rabbinical Council took responsibility of the OK.
With more than 10 million consumers seeking kosher products in the United States alone, the kosher food industry has seen rapid growth in the past two decades, with sales reaching $165 billion in 2002. Today the OK Certifies over 140,000 products, produced by over 1500 companies worldwide, including food giants such as
Kraft
Kraft Foods Group, Inc. was an American food manufacturing and processing conglomerate (company), conglomerate, split from Kraft Foods Inc. on October 1, 2012, and was headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. It became part of Kraft Heinz on July ...
,
Snapple
Snapple is a brand of tea and juice drinks which is owned by Keurig Dr Pepper, based in Plano, Texas, United States. The original producer of Snapple, a company that was known as Unadulterated Food Products, was founded in 1972. The brand achieved ...
, and
ConAgra
Conagra Brands, Inc. (formerly ConAgra Foods) is an American consumer packaged goods holding company headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. Conagra makes and sells products under various brand names that are available in supermarkets, restaurants, ...
. It employs over 350 rabbis worldwide.
Besides giving Kosher Certification, the OK actively promotes education and observance of kosher laws and attitudes. There are many books written on the subject, while most popular are the kosher-approved recipes.
Its headquarters are in
Brooklyn, New York
Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...
, with offices in Europe and
Israel
Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...
. The OK holds an annual
Mashgichim conference at the
Jewish Children's Museum
The Jewish Children's Museum is a Jewish-themed children's museum at 792 Eastern Parkway in Brooklyn, New York, U.S. It aims for children of all faiths and backgrounds to gain a positive perspective and awareness of the Jewish heritage, fosterin ...
. In 2014, OK Kosher won the rights to the
.kosher domain name. In 2015, Kehilla Kosher from Los Angeles merged with OK Kosher. The agency often expands its supervision of restaurants, mainly located in New York.
See also
*
Kosher foods
Kosher foods are foods that conform to the Jewish dietary regulations of '' kashrut'' ( dietary law). The laws of ''kashrut'' apply to food derived from living creatures and kosher foods are restricted to certain types of mammals, birds and fish ...
*
Kashrut
(also or , ) is a set of Food and drink prohibitions, dietary laws dealing with the foods that Jewish people are permitted to eat and how those foods must be prepared according to halakha, Jewish law. Food that may be consumed is deemed ko ...
*
Mashgiach
A mashgiach (, "supervisor"; , ''mashgichim'') or mashgicha (pl. ''mashgichot'') is a Jew who supervises the kashrut status of a kosher establishment. Mashgichim may supervise any type of food service establishment, including slaughterhouses ...
*
Hechsher
A hechsher or hekhsher (; "prior approval"; plural: ''hechsherim'') is a rabbinical product certification, qualifying items (usually foods) that conform to the requirements of halakha, Jewish religious law.
Forms
A hechsher may be a printed an ...
*
Orthodox Judaism
Orthodox Judaism is a collective term for the traditionalist branches of contemporary Judaism. Theologically, it is chiefly defined by regarding the Torah, both Torah, Written and Oral Torah, Oral, as literally revelation, revealed by God in Ju ...
References
External links
OK Kosher Certification Official websiteOK's KosherSpirit magazineOK Kosher partner in Argentina, Rabbi Jmelnitzky's website
{{Kashrut
Religious consumer symbols
Kosher food certification organizations
Kosher food
Jews and Judaism in Brooklyn
Orthodox Judaism in New York City
Jewish organizations based in New York City