What is Kosher?
To be certified kosher all constituents in the product and all of the processes of preparing the product must be certified kosher and compliant. Kosher is a material, process, and conveyance specification as precisely defined as any ASTM standard. Kosher certifiability depends on what it’s made from, how it’s made, and how it’s stored and conveyed to market. Although a product in itself may be benign, the end-user wants verification that its kosher status was not compromised along the way.
Material Constituents
Material constituents must be free of animal-sourced materials. On a molecular level this includes any fatty acids or their derivatives that have an indeterminate source.
Process
Catalysts and other materials that do not end up in the finished product must also meet kosher requirements. The production equipment and machinery used previously for non-kosher materials must be kosherized prior to kosher production.
Conveyance & Storage
Vessels such as storage tanks and transport vessels must be purged of their former contents.