Kosher Primer

The Kosher Primer is intended as a entry point guide for businesses and other organisations interested in Kashrut it is to be used as a general guide only.
What does "Kosher" mean?

The Hebrew word "Kosher" applies to food and means fit or proper for consumption. The generic term that covers kosher foods and their production is "kashrut".The word "kosher" refers to the food that Jewish people regard as fit for them to eat. This primer presents an overview of the main features of kashrut.

Categories of kosher foods: meat, milk & parve
Beef, veal, lamb and venison are permitted. Meat also includes poultry, i.e. domestic birds such as chicken, turkey, duck and geese. However, for the meat to be kosher the animal/bird must have been inspected by a qualified slaughterer (Shochet), slaughtered in an acceptable way, and then treated so as to remove the blood from the carcass.

Animals such as pigs and kangaroos that do not have a cloven hoof and chew their cud are not kosher. Birds of prey and scavenger birds are not kosher.
Parve refers to a kosher food that contains neither meat nor milk. It is considered "neutral". All things that grow from the earth are, in their natural state ,considered kosher and parve. Any fish having fins and scales is also kosher and parve. Sharks, shellfish and eel are not kosher.

Processed Foods
Food that is inherently kosher is made non-kosher if it comes in contact with any non-kosher implement, utensil or wrapping. It is for this reason that the processing of food that is to be certified as kosher is typically done under strict supervision.
Some basic practical considerations related to the handling of Kosher Foods
Meat and dairy must be kept strictly separate. Utensils and storage devices that have been used for meat cannot subsequently be used with dairy, and vice versa. Food that is not kosher is called "trefe", pronounced to rhyme with "waif". Some foods such as pork and lobster, are inherently trefe. Other foods are made trefe by the materials/utensils used in the processing. Materials/utensils that have been in contact with trefe food will make trefe any other food that touches them.

Kosher food marketing in the USA.
In the past twenty years there has been a tremendous growth in the USA of the number and range of kosher products on sale to the public. Kosher certification has offered manufacturers an edge in the highly competitive food and beverage industry. Today, nearly $34 billion of food products are produced as kosher in the USA. $3 billion in direct sales are sold each year to over eight million consumers who seek out a kosher label. Kosher food service increased 18% during the past year. The total number of consumers is growing at any annual rate of 15%, all because "kosher" is identified with quality, health and fine preparation.

Commercial kosher catering
Commercial catering is not considered kosher unless the caterer is licenced and supervised by a recognised kashrut authority. In Western Australia, KAWA is the recognised authority. For a commercially catered function to be kosher:
• a) the caterer must be licensed
• b) the food must be kosher
• c) the food must be prepared in a kosher kitchen (most commercial kitchen can be made kosher)
• d) the food must be prepared under special supervision
• e) the prepared food must be served on kosher crockery
• f) the serving of the good must also be supervised

Commercial production of kosher foods.
The commercial production of kosher food in Western Australia requires that:
• a) all of the production facilities that come in contact with the food are made kosher
• b) all of the ingredients are kosher - certificates of the kosher status of ingredients need to be obtained from the suppliers of those ingredients
• c) the production process may need to be supervised by a KAWA supervisor
• d) the packaging of the products needs to carry the KAWA logo
The licensing of commercial kosher caterers and kosher food producers in Western Australia is done by The Kashrut Authority of Western Australia (KAWA)