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USA - OHIO: ‘Amazing Accomplishment’: 80 Acres Produce Made In Hamilton Now Kosher Certified
Hamilton-based 80 Acres Farms recently received Kosher certification, and a rabbi who is part of that approval said he was astounded at how well the indoor-farming company keeps insects from its produce, even though it uses no pesticides
March 13, 2021
By Mike Rutledge
Hamilton-based 80 Acres Farms recently received Kosher certification, and a rabbi who is part of that approval said he was astounded at how well the indoor-farming company keeps insects from its produce, even though it uses no pesticides.
Credit: Journal News
“It’s an amazing, amazing accomplishment,” said Rabbi Avrohom Weinrib, administrator of Cincinnati Kosher, which now oversees about 50 establishments in Ohio, Kentucky, West Virginia and Indiana.
The not-for-profit organization soon also will be known as Central Kosher as it expands regionally. Both organizations will use the symbol of a circle around the letters CK.
With Passover starting the evening of March 27, such a designation can make preparing salads much easier for Jewish families. Vegetables and other plant products normally are Kosher. Yet a Kosher law bans eating even the tiniest of insects, Weinrib said.
“It has to be perfectly clean to be considered Kosher,” Weinrib said. “So basically, what we’re certifying — and this is the incredible process of 80 Acres — is they, through technology, got to the ability to grow things without any infestation, to the point of perfection, which is an incredible accomplishment in the world at large, but particularly an incredible breakthrough for the Kosher world.”
As part of the certification process, crops are washed in water, and that water is poured through a fine cloth that catches even the tiniest organisms. Then the cloth is checked on a light box. Then reviewers use magnifying glasses, and sometimes microscopes, “to ensure there’s nothing on there — anything like an insect,” Weinrib said.
“We’ve done about six weeks of inspections at 80 Acres to make sure that’s the case, and so far, it’s been zero,” he said. “There’s a few others in the country that have gotten to this level — very, very few — and 80 Acres is probably the best in the country in terms of this accomplishment.”
Never eaten a raspberry
Every time Weinrib’s family prepares salads or greens, “It’s going to take my wife, or one of my children, or if we pay someone to do it, to go through this exact process of washing, inspecting and almost always washing a second, or third or fourth time, until it actually gets clean,” he said.
“Because we have to make sure it’s fully clean,” Weinrib added. “So it’s time-consuming, it’s labor-intensive, and it’s something that is not an easy process.”
But when consumers see the Kosher symbol, said Kosher coordinator Rabbi Lazer Fischer, “They just open up the bag, and they can use the lettuce inside,” knowing it’s completely insect-free.
Monica Noble, who runs 80 Acres’ quality and food safety program, said the company didn’t have to change anything to earn the certification.
“Our controlled growing environment is ideal to meet Kosher requirements,” she said.
At 80 Acres, “our grow zones are enclosed and employee traffic is extremely limited, which helps us prevent pest access in the first place,” Noble said.
Kosher laws are so stringent that Weinrib has never eaten a raspberry. Fischer, who recently moved from Israel, hasn’t had one since about age 5, after intensive cleansing of those raspberries.
Other difficult-to-clean produce includes blackberries, asparagus, Brussels sprouts and sometimes strawberries.
Fischer has tasted raspberry syrups, so he has a general idea. But he hopes one day 80 Acres will have “a breakthrough” for people who have never tasted a raspberry.
Explore PHOTOS: How 80 Acres Farms has grown in Hamilton so far this year
Holiday meals
Kosher certification feels good to Samantha Bergman, 80 Acres’ senior manager of retail sales and merchandising, because of her grandfather, Harvey Bergman.
“That was something that was so important to him, honoring the Jewish tradition, and passing that down from generation to generation,” Bergman said. “I’m grateful I work somewhere that can honor this tradition for the multitude of families that hold it close to their hearts.”
Many Muslims and others also pay attention to kosher certifications.
Shakila Ahmad, with the Islamic Center of Greater Cincinnati in West Chester, said when their Halal certification isn’t on a product, many Muslims look at the Kosher certification, especially when making sure there are no traces of pork in a product.
During Passover, which runs from March 27 to April 4, which this year coincides with Easter, Jews don’t eat breads, cakes or any grain-based product. That lack of leavened food represents the fact that in escaping slavery while leaving Egypt, they had to flee quickly with no time for dough to rise into bread. Maybe someday, 80 Acres will grow romaine lettuce, which can be used as a bitter herb, representing slavery. Romaine is particularly difficult to clean, the rabbis said.
Kosher Certification & Controlled Environment Agriculture
Kosher Certification Evolves With The Continuous Technological Changes in Food Production
February 25, 2021
Kosher Certification Evolves
With The Continuous Technological
Changes In Food Production
Since the OU’s first product certification of Heinz vegetarian baked beans in 1923, the OU’s processes for certification evolved with food production technology. A deep understanding of food production, technology, and science have made it possible to meet our customers where they are. The Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) Industry, an industry sector at the leading edge of agriculture has seen tremendous growth recently. It shows promise in the production of bug-free food vegetables which are in high demand by kosher consumers.
As background, most of us are familiar with pigs as not being Kosher as this is expressly forbidden for Kosher consumption in the Torah (bible). However, it is stated many more times that insects are forbidden to be eaten as well. As a result, the Kosher Consumer has to be very careful when preparing fresh produce because of the potential presence of insects such as Thrips and Aphids. This entails the consumer’s washing the produce at home, checking and, if clean (otherwise would have to restart the process) dry before consumption. Needless to say, this can be an arduous task when preparing any meal.
The Unique Nature of the Kosher Vegetable Market
This is where the Kosher Vegetable market is unique because kosher certified produce provides a critical convenience factor (often translating into higher premiums) for the consumer who is careful about not eating insects. Interestingly enough, consumers who do not keep the dietary restrictions of Kosher will nonetheless prefer kosher-certified produce because of the fear/perceived disgust of eating insects. A well-known resort was recently sued for serving lettuce wraps that contained Aphids by non-kosher consumers.
With many farms now going indoors, to allow control of humidity, lighting, and nutrients for the plants, there is a greater potential of being insect-free with the benefits of minimal to no pesticide use. This is in addition to the freshness of the product as many of these farms are more local since they are not bound by outdoor constraints. Some companies can deliver their produce within 24 hours of harvest. Due to this technology, the consumer can now have access to a greater variety of produce that can be insect-free and never has to be washed, a process that reduces the product’s quality.
This does not mean that indoor farms are automatically clean as it has been our experience that there are plenty of farms that have an insect infestation. Also, since many farms want to advertise that they are pesticide-free, this will translate into an Integrated Pest Management that requires the release of beneficial insects to consume the more detrimental ones.
The kosher certification of insect-prone vegetables is carefully supervised and navigated by the OU. Standard OU procedure will require an assessment of the facility. In addition, substantial samples of vegetables or final product are checked for insects prior to granting certification. The dynamic of OU certification of vegetables is undoubtedly highly involved but the OU has created a system of supervision to certify vegetables prone to insect infestation.
Through meeting many demands and developing an excellent working partnership with companies, the OU always strives to provide its certified companies with an unparalleled level of supervision.
Have any questions, comments, or want to explore Kosher Certification?
Please contact Rabbi Daniel Sharratt at: sharrattd@ou.org
Rabbi Daniel Sharratt
Rabbi Sharratt comes to the OU with experience working with many agencies across various industry sectors within the Food & Beverage Industry. Receiving a BS in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Notre Dame with a concentration in Industrial Design and receiving Rabbinic Ordination from Mesivta Torah Vodaath, he has become a valuable asset to the OU. As a Rabbinic Coordinator, he ensures that the Rabbis in the field are able to conduct their inspections, review formulas, manufacturing processes, and acts as the Accounts Executive. He currently specializes in Beverages and Produce (with a keen interest in Controlled Environment Agriculture). Rabbi Sharratt at one point even owned and operated a Kosher Fresh Vegetable company, developing a unique perspective into the Kosher Vegetable market. He is actively involved with ASK OU, where he provides classes for consumers on how to wash and check vegetables at home for kosher consumption. In addition, he works with many companies in Latin America due to his ability to speak Spanish.
This article originally appeared on OUkosher.org
Emirates Flight Catering Signs MOU To Form Kosher Arabia
In September 2019, the UAE announced the construction of an interfaith complex in Abu Dhabi, which will house a Jewish synagogue, Christian church, and Islamic mosque
Written by: Kim Tormey
September 17, 2020
Dubai, UAE, 17 September 2020 – Emirates Flight Catering (EKFC), one of the world’s largest catering operations serving more than 100 airlines, has signed an MOU with CCL Holdings founded by Ross Kriel, entering a partnership to set up a dedicated production facility for kosher food at EKFC’s premises in the UAE. The new partnership will be called Kosher Arabia, and production is expected to begin by January 2021.
Kosher Arabia is certified by the Kashrut Division of the Orthodox Union (OU) which will work in partnership with the South African Union of Orthodox Synagogues (UOS) to provide the highest level of excellence in kosher certification to Kosher Arabia.
The experienced culinary team at EKFC will handle all food production, while CCL Holdings will provide certification and production supervision including support for menu development and foodstuff procurement.
Saeed Mohammed, CEO of Emirates Flight Catering said: “We are delighted to enter into an agreement with CCL to provide Kosher food. For many years, EKFC has been offering kosher meals primarily to our airline customers, via an outsourced supplier overseas. We’ve been watching the global trends for kosher food, and with recent developments, we expect that demand for kosher food in the UAE and region will grow quickly. Our partnership will cover all food channels and we will also explore opening restaurants across Dubai and the GCC.
“By setting up our own capability at EKFC to produce kosher food, we are confident that we can better serve our customers not only in the aviation sector, but also in the hospitality, F&B, and events sector including the upcoming Expo 2020. Making freshly prepared meals here in the UAE gives us better control over meal design and quality assurance.”
Ross Kriel, founder of CCL Holdings, and President of the Jewish Council of the Emirates (JCE) said: “Kosher Arabia was set up to supply kosher food to meet the growing demand in the UAE, not only from the Jewish community here but also from other consumers looking for healthy and halal-compliant options.
“We’re honoured to have received so much support from the UAE and broader global community, including from Rabbi Menachem Genack, CEO of the OU’s Kosher Division, Rabbi Yissachar Krawowski, Rabbinic Coordinator for OU Kosher in Israel, South Africa’s Chief Rabbi Warren Goldstein and Rabbi Dovi Goldstein, Head of Kashrut in South Africa, and Rabbi Yehuda Sarna, Chief Rabbi of the UAE. With their guidance and endorsement, Kosher Arabia was launched and today is signing an MOU with Emirates Flight Catering to set up the UAE’s first kosher food production facility.”
The UAE is home to people from nearly 200 nations and all walks of life, including a thriving Jewish community. In September 2019, the UAE announced the construction of an interfaith complex in Abu Dhabi, which will house a Jewish synagogue, Christian church, and Islamic mosque.
Emirates Flight Catering is one of the world’s largest catering operations. Offering airline, events, and VIP catering as well as ancillary services including laundry, food production, and airport lounge food & beverage, Emirates Flight Catering is a trusted partner of over 100 airline customers, hospitality groups, and UAE government entities. In 2019, the company’s 6,000 dedicated employees prepared over 80 million meals and handled 77,000 tonnes of laundry.