What Does It Mean for a Product to Be Kosher Certified by OU?

Updated

A product that is OU kosher certified has been reviewed and supervised by the Orthodox Union (OU), one of the most widely recognized kosher certification agencies in the United States. In practice, that means the product and its production process meet Jewish dietary (kosher) requirements as verified by the OU, and the package carries the OU symbol as evidence. This matters most if you keep kosher, are shopping for someone who does, or simply want to know what the symbol on a label actually guarantees.

What "kosher" means in basic terms

Kosher refers to food that conforms to Jewish dietary law. The core rules cover:

  • Permitted animals: Only certain animals are allowed, and they must be slaughtered and prepared in specific ways.
  • Separation of meat and dairy: Meat and dairy products cannot be mixed or processed on the same equipment without proper kosher handling.
  • Forbidden foods: Certain items, such as pork and shellfish, are not kosher.
  • Production oversight: Even otherwise permitted ingredients must be produced under kosher-compliant conditions.

Because these rules extend into ingredients, equipment, and facilities, certification is how a company demonstrates that a product actually complies.

What the OU symbol tells you

The OU symbol on a package is the visible result of OU certification. It signals that the Orthodox Union has evaluated the product and its production and determined it meets kosher standards under OU supervision.

The OU describes itself as certifying over 1.3 million products globally since 1923, and its certification appears on a large share of produced foods in America. According to the OU, over 60% of America's produced foods that are certified kosher carry certification, and over $150 billion of kosher certified products are consumed annually. In other words, the symbol is common even on products bought by people who do not keep kosher.

How OU supervision works

OU supervision is not a one-time label approval. It is an ongoing relationship between the certifying agency and the company:

  1. Application and review — A company applies for certification, and the OU reviews ingredients, suppliers, and production methods.
  2. Supervision setup — Kosher requirements are built into the production process, including how equipment is used and cleaned.
  3. Ongoing monitoring — The OU maintains supervision to confirm continued compliance.
  4. Symbol use — Once certified, the company may display the OU symbol on approved products.

The OU provides public resources on this process, including "Steps to Certification," "How does OU Supervision Work?," a "Glossary of Kosher Terms," and a "Kosher Symbols" guide. These are useful if you want to understand what a specific symbol or product status means.

How to check a specific product

If you want to confirm whether a particular item is OU certified:

  • Look for the OU symbol on the packaging.
  • Use the OU product search on oukosher.org to look up products.
  • Check the OU Kosher Alerts page, which flags changes or issues with certified products.
  • Contact the OU Consumer Hotline at +1 (212) 613-8241 x3 for consumer questions.

For companies rather than consumers, the OU lists an Applications and New Certification Office at +1 (212) 613-8372 and a "Get Certified" application path.

Who this is for

  • Kosher consumers: The OU symbol is a quick way to identify products certified to OU standards.
  • Manufacturers and brands: OU certification can open access to kosher-observant markets and to the broader group of shoppers who look for kosher symbols.
  • General shoppers: The symbol indicates third-party kosher supervision, even if you are not personally keeping kosher.

If your question is specifically about whether a product is kosher, the OU symbol plus the OU's own product search and alerts are the most direct ways to verify it.