Hechshers

The list covers hechshers from across the country, but doesn’t cover all of the many many hechshers that  are “out there,” especially if they are local ones covering areas that don’t have very large kosher communities. If you see a hechsher not on our list, always ask us, and we will add to the website as we need to. Email us at sleider@kolshofar.org or call Rabbi Leider: 415.388.1818, ext 110.

Note: the letter ‘K’ all by itself is not a certified Hechsher.

A hechsher (Hebrew: הכשר‎ [ˈhɛχʃəʁ] “kosher approval”; plural: hechsherim) is the special certification symbol found on food products that have been certified as kosher (meaning “fit” for consumption). Jewish dietary laws (Kashrut) specify food items that may be eaten and others that are prohibited as set out in the commandments of the Torah. To assist Jewish consumers, rabbinic authorities produce and regulate their own hechsherim. The mashgiach (“supervisor”) supervises the products and processes that manufacture kosher food to ensure compliance with the required standards. The mashgiach will allow the manufacturer to apply a hechsher to the packaging of the product only if found to contain only kosher ingredients and produced in accordance with Halakha (Jewish law). The rabbi may also apply additional words or letters after the hechsher to denote whether the product contains meat (often denoted “Meat”), dairy (D or Dairy), neither meat nor dairy (Pareve), or whether or not the product is Kosher for Passover (P). There are many different supervising authorities, which is there are so many different symbols.
(adapted from Wikipedia)