Mazeltov.cz explains; it does not rule. Kashrut practice varies by community, movement and family. For a specific situation, ask the rabbi of your community. The texts in this section are editorial drafts awaiting expert review.
What a mashgiach does
Kashrut supervision is called הַשְׁגָּחָה (hashgachah) in Hebrew, and the person who carries it out is a מַשְׁגִּיחַ (mashgiach). It is not a blessing of the food: the mashgiach verifies that ingredients, utensils and procedures conform to halakhah according to the certifier’s standard.
In a restaurant or kitchen, the mashgiach checks deliveries and ingredient certificates, inspects leafy vegetables for insects, oversees the separation of meat and dairy operations (see The Kosher Kitchen) and often lights the stoves and ovens so that dishes and baked goods are bishul Yisrael and pat Yisrael (see Wine, Bread and Cooking).
Depending on the type of operation, supervision is either constant (mashgiach temidi, present throughout production or service) or periodic, with the mashgiach making unannounced visits. Constant supervision is usually required for meat, wine, cheese and restaurants; periodic inspections suffice for simpler production.
Why industrial food needs supervision
The ingredient list on the package is not enough. Many additives and processing aids can be of animal origin without this being apparent: for example emulsifiers (mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids), glycerol, gelatin, flavourings or enzymes, including rennet in cheese. Some substances also need not be declared on the label at all.
The second problem is shared production lines. According to halakhah, a vessel or piece of equipment used with heat absorbs the taste of what was processed in it and passes it on. If the same line alternates between non-kosher and kosher production, or between dairy and meat, the equipment must be kashered in between, and this can be verified only by supervision on the production floor.1
The certifier therefore examines the entire chain: ingredient suppliers and their certificates, recipes, cleaning and kashering of the lines, and packaging. A hechsher on a product means that the organization in question has approved the product according to its own rules.
Hechsher symbols and the D, pareve and P marks
Each certifier has its own symbol (hechsher) printed on the package. Among the best known are the symbols of the large American organizations, for example the letter U in a circle (Orthodox Union) or the letter K in a circle (OK); in Israel, certification by the Chief Rabbinate and local rabbinates is used. A plain letter K on a package with no further marking usually does not tell you who carried out the supervision.
An additional mark is often added to the symbol. D (dairy) means the product is dairy or made on dairy equipment; with some certifiers DE stands for "dairy equipment". Pareve (parve) marks a product with neither meat nor milk (see Parve and Fish). Meat products may carry the mark M or Meat.
The mark P or the words le-Pesach ("for Passover") mean that the product is suitable for Passover (see Kashrut for Passover). A common mistake: on American products P does not mean "pareve"; a product marked P may even be dairy.
Differing standards: mehadrin, glatt, badatz
Certifiers differ in which leniencies they accept. The label מְהַדְּרִין (mehadrin, "those who are especially meticulous") denotes a stricter standard, for example chalav Yisrael, pat Yisrael or bishul Yisrael according to the Sephardi understanding. What exactly mehadrin includes varies between certifiers.
Glatt (Yiddish "smooth") originally refers to meat from an animal whose lungs were free of adhesions. The Shulchan Arukh requires such flawlessness for beef (Hebrew chalak), while the Rema, in Ashkenazi practice, permits under certain conditions lungs with some adhesions. Sephardi communities therefore eat only chalak Beit Yosef meat; in colloquial English, "glatt kosher" is often used more loosely to mean "strictly kosher". More in Shechitah and Preparing Meat.2
Badatz (an acronym of בֵּית דִּין צֶדֶק, beit din tzedek, "righteous rabbinic court") denotes certification by the rabbinic court of a particular community, typically Haredi communities in Israel, for example the Edah HaChareidit in Jerusalem. Such certifications are generally regarded as very strict.
Not every community accepts every certifier. Orthodox rabbinates may reject certifications by other movements or by some private organizations; Conservative and Reform Jews, by contrast, often accept a broad range of hechshers or buy uncertified products based on their ingredients. If you are cooking for guests, it is worth asking whose supervision they accept.
The situation in Czechia
In Czechia, kashrut supervision is carried out by the rabbinate within the Jewish communities united in the Federation of Jewish Communities in the Czech Republic; in Prague, the rabbinate of the Jewish Community of Prague operates. Supervision covers, among other things, kosher shops, restaurants and canteens, and some producers.3
Local consumers often have access to lists of foods from ordinary shops that the rabbinate or another recognized authority has checked. Such lists apply only to the products listed and their current composition; when the recipe or manufacturer changes they cease to apply, so it is necessary to follow the current version.
Anyone unsure whether a particular product, restaurant or caterer is under supervision should contact the rabbinate of the local Jewish community directly. This encyclopedia does not list individual establishments, because supervision can change.
Kosher style, vegetarian and vegan
A "kosher style" restaurant offers dishes of Jewish cuisine, such as pastrami, bagels or gefilte fish, but is not under supervision. The meat need not come from kosher slaughter, the kitchen need not separate meat and milk, and no one checks the ingredients. For someone who keeps kashrut, it is therefore not a kosher establishment.
A supervised kosher restaurant holds a valid certificate (Hebrew te’udat kashrut), usually issued for a set period and displayed on the premises. A restaurant is generally either meat or dairy.
Vegetarian or vegan does not mean kosher. Even without meat and milk, problems can include insects in vegetables and legumes, unsupervised wine and grape products, bishul akum and pat akum, non-kosher additives, shared utensils and lines, and on Passover leavened food (chametz). A vegan label does, however, help in judging whether a product is free of meat and milk.
FAQ
Does "pareve" on the package mean the product is vegan?
Not always. Pareve means without meat or milk, but eggs, fish or honey can also be pareve. Conversely, a product labelled "vegan" is not necessarily kosher.
What does the letter P next to a kosher symbol mean?
With American certifiers it usually means "kosher for Passover", not "pareve". A product marked P may even be dairy; whether it is pareve is shown by a further mark.⁂ To verify
Are kosher foods available in ordinary shops in Czechia?
Some imported products carry a foreign hechsher, and lists of checked products are often available for the local community. The rabbinate of the Jewish community can tell you their current form.⁂ To verify
Is a "kosher style" restaurant kosher?
No. "Kosher style" describes the type of food, not supervision. Only an establishment with a valid certificate from a recognized authority is kosher.
Why do some Jews not eat products with a particular hechsher?
Because certifiers accept different leniencies and communities trust them to different degrees. An Orthodox Jew usually follows whichever certifications their rabbi or community accepts.
