Kosher Agencies

Typically, local retail establishments can have their local rabbinical council provide them with kosher supervision, but if you need a kosher certification that’s recognized at a national or international level, you will have to find a larger kosher certification agency. Evaluating various kosher agencies and choosing the right agency for your needs is no easy task. One of the vital factors that one must consider when choosing a kosher agency is whether it would be accepted by the company’s customers. Getting a kosher certification can be a lengthy process, so a company must do market research to ensure that a particular kosher certification agency is acceptable to their customers prior to investing the time and money in a certification. In addition, if you plan to expand your company’s operations into another city, contact the local Orthodox rabbis there to determine whether a particular certification agency is acceptable to their constituents.

Choosing a kosher agency is a lot like choosing an attorney, financial advisor, or consultant. You must prepare questions so you can interview various kosher agencies and evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of each. A good way to initiate your search for a kosher agency is to ask your customers and distributors about their experiences with different kosher agencies. You can also contact rabbinical groups in cities where you do business and ask them which kosher agencies are the most popular among their congregants. You should also consider whether or not a particular certification would be acceptable to Muslims, Seventh Day Adventists, vegetarians, and other groups that commonly consume certified kosher products.

Quality of Service

The quality of the service that a kosher agency provides is an important factor to consider when you’re choosing a kosher agency. Kosher agencies that provide great service will:

• Help you locate acceptable sources for raw ingredients
• Have contacts all over the world who can do plant inspections
• Resolve misunderstandings with customers by contacting their rabbis
• Suggest distributors that have experience with the kosher market
• Provide you with suggestions about how to market your products more effectively to kosher consumers
• Respond to your inquiries and requests for approval of new ingredients in a timely fashion

Level of Expertise

Another important factor to consider when you’re interviewing various kosher agencies is whether they are familiar with your particular industry. The rabbi who inspects your manufacturing plant should understand the technology and systems used in your industry. Otherwise, the rabbi may interfere with the certification process because of his lack of knowledge. To determine whether a certification agency is truly familiar with your industry, ask them for a list of companies they certify and then call those companies to see if they are satisfied with the certification agency’s services.