Over the past two years, plant-based food consumption has grown by 49% across the EU, reaching a total sales volume of €3.6 billion.
Kosher Law Focus: Why Yogurt Needs Kosher Certification
2025-05-15
This week's hot topic is a major yogurt company's decision to discontinue its decades-old kosherKosherI will let the political and ethical commentators explain why the company decided to do this, but the company's response to consumers has been that they haven't changed any ingredients or processes and implying that they are just as compliant as before. Technically, I want to briefly explain why yogurt needsKosherCertification, why is an independent audit necessary to ensure itsKosherstatus.
Yogurt is a semi-solid fermented dairy product that has been produced for thousands of years. Modern yogurt production involves adding fermenting bacteria(Fermentation Agents)These bacteria consume the lactose in the milk and produce lactic acid and flavor compounds. The increase in acidity causes the proteins in the milk to coagulate, forming the texture of yogurt. Starter cultures usually haveKosherCertification, likewise, for raw milkKosherof(Unless you keepCholov Yisroel[1]). The larger the yogurtKosherThe problem is the other ingredients that are added.
Milk Powder - To ensure that the yogurt sets well and does not runny, manufacturers add more milk protein to the milk, most commonly by adding milk powder. One problem with making milk powder is that lactose powder is often added to standardize its protein content. Lactose powder is a by-product of cheese production and can come in a variety ofKosherProblems such as animal lipase, rennet and nonKosherContamination of cheese.
Fragrance - Under Australian food laws, the flavor ingredients of a product can only list "Fragrance". A flavor can have dozens of ingredients.(The largest ingredients I've evaluated are124Different ingredients!)Yogurt companies themselves don't even know what their flavor is. The flavor may contain a lot of nonKosherIngredients, especially fruit and cream flavors, contain a lot of oily substances(Esters and lactones), which may be of animal origin, or at least contaminated with animal fat. Spice companies secretly disclosed this information toKosherInstitutions are assessed to ensure complianceKosherRequire.
pigment-Natural red pigment(E120)from cochineal, which is non-kosher, and anthocyanins(E163)From grape skins, it hasKosherproblem.
Other ingredients-Stabilizers and thickeners such as diglycerides and gelatin can be extracted from animals, while sodium caseinate and whey protein concentrate are by-products of cheese production and have the same problems as mentioned above.(For lactose-free products)Such enzymes are produced by fermentation of microorganisms in a growth medium that may contain various nonKoshercomponent.
Other products produced on the same production line - if there is no appropriateKosherCleanliness, the condition of other products processed on the same line will affectKosherProductKosherEven shared steam systems can causeKosherquestion.
Obviously, for the above reasons, yogurt manufacturers need to be kosherKosherExpert review to ensure compliance.KosherThe ever-changing state and fluidity of the food industry necessitate ongoing inspections to ensure that food remains properlyKosher. Not onlyKosherFood products require ongoing audits by other food quality and safety bodies, including government departments such as Dairy Food Safety Victoria, or third-party certification bodies such asBRC、SQF、ISO9001、WQA、Coles、Periodetc., are subject to multiple audits to ensure ongoing compliance.
In our experience, the most effective way to change a company's mind is through positive consumer feedback. If you want this or any other product to meetKosherregulations, the best approach is to call, email, or use social media to respectfully ask the company to comply withKosher。