Standards and Regulations

CRC-Kosher has been closely monitoring policies regarding insect infestation in its fruit and vegetable certification. The following are CRC-Kosher's Kosher certification requirements for how to properly inspect and use various fresh, frozen, and canned fruits and vegetables. (Of course, the following list cannot cover all products. If

The product you are interested in is not listed, please contact us)

To ensure kosher certification, vegetables must be thoroughly washed in cold water using a small amount of a kosher vegetable wash or soap solution. They must then be removed from the water. If insects are found in the water, the process is repeated until the water is free of insects. Three samples or batches of vegetables must then be taken for inspection. If no problems are found, the remaining produce can be used without further kosher inspection.

*Please note: We do not recommend using salt water or vinegar to properly remove insects from fruits and vegetables. The fresh vegetables on this list are not Kosher for Passover.

You'll often encounter fruits or vegetables that are infested with insects. This is especially true with some organic produce. In such cases, you shouldn't attempt to inspect and remove the insects. This is because it's highly unlikely that you'll be able to properly inspect and remove all of them.

Most canned or bottled vegetables require a reliable kosher certification. There are some exceptions to the rule. Under the supervision of a Peruvian rabbi, cactus and artichoke hearts are acceptable as kosher if packaged only in water (not oil or vinegar). However, testing artichoke hearts together is not recommended. There may be other exceptions to the kosher rule, but unless you know about them, you'll need a reliable inspection.

All freeze-dried vegetables and fruits require reliable on-siteKosherGenerally speaking, all canned vegetables also require a reliable kosher inspection.

A general kosher inspection of alfalfa sprouts is necessary to rule out any obvious insect infestation, otherwise it is not kosher.