Rulings

Reform Judaism frames kashrut as informed personal and communal choice, weighing tradition, ethics and sustainability. Hey Kosher shows you the facts on the label and does not issue a verdict for this tier.

Mary L. Zamore (ed.), The Sacred Table: Creating a Jewish Food Ethic (CCAR Press, 2011)

Blood is not eaten. Blood and blood plasma as ingredients are flagged.

Leviticus 17:10-14; Genesis 9:4

This tier reads the ingredient list against Scripture's clean and unclean lists. It does not require rabbinic certification and does not separate meat and dairy.

Tier definition

A reliable hechsher is the preferred way to establish that a processed food is kosher. Where none is present, the ingredient list is read against CJLS rulings and the result is marked for your judgement.

Rabbinical Assembly, "A Guide to Jewish Religious Practice" (Klein, 1979), ch. 21

A recognized hechsher settles the question. Without one, the ingredient list is read for unclean species and questionable animal derivatives.

MJRC Standards of Observance, Kashrut section

Processed foods are relied upon only with a recognized hechsher, because ingredients, equipment and processing aids cannot be verified from the label alone. Hey Kosher reports what is printed on the package; the agency has the final word.

Shulchan Aruch, Yoreh De'ah 118-119; contemporary agency practice

Those who keep chalav Yisrael use only dairy supervised from milking. Agencies print a chalav Yisrael mark where it applies; unmarked dairy is chalav stam.

Shulchan Aruch, Yoreh De'ah 115:1; Igrot Moshe, Yoreh De'ah 1:47 (chalav stam leniency)

Cheese made with rennet of any origin is permitted, since rennet is a dried, transformed substance used in minute quantity. Many Conservative Jews still prefer certified cheese; we note it either way.

Isaac Klein, "The Kashrut of Cheeses," CJLS (1969)

Land animals must both chew the cud and have a split hoof. Pig, camel, hare and rock badger are named as unclean, and their flesh and fat are not to be eaten.

Leviticus 11:3-8; Deuteronomy 14:4-8

Pork, shellfish and other biblically unclean species and their derivatives are not eaten.

MJRC Standards of Observance; Leviticus 11

Water creatures are clean only with both fins and scales. Shellfish, crustaceans, squid, eel and catfish lack scales and are not eaten.

Leviticus 11:9-12

Pork, shellfish and other forbidden species and their recognizable derivatives are not kosher.

Shulchan Aruch, Yoreh De'ah 79-83, as followed in Conservative practice

Gelatin from a pig is from an unclean animal. Gelatin whose source is not stated is usually porcine or bovine, so we ask you to check the source rather than guess.

Leviticus 11:7-8 applied to derivatives

Gelatin is so thoroughly transformed from its source that it is no longer considered the forbidden substance. The CJLS accepts gelatin from any source as kosher and pareve.

Isaac Klein, "The Kashrut of Gelatin," Responsa and Halakhic Studies (1975)

Gelatin of unstated source and other animal derivatives are marked for a closer look until the MJRC states a position. Porcine gelatin is treated as unclean.

Open question submitted to the MJRC

Swarming insects are unclean apart from named locusts. Carmine (cochineal) and shellac are made from insects, so this tier flags them.

Leviticus 11:20-23, 41-43

The MJRC standards call members to a Torah-based kashrut: biblically clean species, separation of meat and dairy, and respect for the kosher certification system. Hey Kosher's reading of these standards is pending MJRC review.

Messianic Jewish Rabbinical Council, Standards of Observance, Kashrut section

Rice, corn, beans and other kitniyot are permitted on Passover for Ashkenazim as well as Sephardim. Chametz (the five grains) remains forbidden.

Amy Levin and Avram Reisner, "A Teshuvah Permitting Ashkenazim to Eat Kitniyot on Pesah," CJLS (2015)

Year-round certification does not cover Passover. A separate Kosher for Passover mark is required, and Ashkenazi practice also avoids kitniyot.

Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chayim 447; Rema 453:1 (kitniyot for Ashkenazim)

Those who keep pas Yisrael use baked goods in whose baking a Jew took part. Agencies print a pas Yisrael mark where it applies.

Shulchan Aruch, Yoreh De'ah 112

The CJLS permits wine produced without kosher supervision in most circumstances, while recommending kosher wine for ritual use. Grape ingredients are noted, not forbidden.

Elliot Dorff, "On the Use of All Wines," CJLS (1985)