You've probably seen the word "kosher" on different food products and maybe a section dedicated to the label at the grocery store. But what makes something kosher? Jewish dietary laws, rooted in the Hebrew Bible and history, determine what foods are kosher and which aren't.
Below, we'll explore what it means for food to be kosher and help you learn to interpret labels while you shop.
What does kosher mean?
"Kosher" is a Hebrew word that means "fit" or "proper." In Jewish dietary law, referred to as "kashrut," kosher products are foods permitted to eat. What makes something kosher is not just about what you can eat. It's also about the production, processing, and preparation of food.
These principles come from the Torah and haven't changed over the years, but rabbis have been interpreting these laws and applying them with a modern lens for centuries1.
Keeping kosher is a commitment and can be comprehensive — after all, the guidelines are very specific. However, not all Jewish people keep kosher, and there are lots of reasons why someone who isn't Jewish might shop for kosher products.
What is kosher food?
You might wonder what counts as kosher food if you're considering keeping kosher. Kosher dietary laws are complex rules that can't be boiled down to a simple list, but there are a few basic guidelines to abide by. For example, only certain animals are considered kosher, and you can't eat or cook meat and dairy products together.
Additionally, cross contamination of kosher food and non-kosher food isn't allowed. If you use utensils to eat something non-kosher, then continuing to use the same utensils to eat kosher food means the food is no longer kosher.
There are three main categories of kosher food:
Meat
According to the Torah, mammals must have split hooves and chew their cud to qualify as kosher. Beef, lamb, venison, and goat are kosher, but pork is not. No specific traits of birds are mentioned, but 24 species are entirely forbidden. In the US, kashrut organizations only recognize chicken, duck, turkey, and goose. Certain parts of animals, including fat and blood, are never kosher1.
Dairy
All dairy products, including milk, cheese, and butter, should come from a kosher animal.
Pareve
Pareve foods are any food item that doesn't contain meat or dairy. Fruits, vegetables, eggs, and grains are pareve foods. Only fish with scales and fins are kosher.
Pareve foods are neutral, so you can eat them with dairy or meat products. However, if these foods are processed or prepared using equipment also used with meat or dairy, they'd need to be reclassified as meat or dairy (respectively)2.
Kosher food preparation
The way kosher food is processed and prepared is also important. Animals should be slaughtered in a painless way, specifically by someone trained and certified by a rabbi. This method is generally considered more humane than most commercial farming practices.
In their purest, unprocessed forms, all grains, fruits, vegetables, nuts, and seeds are kosher. However, cross contamination with non-kosher items is fairly common because of how complex commercial food processing is. Baking pans greased with animal-based fat, fruits and veggies containing insects, and contamination from any equipment that processes meat or dairy products can render these kosher foods non-kosher.
The kitchen needs to be kept kosher, too. Before you cook a kosher meal, you should clean all utensils and surfaces that touch non-kosher ingredients. You must store dairy and meat separately.
How does kosher food certification work?
The complexity of kashrut combined with plenty of opportunities for cross contamination before your food even gets to your table makes it tricky for the average person to determine if a store-bought product is kosher just by looking at it. That's where kosher food certification comes into play.
Different certifying organizations label kosher commercial products with specific certifications on the packaging:
- A "K" tells you the item is kosher certified.
- A "KD" means the product contains dairy or was processed using equipment that handles dairy. That means not to eat these items with meat.
- "Pareve," "parve," or a "U" next to the kosher symbol means the product is neutral, or not dairy or meat.
- A "P" on the package refers to the Jewish holiday Passover, which has special kosher dietary laws.
The benefits of keeping kosher
Keeping kosher has its roots in following the principles of kashrut. But even if you aren't Jewish or don't keep kosher for religious reasons, there are potential benefits to the practice.
Because guidelines are so strict, kosher products are heavily regulated. That means every ingredient needs to be kosher, and any contact with equipment used to process meat or dairy must be labeled. If you are vegan, vegetarian, or have allergies to certain ingredients, these labels can provide some extra insight into the products you purchase.
Additionally, if you're concerned about inhumane commercial farming practices, you might prefer to buy kosher meat. Many consumers appreciate the transparency and reliability of kosher-certified products.
The Rounds makes it easy to shop for kosher products. Here's how it works: Simply tell us your dietary preferences, start shopping from our curated selection, choose when you want items refilled automatically, and wait for your groceries to arrive right at your doorstep! We deliver on a schedule that works for you, and you can change the frequency or date of your deliveries and refills at any time. Join today to start getting the groceries and essentials you want, when you need them most.
Sources:
1. Kosher Food: The Kosher Primer. Kosher Certification Service. Retrieved March 19, 2025, from https://oukosher.org/the-kosher-primer/
2. Hill, A. (March 15, 2023). Kosher Food: Everything You Need to Know. Healthline. Retrieved March 19, 2025, from https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/what-is-kosher
