Kosher Food in the UK

The Market
Until recently, the UKs Jewish population was declining slowly year on year: however, figures
from Leeds and Manchester Universities suggest that there were 275,000 Jews within the UK
in 2007, compared to 266,740 in 2003.
Two thirds of UK Jews are London-based, other significant Jewish communities are in
Manchester, Leeds, Liverpool, Glasgow and Birmingham.
In recent years, kosher products tended to be found in independent delicatessens and
specialist stores: however, retail multiples, are now selling a considerable number of kosher
lines. Increasingly, such products are becoming popular with mainstream consumers who
often perceive a kosher mark as a sign of product safety, hygiene and quality. This is
particularly true of consumers who are vegetarian or suffer from food sensitivities or allergies.
What is Kosher?
According to the London Beth Din, Kosher is really just Jewish Eating.
Kosher foods must meet the complex and strict requirements of Jewish law. To monitor this,
Rabbis supervise production and packaging operations within food and drink manufacturing
operations then certify that the products meet all kosher requirements.
There are three key categories of kosher food: meat, dairy, and pave (or pareve). As the
London Beth Din explains, central to maintaining a kosher lifestyle is the separation of meat
and milk. Meat and milk products may not be mixed in the same product, or produced using
the same utensils. Parve means that neither meat nor milk products are included in the
product.
Scottish companies will be interested to learn that all fruits, vegetables and grains, still in
their natural state, are kosher and parve. Fish that have fins and scales such as salmon, trout,
herring and halibut are also kosher and parve: however, fish such as swordfish, sturgeon and
dogfish are non-Kosher. Similarly, shellfish is non-Kosher.
During Passover there are additional restrictions on what foods may be eaten, this is
particularly true of processed products. Kosher for Passover products are often marked with a
letter P next to the certification mark (or hechsher).
Full details on the specific Kosher requirements that apply to your products can be found on
the London Beth Din website (see link at end of guide) or from your local Rabbi.

Accreditation
According to the KosherFest website (see weblink at end of Guide), there are 900 Kosher
symbols used throughout the world. A Kosher certification mark is refered to as a hechsher.
The main accreditation bodies within the UK are the London Beth Din, London Board for
Shechita, Sephardi Beth Din, The Joint Kashrus Committee of England, The Federation of
Synagogues Kashrus and the Manchester Beth Din. Some Scottish companies have also opted
for US accreditation, including the New York based Orthodox Union the largest kosher
certifying agency in the world.
Of the UK bodies, the London Beth Din is the largest. Indeed, it is one of the largest kosher
accreditation bodies in Europe and Asia, certifying approximately 700 food and drink
processing units worldwide.
Kosher and Halal?
Islamic dietary laws and Jewish dietary laws are both very detailed and demonstrate some
similarities. They share a common root - a code of laws found in Leviticus and repeated in
the Quran.
Because of the similarities, some food producers opt to gain both Kosher and Halal
accreditation for their products.
Whether or not Muslims can use Kosher standards as a replacement for Halal is much
discussed: however, most Muslim authorities believe the terms are not interchangeable.
Despite this there does seem to be clear crossover potential with 16%* of kosher products in
USA consumed by Muslims (* World Food Market 2007 Post-Show Report).
Key Manufacturers
Key Kosher manufacturers include:
Company
Blooms/Gilberts/Mr Freed
Cauldron
Kelmans
Mrs Elswood
Osem
Rakusens
Tivall
Yarden

Website
www.greatfood.org.uk
www.cauldronfoods.co.uk
www.kelmans.co.uk
www.osem.co.il/Eng
www.rakusens.co.uk
www.Tivall.co.uk
www.kosheratyarden.com

Key Kosher Buyers

London Beth Din website (see link at end of document) is a useful starting point as
they list all their certified retailers
There are some opportunities within the foodservice market especially within the
outside catering sector where companies specialise in providing meals for Jewish
weddings, bar mitzvahs, etc.
As Kosher becomes more popular almost all retail multiples are now listing kosher
lines (some of these can be seen via online shopping services).

Some Key Wholesalers & Distributors

Company
Eliko Food Distributors Ltd.
Empire Food Brokers Ltd.
Foundation Foods
J. A. Hyman Limited
Kelmans Kosher Foods
Mehadrin Supply Company
Organic Kosher Foods
Petty, Wood & Co. Limited
Rumplers Kosher Foods
S. Goldstein
Tree of Life

Website/Telephone
www.eliko-foods.com
www.empirefoodbrokers.com
0208 420 1010
www.titanics.co.uk
www.kelmans.co.uk
020 881 05252
www.organickosher.co.uk
www.pettywood.co.uk
www.rumplers.co.uk
0161 793 1399
www.treeoflifeuk.com

Scottish Food & Drink Companies with Kosher Accreditation

Company Name

Website

A G Barr

www.agbarr.co.uk

Allied Distillers Ltd

www.allieddomecq.com

Bairds Malt Ltd

Bickiepegs

www.scotgrain.co.uk
www.bickiepegs.co.uk

Diageo

www.diageo.com

Farne Salmon and Trout

www.farnesalmon.com

International Fish Canners (Scotland) Ltd

www.intfishcan.com

Isle of Bute Foods Ltd

Lion Speciality Foods Ltd

www.scheese.co.uk
www.lionspeciality.co.uk

Lossie Seafoods Ltd

www.lossieseafoods.com

Macrae Foods

www.macrae.co.uk

Marrbury Smokehouse

www.visitmarrbury.co.uk

Moorhead & McGavin Ltd

Orkney Food Company Ltd

www.osprio.com
www.orkneyherring.com

Paterson Arran

www.paterson-arran.com

Pinneys of Scotland

www.uniq.com

Pure Malt Products Ltd.

www.puremalt.com

Salar Smokehouse Ltd

www.salar.co.uk

Scottish Borders Produce Ltd

Shetland Smokehouse

www.scottishbordersproduce.com
www.shetlandsmokehouse.co.uk

St James Smokehouse (Scotland) Ltd

www.stjamessmokehouse.com

Strathmore Mineral Water

www.strathmore-water.co.uk

The Drambuie Liqueur Company Ltd

www.drambuie.com

Walkers

www.walkersshortbread.com

Got kosher accreditation? To add your details to the list please e-mail:
content@scotlandfoodanddrink.org

Considering Producing Kosher Food and/or Seeking Accreditation for Existing

Products?
Like any formal accreditation process, the decision to look at kosher certification requires
considerable thought. Small-medium sized producers and single product companies (e.g. only
producing smoked salmon) tend to find it easier to go down the kosher route than larger,
multi-product/category manufacturers.
For many companies, the decision to gain kosher certification is linked to US export plans
see our guide to Kosher Food in the USA.
Next Steps?

Consult The Really Jewish Food Guide to identify products that already have kosher
accreditation. Are your competitors Kosher accredited?
Consider talking to other Scottish companies who have gained accreditation (see list
above).
Discuss market opportunities with existing and potential customers.
Talk to one or two certifying agencies to discuss whats involved (details below)
Explore subcontract manufacture possibilities with strong Kosher brands
Consider whether one accreditation mark is sufficient e.g. if supplying both UK and
export markets you may wish to look at carrying more than one mark see our
Kosher in the USA guide.
Once you have decided upon the most appropriate certification agency/ies for your
business, you will, almost certainly, be asked to provide a detailed list of every
ingredient in your product/s, including preservatives and any additives. You will also
be asked to provide details on your production process. Supervision (or mashgichim)
is generally undertaken by an Orthodox Rabbi.

Useful Links
Organisation/Resource
About.com: Kosher Food
Board of Deputies of British Jews
London Beth Din
London Board for Shechita
Manchester Beth Din
Really Jewish Food Guide
(produced by London Beth Din)
Sephardi Beth Din
The Federation of Synagogues
World Food Market, London
KosherFest

Website
kosherfood.about.com
www.bod.org.uk
www.kosher.org.uk
www.shechita.co.uk/licensed.htm
www.mbd.org.uk/TheBethDin
www.kosher.org.uk
www.sephardikashrut.org
www.federationofsynagogues.com
www.worldfoodmarket.co.uk
www.kosherfest.com

See also our guide to Kosher Food in the USA for more useful links.
Suggestions for more useful links and/or ways to improve this Guide?
Please e-mail: content@scotlandfoodanddrink.org

www.scotlandfoodanddrink.org - The information service tailored to the food and drink

industry. Contact the Scotland Food & Drink Helpline on 0845 601 3752.