State agencies, food banks, and food pantries play an important role in supporting nutrition security in low-income households, including households that follow kosher dietary laws. This page outlines strategies that program operators can implement to better serve kosher-observant households.
With over 1,500 unique kosher certifications used in the United States, it is important to connect with leaders in the local Jewish community to gain a better understanding of the certifications acceptable to your recipients. Kosher observant recipients need to trust that their local food pantry or food bank values the integrity of kosher practices, which reassures them that the food meets their dietary standards.
Building Trust with Kosher Program Recipients
While separate storage of foods in their original containers is not a requirement, it is a best practice that provides kosher-observant program recipients with enhanced trust in program operators.
Consistently storing kosher foods separate from non-kosher foods, shows program recipients your commitment to respecting their cultural dietary needs and provides them with a reliable, stress-free shopping experience.
Tips
- General Best Practices
- Store dairy products separate from meat and poultry products. Kosher dietary laws prohibit the mixing of dairy products with meat and poultry products. This typically applies to cold storage but may be applicable to dry storage under certain circumstances.
- Clearly label shelves, pallets, and designated areas where kosher foods are displayed to distinguish them from non-kosher foods.
- Working with leaders in the local Jewish community for support, educate volunteers and staff on how to properly check product labels for kosher certifications and how to display kosher certified products.
- Communicate across the food bank network to better understand the kosher certifications your recipients will accept, the inherently kosher foods that are acceptable, and the types of foods requested to ensure program recipients only receive foods they can consume.
- Warehouse Storage
- Separation of pallets of kosher certified foods from non-kosher foods is preferred but not required.
- Educate staff on the strategies in place to clearly identify kosher foods throughout the receiving, storing, and distribution phases.
- Shelf Stocking
- Canned goods and shelf-stable grains such as rice can be stored in the same area as non-kosher items if the kosher items are clearly labeled.
- Separate reach in refrigerators should be used for kosher foods if possible. If not, use partitions and clear labels to identify the shelves or sections of the reach in refrigerators designated for kosher certified foods.
- Distribution
- Identify strategic and respectful ways to serve recipients who need kosher certified foods, such as pre-packing bags with only the kosher certified foods available or identifying local resources, in addition to TEFAP, that support kosher observant families.
- Consider allowing kosher observant recipients to take more kosher certified foods in place of the items they cannot take.
- Inherently Kosher Foods
- Connect with leaders in your community to identify the foods that may be acceptable to kosher observant participants without a certification.
- Educate volunteers and staff that these items may not be acceptable to every kosher observant recipient.
- Additional resources to identify what foods may be acceptable without certification include Kosher Foods in TEFAP and Askcrc.org, where a search function is available to identify foods that may be acceptable without certification.