What does it mean for food to be labeled as kosher, and what are the implications for food producers, distributors and marketers? Find out when a representative of the Orthodox Union (OU), the world's largest kosher certification agency, defines "kosher," explains how food products and facilities are certified as kosher, and talks about each organization's role in the process.

Rabbi Eliyahu Safran, Vice President of Communications & Marketing for the OU, and Philip Katz, Partner at Hogan & Hartson, discussed how kosher certification has significance to consumers well beyond observant Jewish communities, and why it is increasingly important to the businesses that serve those consumers.

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About Philip Katz

Philip Katz is the Co-director of Hogan & Hartson's pharmaceutical and biotechnology practice group. He advises companies, trade associations, and individuals in matters arising under regulation by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and related federal and state agencies. His clients are primarily manufacturers and distributors of drugs (prescription and over-the-counter) and biologics, ranging from large public companies with mature product portfolios to startups that have yet to bring a product to market. Mr. Katz counsels them on matters of regulatory compliance, helps them anticipate and address regulatory issues in their day-to-day business operations and strategic planning, and advocates on their behalf before the FDA, other agencies, and in court. He also is experienced with U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) regulatory issues, having represented clients in many FTC advertising enforcement actions and CPSC product safety investigations. Mr. Katz is a frequent speaker on a range of topics, and has been a guest university lecturer on matters of FDA law. Mr. Katz received his B.A., with distinction, from the University of Virginia, and his J.D., magna cum laude, Order of the Coif, from Georgetown University Law Center. His law school paper was on a comparison of religious laws of kashrut and the secular laws that address consumer protection laws that make it illegal to call something kosher if it's not. The key to this is that different people have different standards for what's kosher, which means a secular law can only work if it decides what's actually kosher. This requires the government assess difficult and complex religious questions, which the government isn't allowed to do. This paper argues that these laws, if they have any teeth, are unconstitutional.

About Rabbi Dr. Eliyahu Safran

Rabbi Dr. Eliyahu Safran serves as Vice President of Communications & Marketing of the Orthodox Union, the world's largest and most respected kosher certification agency, where he has been serving as Senior Rabbinic Coordinator and New Companies rabbinic coordinator. He has been involved in setting up the OU certification of hundreds of companies. He is also the Editor in Chief of Behind the Union Symbol, the highly acclaimed OU magazine considered as the finest kosher trade journal. Rabbi Safran, who has been with the Orthodox Union for more than 15 years, is a renowned lecturer, dynamic speaker and accomplished author. His most recent book Meditations at Sixty (published by KTAV, Hoboken, NJ) includes a highly acclaimed meditation about the deeper meaning of kosher - "Called to Be Different - Called to be Holy". Rabbi Safran has served in both rabbinic and educational leadership positions since receiving his rabbinic ordination and graduate degrees from Yeshiva University. In addition to his degrees from Yeshiva University, Rabbi Safran also received a doctorate in Administration.