Cobb 500 first to win OU kosher certification
The Cobb 500 broiler has been certified as kosher by the Orthodox Union – a first for a breed of chicken.
It marks the end of a 15-year project, in which Jewish faith leaders made several visits to the company to consider whether the bird was compatible with the kosher law.
For the last 15 years, Rabbi Barel Polatsek (representing Vaad Hakashrus Meged Yehuda) has worked closely with Cobb on this initiative.
“Rabbi Polatsek and Rabbi Loike (Orthodox Union) made multiple trips to Cobb, which was instrumental in helping Cobb better understand the needs of the Jewish communities in regard to a Kosher product,” Mark Cooper, director of product testing at Cobb-Vantress said. “It also helped the Rabbis understand Cobb’s lines and breeding program.”
In July, Rabbi Pinchas Binder (Orthodox Council of Jerusalem/Badatz Yerushalayim) and Rabbi Lazar Teitelbaum (Cong Yetev Lev D’Satmar kashrus div.) joined Rabbi Polatsek and Rabbi Loike to visit Cobb’s pure-line farms to evaluate the lines regarding kosher law. Following this visit and the Rabbi’s discussions with their communities and organizations, the Orthodox Union certified the Cobb500 as kosher.
It marks the first time a broiler has been kosher certified and the mark is considered a sign of quality, as well as religious compliance, Cobb said.
