Woodside_park Synagogue

A Sweet Breakthrough from the KLBD

BY RABBI J. CONWAY Director, KLBD

Important notice from the Kashrut Division of the London Beth Din
Issued on the 15th March 2012

Due to a packaging error, old packaging has been used for some Tate & Lyle sugar. Nevertheless, all Tate & Lyle Granulated and Caster Sugar (1kg or 500g packs) bearing the KLBD logo are kosher certified for Passover - כשר לפסח, even though not bearing a KLBD-P (Kosher for Passover) logo.



Important notice from the Kashrut Division of the London Beth Din

Issued 2011

In a significant breakthrough for kosher British consumers, the London Beis Din is delighted to announce that all Tate & Lyle Granulated and Caster Sugar in the United Kingdom is approved for Pesach and bears the KLBD-P logo.

Sugar manufacture, whether from beet or cane, involves the use of process aids such as flocculants, antifoams, pan aids and enzymes in its manufacture. When it comes to production for Pesach there are potential problems of shared use of equipment with chometz products such as glucose syrup as well as issues of steam and cooling water which has previously been used in the manufacture of other products. This is why in the past, sugar had to be manufactured specially for Pesach. Indeed, as far back as the 15th Century, the Terumos Hadeshen, an important halachic work quoted in the Shulchan Aruch, required that Sugar be supervised for Pesach.

Following several months of intensive work eradicating potential problems, all Tate & Lyle granulated and caster sugar is now kosher l'Pesach l'mehadrin and is available throughout the country at regular prices. (It should be noted that corn starch may be used as a freeflow agent in the production of icing sugar and thus still requires special Pesach approval and labelling.)

The London Beis Din Kashrus Division has grown over the past decade to become one of the world's leading kashrus agencies. Almost a thousand companies worldwide are KLBD certified and rabbinic inspectors regularly visit factories as far afield as Australia, China, Vietnam, Egypt and dozens of other countries, to bring new products to the kosher table.

The granting of year round Kosher for Pesach certification on a UK consumer product however, is a first for the London Beis Din. This is a significant breakthrough for kosher certification in this country. The London Beis Din is currently working with manufacturers of other staple products with the aim of certifying them kosher l'mehadrin for Pesach all year.

Our first priority will be basic raw materials such as tea, coffee, salt, possibly pepper and other spices; further down the line there may be oil, frozen vegetables and other products manufactured in large factories dedicated solely to the production of specific items.

Currently all such items do require supervision. Frozen carrots may be sprayed with starch to protect colour; oil may contain anti-oxidant citric acid (of chometz origin); decaffeinated coffee may use ethyl acetate from grain based alcohol; spices may be produced in factories producing curry powders containing flour. Therefore all 'processed' products, although seemingly non-problematic to the layman, should be purchased with a kosher l'Pesach label.

It is worth stressing, that the additional cost of producing these products for Pesach is not primarily the supervision, which is usually negligible on the scale of things, but the huge cost of setting up a special, usually very small, production, labelling and then transporting the product to a small number of local shops rather than distributing as part of regular, country wide deliveries.

Keeping kosher and observing Pesach are amongst the most fundamental and precious of our Jewish traditions. It is the aim of the KLBD to make kashrus observance as easy and economical as possible.

About KLBD:
Kosher Certification (also known as the Kashrut Division of the London Beth Din) is one of the world leading kosher certification agencies operating in 50 countries across 6 continents and certifying many of the multi national food processors and material manufacturers alike. KLBD is committed to offering a professional and affordable global kosher certification with rabbis, food technologists and food chemists working round the clock for your needs alongside our representatives and agents around the world.

About Tate & Lyle:
Tate & Lyle is a global provider of ingredients and solutions to the food, beverage and other industries, operating from over 30 production facilities around the world. Through our large-scale, efficient manufacturing plants, we turn raw materials into distinctive, high quality ingredients for our customers. Our ingredients and solutions add taste, texture, nutrition and increased functionality to products that millions of people around the world use or consume every day.