OK Annual Mashgiach Conference
 
11/4/02 - The OK Kosher Certification's annual Mashgiach conference was far bigger and better than ever before
 

The OK Kosher Certification held its annual Mashgiach conference attended by over 100 Mashgichim from the United States, Israel, Tokyo, Zurich, Belgium, and Australia. This year’s theme “Communication, Connection and Cooperation,” emphasized the OK Kosher’s commitment to maintaining and improving internal and external relations within the OK and maintaining its reputation for stellar customer service to the food industry.

Rabbi Don Yoel Levy, Administrator of OK Kosher, emphasized the organization’s success in the market place as an inspiration to the Mashgichim and staff to continue its dedicated work. “The fact that we have come this far, and our kosher standards are widely respected, behooves us and requires us to try continuously to progress even further.”

The conference highlighted three of the many processes and programs attributed to the success of OK Kosher:

*www.ok.org. Dovi Scheiner, director of public relations, demonstrated the OK Kosher’s new web site. The site, will enable consumers to find products under the OK Kosher Certification, information about the organization and its people and other pertinent information relating to kosher. Existing clients will be able to use the web site as a new method of communicating with OK Kosher, expediting the approval and improving the inquiry processes. New clients can start the Kosher request process and receive a general overview of the processes and requirements of OK Kosher.

*Plant Manual. OK Kosher Rabbinic Coordinator Rabbi Levi Garelik, presented a detailed “Plant Manual” to be used by everyone in the kosher process from Mashgichim to plant supervisors. All of the procedures and processes involved in establishing and maintaining the kosher status of food production are detailed. “There now exists,” declared Rabbi Garelik, “a central source” where most of the questions involved in ‘kosher’ are addressed.

*Video Presentation. OK Kosher Rabbis Fogelman and Hanoka produced an original video describing the supervision process of a plant. Recording each step of a visit to the Blue and White Food Corporation, the camera captured Rabbi Hanoka’s every step in checking packaging, storage facilities, discarded containers and the like insuring OK Kosher’s requirements are met.

In the words of OK Zurich representative Rabbi Yaakov Belefeldt, “After spending so much time ‘living kosher’ out in the field, to come together with friends and ‘talk kosher,’ well, it’s quite refreshing!”