Kosher Certification

The Chicago Rabbinical Council (CRC), a reputable and widely accepted certifier, has put together a list of peer agencies that they view as acceptable. Products bearing the logo of any certifier on this list will be accepted as Kosher by most Orthodox Jews. (See here for why some do/don't trust this list). 

There are over a thousand agencies that certify food products as "Kosher". Whether or not that certification means that a product meets an individual's set of customs regarding kosher law (for more info on that see here) or is even trustworthy regarding the level of Kosher they claim to require depends on the agency. Some of these agencies even put together a trade association to represent them and collectively set minimum standards, which at the time of writing are being redone. 

In North America companies whose products are certified as Kosher will print the logo of the certifier on their products. When browsing store shelves look out for these logos. A simple K on a product does not mean that it is certified (though it may still be), additional research is needed. Anyone can print a K on anything, it is not trademarked nor restricted to Kosher products. 

You may notice a letter or some words listed next to a certifier's logo. Below is an explanation (if you are confused as to why they are there please see here):

D or "Dairy" - This means the product contains a milk byproduct, was manufactured on equipment that has been used with dairy products, or was in a facility shared with dairy products.

DE - This means the product itself contained no dairy but meets one of the above qualifications for a D label.

P or "Passover"/"Pesach" - This means a product is allowed to be eaten throughout the year as well as on Passover. Additionally, products marked "non-gebrokhts" (spelling may vary), which many are, are completely free of gluten!

F or "Fish" - This means a product contains fish. Products whose fish content is obvious may forgo this symbol

M or "Meat" or "Glatt" - This means a product contains meat, a meat byproduct or was manufactured on equipment that has been used with meat products or was in a facility shared with meat products.*

Parve (sometimes p) - This means the product doesn't meet the criteria for a D or M designation (it can meet a P or F designation)

Note: Kosher is actually stricter than allergen/ingredient laws in some ways. So a "Kosher Dairy" product may not even list a dairy allergen (ie. Oreos). However, with regard to fish it might not be listed as "Fish" if a product's fish content is below one part per sixty.  

There are five Kosher agencies that make up the bulk of "certified Kosher" products you see on store shelves. All are on the above list, are reputable and widely trusted. There names and logos are below:

I'd like to highlight some other local agenices as well:

I'd also like to mention more controversial agencies: