For years families and clergy within the Jewish faith have contacted us with questions about whether or not Neocate products are kosher. We are happy to report that Neocate Infant DHA/ARA has been certified Kosher Pareve Non-Passover as of 2013! (You can read about the Kosher status of other Neocate products and Duocal here.)
Kosher
The term kosher indicates that a food is in accordance with Jewish dietary law, or the laws of kashrut. “Kashrut” refers the body of Jewish law that deals with which foods may or may not be consumed and how those foods are prepared and eaten. You can read more about kosher and Jewish dietary laws here.
KLBD and Neocate Infant
To obtain kosher certification we had an outside organization, the Kashrut Division of the London Beth Din (KLBD), assess Neocate Infant DHA/ARA. KLBD Kosher Certification is a leading global kosher certification agency that has been operating across six continents for more than a century. Their rabbis, food technologists and food chemists work as certification partners, along with representatives and agents in 60 countries worldwide. KLBD reviewed the ingredients in Neocate Infant DHA/ARA and our suppliers and sent an expert to inspect the entire manufacturing process in the United Kingdom, and gave their approval that Neocate Infant DHA/ARA is kosher. Cans of Neocate Infant DHA/ARA have the KLBD logo, certifying the product is kosher.
To be a bit more specific, Neocate Infant DHA/ARA is certified Kosher Pareve. “Pareve” means there is nothing derived from milk or meat used in the product or on the manufacturing equipment. Neocate Infant DHA/ARA is NOT manufactured on shared equipment; in fact it is the only amino acid-based infant formula in North America that’s made in a 100% dairy-free facility. Families that keep kosher can serve Neocate Infant DHA/ARA to their children regardless of whether they are having a dairy or meat meal.
(Neocate Infant DHA/ARA has not been certified as acceptable for use during the Passover holiday, so it is non-Passover. It is not unusual for a kosher food item to not have Kosher for Passover certification as well; many Kosher items are non-Passover.)
Other Neocate Products
While Neocate Infant was the first Neocate formula to be certified kosher pareve, the list has grown over the years. Neocate powdered products are all made with similar ingredients from the same suppliers and in the same facility, but not all have been certified. You can read more information about informal KLBD assessment of other Neocate products and Duocal here.
We know that some of our customers are happy to see the KLBD logo on Neocate Infant DHA/ARA. Are you one of those customers, and how important is this to you?
— Rob McCandlish, RDN
Image adapted from Source
