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New York - Major kashrus agencies in the U.S. are moving swiftly to assuage fears that kosher products will be laced with some of the toxins that have made nearly 50,000 Chinese children ill.

The agencies that certify several hundred Chinese companies are planning to require proof of verified safety programs at each of the plants, according to Rabbi Moshe Elefant, Chief Operating Officer of the Kashrus Division of the Orthodox Union (OU).

KosherToday has learned that the agencies, including the Star-K of Baltimore, that certify many companies in China, will also require kosher certification for imported Category I (no kosher certification required) ingredients, despite the fact they would not require certification in the U.S. or from other countries.

The key culprit in the tainted Chinese dairy products is melamine, the same banned substance that caused last year’s scare over toothpaste, seafood and dumplings, and was blamed for the tainted pet food that killed dogs and cats in the U.S. Kosher sources in the U.S. are confident that the U.S. regulatory agencies including the FDA “will nip any problem in the bud” before recalls become necessary. The European Union has banned Chinese baby food that contains any traces of milk and many countries throughout the world are taking steps to keep the Chinese products out.

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