London – Rabbis will be soon able to snack on one of the best-loved chocolate products when Mars Bars go under kosher supervison.
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The London Beth Din’s kashrut division has signed a contract with Mars to certify products made in its Slough factory.
As well as the popular snack bar, the division has also certified Galaxy Block, Galaxy Ripple, Snickers, Minstrels and three flavours of Tracker Bars.
Although Mars Bars and some of the other items have previously appeared in the London Beth Din’s kosher guides, certification will make them more appealing to those who keep stricter standards of kashrut.
Rabbi Jeremy Conway, director of the kashrut division, said: “I am delighted that one of the world’s leading brands has recognised the significance of the kosher market and has opted to become fully certified by the KLBD.
“We know the kosher certification of these six classic products will be greeted with much excitement and we hope a wide range of further KLBD-certified Mars products will follow.”
Fiona Dawson, managing director of Mars Chocolate, said: “We want our products to be enjoyed by as many consumers as possible. We are delighted to be working with KLBD to give our consumers what they want.”
Certification guarantees rabbinical inspection of all ingredients and manufacturing agents used in a product. It also means that Mars will not change any of the certified products without Beth Din approval.
At the contract signing at Mars’ head office in Slough, Berkshire, on Thursday, Rabbi Jeremy Conway, director of the LBD kashrut division, said: “I never believed we could get these world-famous products certified. I was the most sceptical.
“When I started in the kosher business 20 years ago, Mars was always the product people asked me about. I never believed we would come to this day.”
Fiona Dawson said: “It’s nearly two years since we began negotiations. The team here have been so determined. We did not do a calculation as to how many Jewish people there are in the UK; this was always about achieving a standard
Cholov Yisrael? Ad Mosai???
Burech Hashem!! best news since sliced (kosher) bread. I won’t have to go hungry anymore, what a releif & kiddush hashem.
It seems that the KLBD is trying to copy the OU D – it doesnt help if you only eat cholev yisroel products and this not going to help the charedim in London.
i’m guessing it’s still cholov aku”m
Will it be Cholov Yisroel? Now THAT would be something unbelievable.
I assure you Rabbi Conway nor any of the Dayonim giving the hechsher will eat any of the products produced at the Mars factory. They are all choluv akum!
Mars bars have always been kosher but not Chalav Yisroel, they just didn’t have the symbol on (like most foods in England). Rabbi Conway did not mention that they are becoming Chalav Yisroel so what’s the major difference.
I personally know the OU rabbinical coordinator for Snickers in the U.S. I’ve been begging him to make Snickers cholov yisroel. Of course he laughs at my request. I really doubt that this will be cholov yisroel in London.
Boruch Hashem! Thanh God! Gracias Adios! we have b’h some more tayves oilim hazeh to fill our tummies with!!!!
Its CHOLOV STAM Very Different From CHOLOV AKUM That Is Totally ossur To Eat
Its CHOLOV STAM Very Different From CHOLOV AKUM That Is Totally ossur To Eat
The OUD hashgacha is superior to any other hashgacha available today and much better than any of these small, one rebbe, hashgacha operations like Volover that caused all the broiges with the bakery in Queens two weeks ago. As to chalava yisroel, about 90 percent of frumme yidden could care less so why would they waste their money for the small increase in potential sales.
how much deeper in the tuma do we have to go?
When will they start making chocolate using stevia rather than sugar, and reducing the fat fat levels? Until they replace the sugar with stevia, I won’t eat any of these.
health.usnews.com/articles/health/living-well-usn/2008/07/28/the-zero-calorie-sweetener-stevia-arrives.html
Terrific – More Calaries! Just what I need.
The LBD insists that all its caterers, bakeries ,restraunts etc only use cholev yisroel and now they give their hechsher to these cholev akum products. Seems hypocritical to me ! What is the frum community supposed to make of these double standards.
its still better then the on again off again of lbd lists, at least once and for all they can know what is kosher, chocolate isnt kosher by defaut, chalov yisroel is something entirely different
England is different to the USA as that cholov akum is a much bigger problem, because there are no strict civil laws as to mixing pigs milk into cows milk as there are in America. A farmer in England caught mixing milk will get 3 cautions then a fine, so its a lot more important to have cholov yisroel.
Anyway, it doesn’t mention anywhere here that the mars bars are going to be cholov akum, its not such a problem to obtain cholov yisroel milk in England.
I wonder very much about the Mars bars, many years ago there was a product that had asked the Manchester Beth Din for certification on, after investigation the Beth Din said it could only be done with certain changes. That was the last we heard about it until it suddenly appeared in the shops with an LBD hechsher on it! Needless to say we didn’t eat it.
It’s too bad they are going under KLBD!! It would be nice if they get a reliable hashgocho!!
OU-D is far more superior than KLBD!!
We have an abundance of chocolate products that are delicious and cholov yisroel, coming from Switzerland, Belgium, Israel, and even some homemade right here in Boro Park. We have an abundance of overweight children, teenagers, and adults. What we need is a more healthful way of eating, not more chocolate choices. There is too much junk food out there already. Kosher cholov yisrael products are available in London in abundance as well. There is no reason to “make anything cholov yisrael” as there is enough out there already.
Healthful choices should be our priority, we should be eating Hashem’s candy, blueberries, peaches, plums, grapes, watermelons, apples, pineapple,and all the other delicious fruits we have available year round in large affordable quantities.
“England is different to the USA as that cholov akum is a much bigger problem, because there are no strict civil laws as to mixing pigs milk into cows milk as there are in America. A farmer in England caught mixing milk will get 3 cautions then a fine, so its a lot more important to have cholov yisroel.
Anyway, it doesn’t mention anywhere here that the mars bars are going to be cholov akum, its not such a problem to obtain cholov yisroel milk in England.”
How many large commercial farms have both pigs and cows? How many large farms that have pigs milk them? Have you ever even done research to see if pigs milk is even available commercially? I doubt that one could even find a source of commercial ( processed in a large factory) pigs milk either here or in the UK. From what I have read on the net, it seems that pigs only produce a small amount of milk, can be violent if one tries to milk them, and that pigs milk does not have a pleasant taste due to the diet they are fed.