Incomplete documentation
Ingredients with no identified manufacturer or spec sheet. This is the most common cause of delay.
Guide
How to get kosher certified: a practical guide for manufacturers
What to do, in what order, and how to avoid the most common delays.
In short
To get kosher certified, you apply to a rabbinic authority, send your product and ingredient list with suppliers, pass an initial plant audit, make any adjustments needed and sign the certification agreement. Periodic visits and annual renewal follow. With Kosher Madrid the process is agile: we reply within 24–48 hours.
Before you start: three questions
- Which products do you need certified? Start with the items your customer needs.
- Which country are they going to? The destination affects the standard and which agencies the importer accepts.
- Do you need the symbol on the label, or just the certificate? For industrial ingredients, the certificate is usually enough.
The steps
- Start
Application
Fill in the five-minute form or give us a call. You are assigned a single contact person who stays with you throughout the process.
- Sector, products and destination country
- First reply within 24–48 business hours
- No commitment
- Documentation
Review and quote
You send us your product and ingredient list with suppliers. We assess feasibility and send you a clear quote with no surprises.
- Spec sheets and suppliers’ kosher certificates
- A simple process flow chart
- Written quote
- Plant visit
Initial audit
A rabbi or mashgiach (kosher supervisor) visits the plant: raw materials, lines, cleaning, storage and labelling. If anything needs adjusting, we explain it in writing and in plain language.
- Visit coordinated with your QA and production teams
- Written list of adjustments, if any
- Suggested alternative ingredients
- Issue
Certificate
We sign the agreement and issue the certificate listing products, plants and status (pareve, dairy, Passover). You are authorised to use the Kosher Madrid symbol on your labels.
- Official Kosher Madrid certificate
- List of products and brands
- Listing in the Kosher Guide
- Symbol usage guide
- Throughout the year
Follow-up visits
The mashgiach visits the plant periodically, at least once a year per plant, and more often depending on each product’s risk. Any new ingredient or supplier is approved before use.
- At least one visit a year per plant
- Fast approval of changes
- Direct phone and email support
- Every year
Renewal
We review the product list with you, add new items and renew the certificate without starting from scratch.
- Advance notice
- Extensions to new lines or plants
- One-off and Passover certificates whenever you need them
We move fast: the main factors in timing are how quickly ingredient documentation arrives and how complex the products are.
Requirements and documentation
- List of products and brands
- Ingredients with supplier and manufacturer
- Spec sheets
- Kosher certificates for ingredients that have them
- Outline of the process and lines
- Cleaning procedures
- Current labels
Mistakes that delay certification
“Invisible” additives
Processing aids, release agents or flavour carriers that are not on the label but still get reviewed.
Starting late
Applying once the order is already closed. Better to start as soon as the customer mentions it.
Keep reading
Has a customer asked you for kosher certification?
Tell us what you make and where you sell it. We will reply with the next steps and a quote.