Then we sent a rabbi to the mountains of Peru, where quinoa is grown and packaged
years certified as both kosher and kosher for Passover by the OU.
“Now, one of the staples of the kosher diet is sushi. But there’s a problem with sushi on Passover because sushi is made with rice, and Jews of Ashkenazi descent don’t eat rice on Passover. How are you going to survive eight to nine days without sushi? You make it with quinoa,” Elefant said.
After many public requests for the OU to certify quinoa, rabbis had to make their decision based on ancient texts and rules that were written in an era when quinoa did not exist.
“After much deliberation and discussion, we determined that quinoa is not part of the legume family. Then we sent a rabbi to the mountains of Peru, where quinoa grows and is packaged,” the rabbi needed to see if “the quinoa is packaged or processed in the same machinery or equipment as non-kosher for Passover products, which would, for lack of a better word, contaminate the quinoa,” Elefant explained.
As a result—in much the same way that kosher-for-Passover Coke is produced—about once a year, producers of kosher-for-Passover quinoa make a certain amount of quinoa specifically for Passover. It is labeled “OUP,” with full rabbinical supervision of the production process. Then the rabbis go home and return later for the next production round.
Today, many food ingredients, as well as the final food product, are often made far away from the grocery shelves, particularly in the Far East, Elefant poiinted out. This has required that the OU become a highly global operation, with a presence in 80 countries. Adding one more layer of complexity, Elefant explained, “The equipment used to manufacture food is obviously equipment that didn’t exist in the time of the Talmud."
Contemporary rabbis need to be “...extremely knowledgeable in understanding the machinery used in manufacturing food,”