Is the grape juice in my OU Kosher product mevushal (cooked)?
• ANSWER: Aware of the potential problem with wine, grape juice, natural grape flavorings, and other grape derivatives, the OU insists that all wine and/or grape derived ingredients (note: not all wines) used in OU certified products be Mevushal(cooked). We would consider ourselves remiss in Kosher Certification if we put our seal on a product only to have it become non-kosher through handling. So, why do you remember being told that products containing grape, wine, or other grape derivatives are not Kosher? The fact is that long ago, when people tried to ascertain the Kosher status of a product by reading the ingredients, ‘grape’ was a red flag ingredient. Today, with all the complexities of flavors, chemicals, and processing reading an ingredient panel doesn’t get one very far. Consumer should be careful to only buy certified products to ensure that every step of the process kept the final product Kosher.
