A supplier sent me a kosher certificate. How do I check it before I buy?
Do not judge the paper. Take the certificate number printed on it and look it up on the certifying body's own register — for an Emet certificate, at emetkosher.com/verify or by scanning the QR code on the sheet. The register tells you the status today, which is the only status that matters: a certificate can be suspended or withdrawn after it was printed. Then check that the product and the facility you are buying from are the ones the certificate actually names.
What are the warning signs of a fake kosher certificate?
A number the certifying body's register does not recognise. A body with no public register at all. A certificate that names a brand but no facility, or a facility that is not where the product is made. A PDF that has been edited — an Emet certificate prints an integrity code that can be checked separately from the number. And pressure to accept the document quickly. None of these is proof of forgery on its own; all of them are reasons to check before you rely on it.
Does Emet certify facilities in any country?
Yes. Where a plant is affects how inspection travel is planned and what it costs, and nothing else. The requirements, the supervision and the certificate are the same everywhere.
Where do I find the certificate number?
It is printed twice on the certificate — in the field band under the products, and again in the footer. The last character of every number is a check character: if you mistype one character, or swap two, we tell you it was mistyped rather than pretending the certificate does not exist. The QR code on the certificate goes straight to its page on this register, so on a phone you never need to type it at all.
The certificate looks fine but the register says it was withdrawn. Which is right?
The register. A printed certificate is a snapshot of the day it was issued; certification can be suspended or withdrawn at any time afterwards, and the register is updated the same day. This is why every Emet certificate says that verification is only valid here.
What do the 5 statuses mean?
Valid — In force. The holder is under active Emet supervision for the products listed. Suspended — Supervision is paused. Product made in this period is not covered. Withdrawn — Permanently revoked. It must not be used or displayed. Ended by agreement — The certification ended by agreement. Nothing was found against the holder. Expired — The validity period ended and was not renewed. Two further answers are not statuses of an entry: Never issued — No certificate of that number has ever existed. Voided — Issued in error by Emet and never valid.
I looked up a number and it says no such certificate has ever been issued.
Then it was not issued by us, and if you were shown a document bearing it, that document did not come from Emet. Please report it — a photograph helps. We record lookups of numbers that were never issued, so a document in circulation shows up as a pattern rather than a single complaint.
What does the mark on the pack claim?
A mark with no letter beside it declares the product pareve — no meat, no dairy, no dairy equipment, no fish. D is dairy, DE is pareve made on dairy equipment, Meat and Fish are spelled out in full, and P means Kosher for Passover — never pareve. The classifications page explains each one.
Can Emet certify a single shipment or container?
Yes, for goods already under Emet certification. The holder asks for a shipment certificate naming the lots, quantities and container. The Rav HaMachshir decides it, and it carries its own number, which the register answers like any certificate.
The certificate lists a product but this pack has no Emet mark on it.
Where a certificate says a product is certified only when bearing the symbol, the symbol on the pack is the guarantee — not the brand name. An otherwise identical pack without it is not certified. If you think a mark is being used on something we did not certify, tell us.
Why does the certificate name two different companies?
Because in food manufacturing they are usually two companies: one holds the certificate and another makes the product. We name both — the holder and the facility — so the register says who is actually supervised. A holder may ask us to keep the manufacturing site off the public page; where that happens the page says so rather than quietly leaving it out.
How long does certification take?
The plant inspection is not usually the long part — the ingredient review is, typically two to six weeks, because every raw material has to be traced to the plant that actually produces it and its own certification verified. The supervision page sets out all twelve stages.
Is my ingredient list published anywhere?
No, and it never will be. Product names and their classifications are public because buyers genuinely check them. Ingredients, formulas, suppliers, inspection reports and fees are not, and are covered by a non-disclosure agreement signed before you send them.