About 80 companies have welcomed the Kosher symbol to sell locally and export

To obtain this seal, a Jewish rabbi inspects the plants to verify that they meet standards.

The sending of a 20 -foot container with tortolines products marked the start of Inalecsa's exports to Israel. To that country the variants of salt, spicy, garlic and mature were allocated. They will be marketed in supermarkets and convenience stores of that nation.

Israel is the tenth export market to which Inaleccsa products go. That is a market that demands high standards of food quality and safety. In addition, there are a high number of consumers looking for products only with Kosher certification.

For the Jews, that seal represents a guarantee that the product was prepared in accordance with the millenary biblical laws related to spiritual purity and norms that support quality and cleaning.

Inaleccsa has several certificates and one of those is the Kosher for corn products and classic tostitous corn products.Hugo Valdés, general director of Inalecsa,He says that having this certification in the salt tortolines product is an advantage to enter that market. The products are manufactured under the supervision of the Kashruth division of the Orthodox Union.

Currently, some 80 companies operating in Ecuador have obtained the Kosher label issued by certifying agencies.Kosher Ecuador y Aleph Kosher, for example, they represent internationally recognized certifiers locally.

La Fabrile, Salica del Ecuador, Ferrero del Ecuador, Inalecsa, Incalmito, Snob, Ile, Oriental, Iris, Terrefertile, Nestlé are part of the group of companies that have obtained Kosher certifications. A part of its products is sold locally, but most use stamps for foreign sales, not only in Israel, but to different nations.

Rabbi Uriel Tawil, director of Kosher Ecuador,He pointed out that currently the Kosher constitutes the segment in the food industry more quickly in its growth. "The number of consumers chosen Kosher is increasing, not only for religious reasons, but also because it is an indicator of cleaning, purity and quality," he said.

TheKosher products are classified as three main categories: dairy, meat and parve (neutral, which does not contain derivatives or meat or dairy). While they meet the Kosher demands, they can obtain the certification.

To receive the Kosher label, the certifying agency must audit the company and supervise the traceability of the product until its final presentation. All its ingredients and processes must comply with the Kosher rules imposed by the Sagrada Torah, according to Rabbi Uriel Tawil.

Certifying agencies such as Kosher Ecuador have a team of orthodox rabbis trained to carry out audits in the country's plants.

One of the companies that recently obtained Kosher certification is Oriental, which went through the audit process of its plant. There the quality of the raw material used was verified, as well as compliance with the norms and specifications required by the biblical and talmudic regulations of the Jewish law.

With this, 32 products of the company have that seal with which it not only points to the Jewish community of Ecuador, but to the fourteen countries to which it exports oriental.

"We know that in addition to the Jewish community, many other consumers choose a Kosher diet due to their value added quality and trust, such as celiacs, vegetarians and vegans," he saidYuri León, director of the Oriental Food Unit.

Other industries already have an important volume of their exportable products that come out with Kosher stamps. TheManufactureIt has its Montecristi and Guayaquil plants with Kosher certification issued by the Orthodox Union (OU).

The label is used regularly for products that go to international markets, where they sell directly to companies that distribute products within the Jewish community or industries to those who provide raw materials for the development of products that can be consumed by that community.

"Approximately 25% of our export market requires the Kosher certification for sale, that is, around 10,000 TMs are exported with this certification," said aSpokesman of the Manufacture Department of Industries and Exports.

Among the adaptations that the company had to do to obtain the Kosher endorsement is to handle a robust supplies chain for the acquisition of inputs, additives and ingredients with Kosher certification, harmonize their food safety system and train the personnel on the processes required for the elaboration of these products.

In addition, she had to implement specialized lines for the elaboration and packaging of products such as butter, margarines, and maintain an internal and external frequent audits system by the rabbis for the verification of regulatory compliance.

How long can the process take the Kosher certificate in Ecuador?

This depends on the complexity of the products and the organization of the company. Rabbi Uriel Tawil, from Kosher Ecuador, explained that he should not take more than a couple of weeks, it will logically depend on the agility of the company to present the requirements and the visit to the plant.

How to identify the Kosher label?

In the local market there are several products such as coffee, jams, spices and oils that are sold with the Kosher symbol. Some can be identified with a letter or locked in a circle or with letter K.

How many local consumers is estimated in Ecuador?

The products with the Kosher label are mainly allocated for the external market. But it is estimated that potential consumers for these products in Ecuador can exceed 10,000 among Jews and others that do so for health, food security, vegetarianism.