Nov 8, 2005
Kosher is the English word for a Hebrew word that means "fit", and more specifically, fit for Jewish consumption. On food packaging, a circled U means that it has been certified by the Orthodox Union to be Kosher. The word "Pareve" or "Parve" means that it contains neither milk nor meat. However, fish is sometimes considered parve, so be careful. #food
The Heinz website says, "The Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations is the protector and the authorizing organization of the famous 'Circle U' symbol. Commonly known as 'Circle U,' the circle graphically represents the letter O for 'Orthodox,' and the U inside stands for 'Union.'" Orthodox Union's website.
The Committee for the Furtherance of Torah Observance places a letter K inside a circle on foods it deems to be Kosher.
Star-K is another Kosher certification group that puts a K with a star around it on Kosher foods.