Chalav Yisroel, very loosely translated as “Jewish milk” is a stringency in the laws of kashrut (kosher) that stipulates that all milk and dairy products should be manufactured under Jewish supervision. This means that either the cows should be milked by Jews or the milking and the production of cheeses, ice creams and other dairy foods should be done with a Jew in attendance. A common misconception about chalav Yisroel is that any dairy food with a kosher label is automatically chalav Israel. Milk and cheese with the OU-D symbol, for instance, are kosher products (coming from kosher animals with … Continue reading →