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There are many hechsheirim in today's world, but unfortunately, not everyone considers all of them to be on par with their standards. Nonetheless, I am assuming (and you may correct me if I'm wrong) that certain certifications are stringent enough to be considered acceptable by all.

What are examples of such certifying agencies?

(this has practical relevance for buying someone a gift, if you know they are stringent, but don't want to ask which certifications they accept)

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    Re "certain certifications are stringent enough to be considered acceptable by all": Note that stringency is not the only deciding factor; for example, there's a ban on Lubavitchers' using anything certified (only) by the CRC: it may have very stringent views, but they consider it unreliable because ‎— in their view ‎— it could not control its community's members. Or so is my understanding. (Note: not the cRc.)
    – msh210 ♦
    Commented Oct 24, 2011 at 7:02
  • What @msh210 said. A lot of the differences between Kashruyot (at least in Israel, though I hear the same of US/UK) has more to do with politics (and, perhaps, "business"), than with halachic stringencies.
    – AviD
    Commented Oct 24, 2011 at 9:04
  • There are also several issues with conflicting stringencies, so it would anyway be impossible to get two opposing groups to agree on the halacha. For example, shmitta products - there are those who ban Jewish product, and there are those who ban product of land "sold" to gentiles.
    – AviD
    Commented Oct 24, 2011 at 9:08
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    @Dave, R' David Feinstein, the son of R' R'uven Feinstein (not R' R'uven's brother R' David), told me this years ago IIRC: "Every chumra is a kula." In your example of not accepting his grandfather's heter for American milk: I speak from experience in saying that that inconveniences your hosts when you're a guest: We've needed to kasher our oven so as not to serve stuff made in a dairy oven to my kid's classmate. It's not much of an inconvenience, but it is some, which is a kula, if you will, on the kid's part, in ben adam lachavero.
    – msh210 ♦
    Commented Oct 24, 2011 at 16:02
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    @avi - you are referring to external "kulos" such as inconveniencing hosts and increasing economic pressure. This is not germane to the present discussion, which is focused on kashrus stringency.
    – Dave
    Commented Oct 24, 2011 at 16:52

4 Answers 4

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"and you may correct me if I'm wrong"

You are wrong. No agency is universally accepted. Period.

(If you meant to ask for agencies that are widely accepted, just "not by all", then that is an entirely different question, and depends on many factors, most practically geography, as some of the other answers indicate)

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  • OU would be considered the largest hechsher, as they have a very wide influence; but I agree, there is no agency that is universally accepted. There are many people who will only accept a hechsher from their rabbi alone, for example.
    – Barry Hammer
    Commented Nov 28, 2011 at 13:47
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If you really want to cover as many bases as possible, it would be best to have a solid national hechsher (such as OU) plus one of the top-tier "heimishe" hechsheirim. A few that are very well-respected are the Volover Rav and his brother the Nirbatur Rav (in Brooklyn), and Rav Westheim (in England). The Badatz Eida HaChareidis in EY is also very widely recognized and accepted.

Of course, it's impossible to make everyone happy, but this will get you pretty close.

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  • I happen to know many who don't eat OU. Or are you saying that the product should have both?
    – yydl
    Commented Oct 24, 2011 at 3:39
  • Also keep in mind that some people are stringent regarding yoshon, so between Sukkos and Pesach (roughly) you should check the package label for indications about yoshon status. Anything made in EY (with reliable hechsher) is automatically yoshon. I think Rav Westheim likewise gives supervision only to products that are yoshon.
    – Dave
    Commented Oct 24, 2011 at 3:40
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    There are also people who trust the OU more than the heimishe hechsherim (in certain respects), due to their technical expertise and greater experience. That's why having both is better. (I bolded the "plus" to make this clearer.)
    – Dave
    Commented Oct 24, 2011 at 3:45
  • The Badatz Eidah Hacharedit is widely recognized and accepted, but they are also meikil in selected issues where standard Israeli Rabbanut is machmir. Case in point: is roasting sesame seeds by non-Jews considered bishul Akum? Rabbanut says yes, Badatz says no. There is a general "Rabbanut Artzit" that accepts any major kashrut organization, so you can verify this in Israeli supermarkets: pure ground tehina will often have only Badatz and general hashgacha, not local Rabbanut.
    – JXG
    Commented Oct 25, 2011 at 12:52
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I've heard of people in Israel who've insisted on everything being under "Rabbi Rubin's hechsher." Afraid I don't know a lot more about that.

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  • As I mentioned in a comment above, this is most often a political/business statement. There are just as many competing insistances on "everything only R'Machfoud" or "it has to be R'Landau" etc.
    – AviD
    Commented Oct 24, 2011 at 20:25
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The Chicago CRC gives out a card and has a website of Hechsherim they accept. Although this list includes Hechsherim that accept Cholov Stam and other Kulos, it is a good place to start.

http://www.crcweb.org/agency_list.php

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    The question was about universally (or close to universally) acceptable hechsherim. The cRc list does not pretend to be anything other than what they personally deem acceptable. הגע בעצמך -- how many on that list would be acceptable to a Boro Park chossid, or a Yerushalmi?
    – Dave
    Commented Oct 24, 2011 at 14:50
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    Many Rabbonim rely on the Chicago CRC list, and deem acceptable whatever they accept.
    – Gershon Gold
    Commented Oct 24, 2011 at 20:14

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