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When the pandemic first began I expected dramatic repercussions to kashrut certification. Being a novice in this area I had understood that certifying organizations would need to be physically present to inspect factories, check ingredients etc. When countries were in lock-down and even when those restrictions were lifted I don't imagine physical inspections were common or at times even possible. But I have not heard or read of any massive removal, even temporarily, of kashrut certifications. (How) has adequate inspection continued?

I have heard that inspections were being done virtually at times, but I have a hard time believing that trusting an employee of a factory to walk around with a tablet is the standard of kashrut certification most customers expect.

Moreover, if such a thing is acceptable could it not then become the new standard which would eliminate the need for travel and staff and perhaps thereby reducing the cost of certification to the producers? In the end I would like to understand how and why the pandemic has not had a perceptible impact on kashrut certification

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    I would suggest calling a kashrut organization such as the OU, star-k, CRC. OK, etc. They can tell you what they have done. – sabbahillel Nov 29 '20 at 0:14
  • I was doing a mixture of temidi and yotzei venichnas supervision during lockdown, as the situation demanded. I believe that some larger national-level organisations used remote surveillance to check in on some plants, but I don't have any reference to back that up – Noach MiFrankfurt Nov 29 '20 at 2:52
  • 2 votes to close! why? – rikitikitembo Nov 29 '20 at 6:06
  • Personally, I close-voted due to "Jews, not Judaism"/question about governmental laws and regulations. But FWIW, even when there were strict lockdowns, essential businesses and travel were still functioning. The assembly line workers were still onsite, I'm assuming safety officers, security personnel, quality assurance, janitors, etc were all onsite as needed, since that's necessary for continued operations. If it's needed for continued Kashrut operations, I would assume Mashgichim would be allowed in as needed too (with everyone following health and safety guidelines, of course). – Salmononius2 Nov 29 '20 at 12:17
  • @Salmononius2 I appreciate your comment and would like to understand better the rational to close. Regarding your point of essential workers I would point out that the regulations outside the United States differed in some cases markedly. – rikitikitembo Nov 29 '20 at 15:39

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