Recently, I saw this logo on a package of cereal:
I couldn't locate any information on the web about this kosher symbol. Is this hechsher reliable? Who is the head mashgiach?
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Isn't this hechshered by R' Hertzheit?– Noach MiFrankfurtCommented Mar 3, 2015 at 18:08
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@NoachmiFrankfurt - who????– DanFCommented Mar 3, 2015 at 18:09
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1Hertz= heart, heit= health– Noach MiFrankfurtCommented Mar 3, 2015 at 18:10
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2judaism.stackexchange.com/questions/45240/…– Double AA ♦Commented Mar 3, 2015 at 19:54
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1@danf. Special K is a relatively new kosher certification similar in concept to "glatt kosher." In the case of cereals, a specially trained individual using a razor sharp machete makes a perfectly clean cut of the wheat. He then investigates the stalk(?) to assure that there is no evidence of insect infestation. If there is less than 10% infestation, the wheat can be labelled "K". Less than 5%, "Special K."– JJLLCommented Mar 4, 2015 at 4:41
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3 Answers
"K," all by itself, as everyone knows, stands for "kosher," and indicates that a product fulfills the basic kosher requirements, as attested to by the company that made it. It's perfectly fine to eat foods marked with this symbol, but you have to stop at one, based on the general principle of
עַד אֱחָד - נֲאַמִן בְאִיסוּרִים
Up to one - we'll be trusting regarding prohibitions
Some savvy companies, though, want you to be able to eat more than one of their product, so they go the extra mile and designate their foods "Special K," which means "Special Kosher", also known as "מהדרין" (Mehadrin), which is Aramaic for "running around". When you purchase a product with this designation, a representative from the company will run over to you personally, and convince you that the product is kosher. Then, you don't have to worry about being "trusting," and you can eat more than one.
answered Mar 3, 2015 at 19:42
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How does that work -- does he meet me at the checkout line, or use the data tracking in the store's affinity card to visit my house later, or what? Commented Mar 3, 2015 at 20:51
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1@MonicaCellio The Mehadrin representatives are, as the name implies, constantly running around. If you stand near one of the products they advocate for long enough, you'll see one of them zooming by. You can then flag them down by waving a "Special K"-marked product.– Isaac Moses ♦Commented Mar 3, 2015 at 20:56
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Ah, thanks for the practical advice. I've seen people running around at my grocery store sometimes, but I never knew who they were or that they could be flagged down. I'll have to try that. Commented Mar 3, 2015 at 20:58
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I can report back that this is as you say. I had no trouble flagging one of them down, and he was able to assure me about the Special K product I was holding. He also warned me that the grapes in the nearby Grape Nuts were not under supervision -- good to know. Commented Mar 2, 2017 at 2:29
Rabbi Shushan Habira on his website says that the Special K is a symbol specific to Purim and thus is only Kosher on that day.
answered Mar 3, 2015 at 18:32
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1So only on Purim Meshulash. I wonder why they'd advertise in English at all, then?– Double AA ♦Commented Mar 3, 2015 at 19:07
I hear that "they're great." takeh
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2Sorry. I have to vote this down. Wrong product. That slogan is for Frosted Flakes.– DanFCommented Mar 3, 2015 at 18:14
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1same company and the shape of the K is the same. They supervise an entire line of products with that K.– rosendsCommented Mar 3, 2015 at 18:48
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"Great" isn't the same as kosher. I'm having trouble seeing how this answers the question. Commented Mar 6, 2015 at 14:13
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