Star-K

What Star-K does

Star-K Certification, Inc. is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) kosher certification agency chartered in 1947 as the Orthodox Jewish Council/Vaad Hakashrus of Baltimore and headquartered in Pikesville, Maryland. The organization inspects, supervises, and certifies food products, food establishments, industrial food chemicals, appliances, and medical devices for compliance with Jewish dietary law (kashrus), operating through a network of rabbinic administrators, field supervisors, and mashgichim (on-site auditors). Its service portfolio spans the core STAR-K mark, the STAR-D non-Cholov Yisroel dairy certification, the STAR-S Sephardic Mehadrin program, and a specialized Sabbath Mode appliance and medical-device certification, supported by a Kashrus Hotline handling over 100,000 consumer questions per year, the Kashrus Kurrents quarterly newsletter, a Kosher Knowledgebase, and consumer mobile apps.

The organization generates revenue primarily through multi-year kosher certification contracts with food, beverage, dairy, chemical, pharmaceutical, and appliance manufacturers, and explicitly does not price as a percentage of client sales, a policy designed to avoid conflicts of interest. Supplementary revenue comes from donations supporting consumer education and supervision. STAR-K certifies 3,100+ locations across 48 U.S. states and 63 countries, with regional offices in the UAE (Dubai), Israel, Europe, China, Australia, India, Sri Lanka, the Philippines, and Central/South America, and counts enterprise clients including Nestle, BASF, Dairy Farmers of America, Samsung, Whirlpool, Electrolux, Vita Coco, Brenntag, Baskin Robbins, RedVines, Samuel Adams, and Fresh Express among its certified base. Its go-to-market is sales-led, combining enterprise field sales with online applications, a phone-based hotline (410-484-4110), and a strategic partnership with Registrar Corp for FDA registration and FSMA compliance services.

Name

Star-K

Legal name

STAR-K Certification, Inc.

Website

https://star-k.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1947

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

Star-K is a nonprofit kosher certification agency founded in 1947 that inspects and certifies food products, ingredients, appliances, and food establishments for compliance with Jewish dietary law, serving enterprise manufacturers and consumers across 48 U.S. states and 63 countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Kosher Certification Services

akta.pro primary industry

Kosher Certification Services (AFALAMAG)

Keywords

• Kosher certification
• Kosher supervision
• Dairy certification
• Sephardic certification
• Sabbath mode appliances

Headquarters

HQ city

Pikesville

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Kosher Certification Fees: Fees for certifying food products, appliances, establishments, and industrial food chemicals. STAR-K explicitly states it never bases fees on a percentage of client sales, avoiding conflicts of interest that might compromise kashrus standards.
2. STAR-D Kosher Dairy Certification: Non-Cholov Yisroel kosher dairy certification administered by STAR-K
3. STAR-S Sephardic Mehadrin Certification: Sephardic-specific kashrut certification meeting minhagim of Sephardim and Bnei Edot Hamizrach
4. Donations: Non-profit organization accepts donations to support kosher consumer education, research, and supervision mission

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

STAR-K provides kosher certification, supervision, and inspection services for food products, food establishments, appliances (including Sabbath-mode), and industrial food chemicals. The portfolio spans three core marks—STAR-K (general kosher), STAR-D (non-Cholov Yisroel dairy), and STAR-S (Sephardic Mehadrin kashrut)—delivered through rabbinic administrators, field supervisors, and a network of professional mashgichim auditing client facilities worldwide.

Product overview

STAR-K Certification, Inc. is a nonprofit kosher certification organization offering a portfolio of certification services centered around its core STAR-K Kosher Certification. The product line includes three main certification symbols: STAR-K (general kosher), STAR-D (dairy/non-Cholov Yisroel), and STAR-S (Sephardic Mehadrin). Supporting services include Sabbath Mode Appliance Certification, the STAR-K Mobile App for consumers, a Kashrus Hotline handling 100,000+ annual inquiries, the Kashrus Kurrents quarterly publication, a Kosher Knowledgebase, OTC Medicine Lists, and Kosher Training Seminars. Certified products like STAR-K Approved Schach Mats are also offered. The organization also provides FDA registration assistance through a partnership with Registrar Corp and maintains a local office in Dubai for UAE region support.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• STAR-K Kosher Certification Core kosher certification service for food products, establishments, and industrial food chemicals, with oversight by rabbinic administrators, field supervisors, and mashgichim. Offered to food and beverage manufacturers, ingredient suppliers, and food service companies worldwide.
• STAR-D Cholov Yisroel Dairy Certification Dairy product certification indicating products contain dairy ingredients, with STAR-D indicating non-Cholov Yisroel dairy supervision; higher-tier products meet Cholov Yisroel standards with constant on-site mashgiach supervision. Sold to dairy producers and processors.
• STAR-S Sephardic Mehadrin Kashrut Certification Sephardic-specific kosher certification meeting minhagim of Sephardim and Bnei Edot Hamizrach across four areas: Bishul Beit Yosef, Chalak Beit Yosef meats, Yashan grain products, and Hamotzi breads, plus Kitniyot l'Pesach to Mehadrin standard. Targeted at food producers serving Sephardic and Mizrachi communities.
• Sabbath Mode Appliance & Medical Device Certification Certification service for cooking appliances, refrigeration, dishwashers, countertop appliances, and medical devices that can be operated on Shabbat in compliance with Jewish law. Sold to appliance and medical device manufacturers.
• STAR-K Kosher Mobile App Consumer mobile application distributed via Google Play and App Store that provides kosher product lookups, certified-company listings, and alerts.
• Kosher Certification Training Seminars Educational seminars and rabbinic training programs covering kashrus for food industry professionals and rabbinic students. Delivered through STAR-K's Kosher Institute offerings.

Quantifiable outcome

• Certifies over 3,100 locations in 48 states and 63 countries
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers23 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Registrar CorpcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 June 2014Synergetic partnership formalized at Registrar Corp's headquarters in Hampton, Virginia in June 2014. Partnership provides FDA registration and compliance services for STAR-K clients. Registrar Corp assists with FSMA compliance, HACCP, food safety planning, label redesign, import notification, and online training on GFSI-recognized systems.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• OK Kosher Certification: One of the largest and most recognized global kosher certification agencies, certifying tens of thousands of products across food, ingredients, and industrial chemicals. OK directly competes with Star-K for enterprise food manufacturer clients globally.
• CRC (Chicago Rabbinical Council): Long-standing kosher certification agency headquartered in Chicago, certifying thousands of products with strong Midwest enterprise and restaurant relationships. CRC is a direct competitor to Star-K in the US enterprise and retail kosher market.
• Kof-K Kosher Supervision: Major international kosher certifier serving food manufacturers, restaurants, and ingredient suppliers. Kof-K competes directly with Star-K for enterprise clients and operates a similar multi-year, fee-based certification model.
• OU Kosher (Orthodox Union): The largest kosher certification agency in the world, with hundreds of thousands of certified products. OU Kosher is Star-K's primary direct competitor, serving the same enterprise food and consumer goods manufacturers with the same core kosher supervision offering.
• International Kosher Council (IKC): International kosher certification agency with a global rabbi network serving food manufacturers and ingredients suppliers. IKC competes directly with Star-K in enterprise kosher certification across multiple geographies.
• Scroll K (Vaad Harabonim of Greater Detroit): Kosher certification agency serving food manufacturers, restaurants, and retail establishments with a similar full-service model. Scroll K is a direct competitor in enterprise kosher certification.

Regional players

• Badatz (Eidah HaChareidis): Israeli Haredi kosher certification authority with stringent standards, serving as the de facto certification for Israeli food and many imported products. Badatz is a regional peer operating in the Israeli/imported goods market with stricter positioning than Star-K.
• KLBD (Kashrus London Beth Din): The largest kosher certification body in the United Kingdom, serving food manufacturers, restaurants, and ingredient suppliers with similar rabbinic supervision services. KLBD is a regional peer primarily serving UK and Commonwealth markets.
• COR (Canadian Orthodox Rabbinate): Dominant kosher certification body in Canada, certifying food products, restaurants, and establishments with similar rabbinic-supervision methodology. COR is a regional peer that does not directly compete in Star-K's primary US market.

Emerging players

• EarthKosher: Smaller but growing kosher certification agency with a focus on vegan-friendly and natural products. EarthKosher is an emerging competitor targeting niche consumer segments and smaller food brands that overlap with Star-K's market.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/STARKosher
• Facebookfacebook.com/StarKKosherCertification
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/star-k-certification

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Star-K