Saudi Arabia and U.A.E. join list of countries making kosher products

Saudi Arabia and Dubai have joined the list of countries producing kosher-certified products, kashrut authorities have revealed.

According to Orthodox Union (OU), the two Gulf States are now among 104 countries in which kosher supervisors work, overseeing the production of products.

Rabbi Moshe Elefant, chief executive of the OU Kashrus Division, said it was a sign of the times, and “a reflection of the changing geopolitical situation where these countries have warmed considerably to Israel as a result of their confronting a common enemy, Iran”.

He added: “Many of the countries that now produce kosher are anxious to penetrate markets in the US and Europe but are faced with the reality that so many of these markets require kosher certification.”