Spice-maker owes $319K after kosher-symbol ruling

Not everyone knows what the symbol on food labels means, but a Reisterstown-based spice company must pay a kosher certification agency $300,000 for using it without permission.

U.S. District Judge Catherine C. Blake dealt harshly with The Wilder Spice Co., which also forged a “letter of certification” from the Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America.

Blake also awarded the Orthodox Union $19,000 in attorneys’ fees.

Kosher agencies charge a fee to supervise or inspect a food company’s facilities to ensure that the food is manufactured in accordance with Jewish dietary laws. In exchange, the company may display the agency’s kosher symbol on its packaging, a privilege that can attract Jewish customers, as well as non-religious shoppers who believe kosher products are made under stricter standards.

- The Daily Record