Keeping Kosher

Kosher, or Kashrut laws, are the set of dietary practices followed by many Jewish people. The word kosher literally means "fit," and refers to foods that adhere to Jewish dietary law. The JEC is a kosher facility, so when packing your child's lunch, we ask that you help us adhere to kosher practices.
According to Kosher law, foods can be divided into four categories, kosher meat, kosher dairy, pareve, and traife.

Kosher Meat

Beef
Chicken
Turkey
Lamb
Moose
Reindeer
Goat

Kosher Dairy

Milk
Cheese
Butter
(Must be milked from a kosher animal)

Pareve

Eggs
Fish
Nut Butters
Fruits
Vegetables

Traife

Pork
Shrimp
Lobster
Bear
Insects

Kosher law allows the consumption of the meat of mammals with cloven hooves that chew their cud (such as sheep, cows, and reindeer), the meat of most birds (excluding birds of prey), and the consumption of fish that have fins and scales (such as tuna, salmon, halibut).
Kosher law thus forbids the consumption of the meat of animals that do not fit the above descriptions. E.g., Shrimp, and scallops do not have fins or scales; Catfish has fins, but no scales; Pigs have cloven hooves but do not chew their cud; Rabbits neither have cloven hooves nor chew their cud. Foods that are not kosher, are traife, a word that literally means "torn."
Kosher law forbids the consumption of meat and diary together. There are many explanations for why this, ranging from spiritual, to moral, and to practical.
Foods that are kosher, but fit into neither meat or dairy categories, are pareve, meaning "neutral" and may be consumed with either meat or dairy. These include, but are not limited to, breads, eggs, fish, fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds.

Example Kosher Lunches

Salmon
Pita Bread
Bell Peppers
Banana

Pareve

Hard-Boiled Eggs
Crackers
Celery
Apple Slices

Pareve

String Cheese
Tortilla Chips
Cherry Tomatoes
Blueberries

Kosher Dairy

Turkey Slices
Whole Wheat Bread
Carrot Sticks
Orange Slices

Kosher Meat