Why Does the OU Certify Dairy English Muffins?

For many years, the distinctive look of the English muffin was considered an identifiable mark that the product is dairy. Today, that is no longer the case, as pareve English muffins have become common. However, the OU certifies English muffins because the percentage of dairy in the muffin is much less than one part in sixty and is batel b'shishim. Pischei Teshuva (Yoreh De’ah 97:6) writes that one may bake dairy bread provided the dairy ingredients are nullified and do not give taste (i.e., the dairy ingredients are less than one part in sixty). While we are not permitted by Halacha (Jewish Law) to intentionally nullify an ingredient (this is known as bitul issur lechatchila), the prohibition relates to non-kosher ingredients and not to milk which is inherently kosher.

The Gerald & Karin Feldhamer OU Kosher Halacha Yomis is dedicated to the memory of Rav Yisroel Belsky, zt”l, who served as halachic consultant for OU Kosher for more than 28 years; many of the responses in Halacha Yomis are based on the rulings of Rabbi Belsky. Subscribe to the Halacha Yomis daily email here.