Gevina - Soft Cheeses

QUESTION: Are soft cheeses, such as cottage cheese and cream cheese, included in the prohibition of Gevinas Akum?

ANSWER: Most soft cheeses do not use rennet, but are instead produced via acidification. Since the main reason for the prohibition of Gevinas Akum is the concern that non-kosher rennet was used, some poskim maintain that the prohibition does not apply to soft “acid-set” (non rennet-based) cheeses. (This is the opinion of Rav Yosef Eliyahu Henkin, zt”l, as related by Rav Belsky, zt”l.) Other poskim rule that the prohibition of Gevinas Akum was decreed uniformly on all cheeses, and even acid-set cheeses are subject to the prohibition of Gevinas Akum (Chochmas Adam 53:38 and Aruch HaShulchan Yoreh Deah 115:16). Rav Moshe Feinstein, zt”l (Igros Moshe YD 2:48) justified the rationale of Rav Henkin’s position but was unwilling to outright permit such cheeses absent Gevinas Yisroel supervision.

Notwithstanding the above dispute, all opinions agree that even acid-set cheese must be purchased with reliable kosher supervision, as it might otherwise contain non-kosher cultures, stabilizers and other ingredients, and it might otherwise be processed on hot non-kosher equipment.

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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.