By LESLIE BERGER
Published: February 1, 2005

The children's cough syrup Triaminic, a staple of family medicine cabinets for decades, has received a coveted seal of approval from the Orthodox Union, the country's largest and most powerful certifier of kosher products for consumers who adhere to Orthodox Judaism's dietary laws.

All eight varieties of the liquid decongestant for children now bear the Orthodox Union's trademark label - the initial U inside an O - making Triaminic the first over-the-counter medicine to be certified as kosher.

For observant Jews who eschew foods and beverages with the slightest trace of animal derivatives, the seal means they can ease their children's scratchy throats and stuffy noses without any sense of religious conflict, said Rabbi Eliyahu Safran, the Orthodox Union's senior rabbinical coordinator.

But the kosher certification is also expected to appeal to non-Jews, including vegetarians, people who are lactose intolerant and Muslims whose own dietary restrictions, known as halal, are similar to those of Jews. With consumers scrutinizing ingredients more carefully than ever, Rabbi Safran said, many seek out a kosher label as an additional assurance of quality control.

"They know another vigilant pair of eyes are inspecting and verifying," he said.

An estimated 15 million to 20 million Americans buy kosher products, Rabbi Safran said.

"Kosher is hot," he said. "The kosher market has been growing by leaps and bounds in the last decade. There's been more and more demand from kosher consumers, and big companies have been responsive."

Kosher Maalox, the liquid antacid, is in development with Novartis Consumer Health, the same company that makes Triaminic. And other pharmaceutical companies have expressed interest in working with the Orthodox Union to have their own over-the-counter products certified as kosher, Rabbi Safran said, though he declined to name them.

Prescription drugs are not a problem under Jewish dietary laws because they are viewed as lifesaving necessities. The Talmud - the collection of Jewish writings that include biblical laws and subsequent interpretations of them by centuries of rabbinical scholars - places a premium on the sanctity of life. Even the Sabbath may be broken if a sick person has to call a doctor or drive to a hospital. Similarly, Jews who are ill are exempt from fasting on Yom Kippur, the religion's annual Day of Atonement.

But over-the-counter medicines and supplements like vitamins are treated more like nourishment. Intended to ease discomfort or enhance health - not cure an illness - they are not entitled to the same exemptions as prescription drugs. The flavorings used to make liquid medicine more pleasant tasting also complicate matters because, in the eyes of Orthodox rabbis, they make medicinal products more like food. So kosher law applies, and any ingredient bearing animal derivatives renders a product unacceptable.

The most common culprits are the emulsifier glycerin, traditionally made from beef tallow, and gelatin, often used in capsules and derived from the collagen in a variety of animals' skin and bones. Similarly, the supplement glucosamine, traditionally derived from the shells of shrimp, prawns and other shellfish, has become a popular treatment for stiff joints but formerly was off limits to kosher consumers since shellfish is taboo. Grape sugar and grape flavoring also send up a red flag to the kosher consumer because Talmudic law prescribes exactly how grapes can be processed for wine, and rabbis apply the same standards to modern-day grape products.

Today, all these ingredients can be synthesized in a laboratory or derived from vegetables, and an array of kosher-certified supplements has been on the market for several years through Freeda Vitamins, a kosher purveyor based in New York, and the national VitaminShoppe chain, which has a large vegetarian clientele. But an over-the-counter medicine that is kosher certified is entirely new, Rabbi Safran and others said.

Marketing experts said getting a kosher certification had become a shrewd way for a company to gain market share for a minimal investment.

"No one does it because of social responsibility. They do it because it makes economic sense," said Menachem Lubinsky, president and chief executive officer of Lubicom Marketing Consulting, a Brooklyn-based consulting firm that analyzes and promotes the kosher food industry. Mr. Lubinsky said sales of kosher products would be close to $8.5 billion this year.

Bringing kosher Triaminic to market took about two years and mainly involved vetting each of its 50 or so raw materials for any trace of forbidden derivatives - or possible contact with taboo items through machinery or packaging. First, Rabbi Safran's staff checked the Orthodox Union's vast database in its Lower Manhattan office to see which ingredients were already deemed kosher, either by the organization itself or another kosher certifier. Then letters were sent out to suppliers of noncertified ingredients and packaging, to see if they were willing to comply with kosher standards, go through a review and submit documentation of certification.

A field rabbi for the Orthodox Union was dispatched to Novartis's plant in Lincoln, Neb., to supervise the production of all eight flavors of liquid Triaminic, from orange to grape to berry and bubble gum. New equipment was not necessary because the plant's machinery was already being cleaned on a regular basis at temperatures high enough to meet kosher standards of sterilization.

One mother who keeps kosher said she would favor Triaminic the next time she bought cough syrup, though she usually tries homeopathy first for her three children, ages 8 and 4 and 9 months.

"If it's a choice between two medicines, one that has the O.U. and one that doesn't, I'd choose the one that's kosher - why not?" said Chana Citron, a resident of the Upper West Side of Manhattan and the wife of a rabbi.

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