table." To satisfy requirements for Sephardic Jews, the mashgiah may be required to play an even more active role in the cooking process. Often, the primary responsibility of mashgichim is washing and inspecting produce to ensure there is no infestation. The skill of inspecting produce properly requires much training and expertise. One of the most pressing jobs of mashgichim, however, is the checking in and verification of shipments. Mashgihcim must ensure that every food product that arrives at the facility has a reliable hekhsher (certification) before it is used. Suppliers often substitute products that are out of stock with non-kosher products. Non-kosher establishments would generally not mind these substitutions. For a kosher establishment, however, these substitutions can cause major problems. If a product arrives without a hekhsher, mashgichim must make sure the product is clearly marked as non-kosher and is not used, but returned to the supplier. Sometimes a product arrives that is purportedly kosher, but no hekhsher can be found. In this case, the mashgiach/mashgicha obtains a valid letter of certification from the certifying rabbi or kashrut agency, usually by contacting the manufacturer. In addition to checking hekhsherim, mashgichim must also check that all meat products that arrive are double sealed, usually by inner and outer plastic bags or an inner plastic bag and a sealed box, and that all wine is kosher wine. Great strides, in the last several years, have been made towards ensuring that kosher products are transported only in kosher approved tanker trucks. In many settings, mashgichim are merely responsible for making sure that the above tasks are performed by responsible, knowledgeable, and well-trained persons. Mashgichim play social as well as technical roles in explaining kosher rules to the Jewish and non-Jewish community and forging close relationships with employees and customers. See also : non-kosher : ritual slaughter References External links What is kosher? Taking the Mystery Out of the Certification Process Conservative Judaism Food services occupations Hebrew words and phrases in Jewish law Jewish religious occupations Kashrut Orthodox Judaism Orthodox rabbinic roles and titles Reform Judaism