What Does "Glatt Kosher" Mean on a Bag of Jerky?
"Glatt kosher" on a bag of jerky means the animal's lungs were inspected after slaughter and found smooth, with no adhesions. Glatt is Yiddish for "smooth." It is a stricter standard than plain kosher, and many communities require it for beef. This guide explains what it covers, what it does not, and why it matters when you are buying kosher beef jerky.
Where the word comes from
After kosher slaughter, an inspector (a bodek) checks the animal's lungs. Adhesions, called sirchot, can indicate a defect that would make the animal non-kosher. Under the baseline standard, some adhesions can be examined and cleared. Under the glatt standard, the lungs must be smooth, with no adhesions at all, so there is nothing to rule on.
| Kosher | Glatt kosher | |
|---|---|---|
| Kosher species, kosher slaughter | Required | Required |
| Lungs inspected | Yes | Yes |
| Some adhesions allowed if examined and cleared | Yes | No |
| Proportion of animals that qualify | Higher | Lower |
What glatt does not tell you
Glatt is about the animal, not the finished bag. On a jerky, the rest of the product still has to be kosher:
- The marinade. Sauces and flavorings are where most jerky fails, glatt beef or not.
- The facility. Equipment must be supervised, dedicated or kashered.
- The certification. The word "glatt" printed by a brand is a claim. An agency symbol on the bag is a certification.
Glatt on poultry
Lung inspection of this kind applies to cattle and other ruminants. On chicken or turkey, "glatt" has no literal meaning. It is often used loosely to signal a stricter standard in general, so on a poultry jerky, read the certification rather than the adjective.
The looser, everyday use
Over time, "glatt kosher" has also come to mean "held to a stricter standard" in general, even on products where lungs have nothing to do with it. When you see it on a restaurant sign or a packaged food, it is usually a statement about the supervision, not about lungs. On beef, it still means the literal thing.
Our jerky
Our jerky, Meat Candy, is certified Glatt Kosher, as is our biltong. The certificates are published here, so you can check the agency against your community's list rather than taking our word for it. For the full checklist on any bag, read is beef jerky kosher?
Try it: Is This Jerky Kosher? Label Checker. Answer five questions about the bag in your hand.
