OU KOSHER RELEASES NEW UPGRADED APP IN TIME FOR PASSOVER TO SEARCH PRODUCTS WITH EASY AND DIRECT ACCESS FOR iPHONE AND ANDROID
A year after launching, the OU Kosher App, which allows consumers to search the kosher status of all OU products Kosher for Passover and year-round, has been newly designed and upgraded to include Passover FAQ’s, a new side navigation and educational articles.
Since its launch, the free App has been downloaded by close to 20,000 consumers on iPhones, iPads, iPod Touch and Android. It can be used for Passover preparations and observance in conjunction with OUkosher.org, OUpassover.org and the OU Passover Guide.
Last Passover, more than 100,000 consumers interacted with OU Kosher in search of guidance and information.
Passover this year is celebrated from Monday night, March 25 with the first seder, to Tuesday, April 2.
To download the App, simply select “OU Kosher” from the iTunes App Store or use a direct link to the App from the OU’s website at www.ou.org/apps. The direct application can be downloaded at http://itunes.apple.com/ke/app/ou-kosher/id491138771?mt=8.
For better ease and clarity of consumer use, the OU Kosher Department has introduced a revised website, www.oukosher.org, and Passover website, www.oupassover.org, that are now available for use.
Rabbi Menachem Genack, chief executive officer of OU Kosher, declared: “OU Kosher strives to provide dynamic responsive solutions to the kosher community. In addition to the ability to search for more than 600,000 products, manufactured in nearly 8,000 plants, in more than 90 countries around the world, the App provides the most up-to-date kosher alerts; new product updates; and allows easy access to ask a question or to call the OU Kosher Hotline.”
In addition to its regular hours, the OU Kosher hotline (212-613-8241) will be open for extended hours pre-Passover—from 10:00 a.m-12 noon on Sunday, March 24 and from 10:00 a.m-1:00p.m on Monday, March 25 (the first seder begins at sundown). Questions may also be submitted to {encode=”mailto:kosherq@ou.org” title=”kosherq@ou.org”}.
Additionally, the OU Kosher Facebook and Twitter accounts prepare for the holiday by featuring Kosher for Passover products, recipes and articles to educate and engage fans and followers. Users may also submit their Passover-related questions to be addressed via Facebook and Twitter at http://www.facebook.com/OUKosher and https://twitter.com/#!/OUKosher.
Harvey Blitz, chair of the OU Kashrut Commission, said, “With the support of Rabbi Menachem Genack, OU Kosher chief executive officer, and Rabbi Moshe Elefant, OU Kosher chief operating officer, we extend our gratitude for their dedication and efforts towards the development of this App to Gary Magder, OU digital media director and his team: Shelomo Dobkin, Joe Neuman, and Nadav Hartzshtark; to Dr. Sam Davidovics, OU senior information officer and his team, most notably Sara Karasik; as well as to those involved from OU Kosher: Rabbi Moshe Zywica, executive rabbinic coordinator and Rabbi Eli Eleff, rabbinic coordinator-kosher consumer relations.”
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