# Kosher bottled water **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 28, 2010, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kosher-bottled-water/544808 "2010-06-28T17:09:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2010, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kosher-bottled-water/544808/1 "2010-06-28T17:09:23Z")
I bought a gallon of bottled water from Kroger. The well water tastes that bad. The jug has the U in a circle hechsher mark, and a “D”. My obvious question is why bottled water would be dairy. Odorless, colorless, tasteless and all that. Perhaps it is bottled in a facility that bottles milk and may have a tiny amount of milk in it? ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2010, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kosher-bottled-water/544808/2 "2010-06-28T17:43:50Z")
You never know when there might be lactating microbes in it. ---
**Author:** ![Kyla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/eada6e/32.png) [@Kyla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kyla)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2010, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kosher-bottled-water/544808/3 "2010-06-28T18:53:31Z")
There’s no such thing as treif water, but at the same time, there are some people who will, given the choice, but something with a kashrut symbol, even if it doesn’t matter. I’ve seen kosher symbols on non-food items, like dish soap. Whatever. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2010, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kosher-bottled-water/544808/4 "2010-06-28T18:57:42Z")
> [@Kyla](#): > > I’ve seen kosher symbols on non-food items, like dish soap. You sure don’t want to wash your dishes in soap made from bear fat. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Motorgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e36b37/32.png) [@Motorgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Motorgirl)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2010, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kosher-bottled-water/544808/5 "2010-06-28T19:04:11Z")
Here’s an interesting article about why intrinsically kosher foods might need kosher certification if they’re going to pass through some kind of processing plant or bottling plant: [http://www.aish.com/jl/m/48969006.html](http://www.aish.com/jl/m/48969006.html) ---
**Author:** ![purplehorseshoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/purplehorseshoe/32/2996_2.png) [@purplehorseshoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehorseshoe)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2010, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kosher-bottled-water/544808/6 "2010-06-28T19:09:37Z")
> [@Motorgirl](#): > > Here’s an interesting article about why intrinsically kosher foods might need kosher certification if they’re going to pass through some kind of processing plant or bottling plant: > [http://www.aish.com/jl/m/48969006.html](http://www.aish.com/jl/m/48969006.html) Ignorance fought. Fascinating link. Thanks! ---
**Author:** ![Ellen\_Cherry](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellen_cherry/32/3600_2.png) [@Ellen\_Cherry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellen_Cherry)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2010, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kosher-bottled-water/544808/7 "2010-06-28T19:34:59Z")
This seems more like a General Question to me, although it seems **Motorgirl** ’s link may provide all the answers we may need. Just in case others can provide more illumination, though, I’m moving the thread from IMHO to General Questions. If the mods don’t think it’s kosher, well then I’m sure they have the resources to deal with it. 🙂 **Ellen Cherry IMHO Moderator** ---
**Author:** ![Shmendrik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee7513/32.png) [@Shmendrik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shmendrik)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2010, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kosher-bottled-water/544808/8 "2010-06-28T19:40:07Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > I bought a gallon of bottled water from Kroger. The well water tastes that bad. > The jug has the U in a circle hechsher mark, and a “D”. My obvious question is why bottled water would be dairy. Odorless, colorless, tasteless and all that. Perhaps it is bottled in a facility that bottles milk and may have a tiny amount of milk in it? One possibility is that it could be a mistake. Alternatively, it shares some equipment with dairy products, even though there is probably no milk whatsoever in the water. The Orthodox Union used to denote this with “DE” for “dairy equipment” but they changed that policy a few years ago and now use “D” regardless of whether any milk is present. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2010, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kosher-bottled-water/544808/9 "2010-06-28T20:48:20Z")
> [@Ellen\_Cherry](#): > > If the mods don’t think it’s kosher, well then I’m sure they have the resources to deal with it. 🙂 I ask for a Moderator, they send me a comedian. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![DHMO](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ecc23a/32.png) [@DHMO](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DHMO)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2010, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kosher-bottled-water/544808/10 "2010-06-29T02:57:20Z")
The master has addressed this topic [here](http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/313/what-do-k-r-and-u-mean-on-food-and-other-packages). ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2010, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kosher-bottled-water/544808/11 "2010-06-29T03:08:28Z")
> [@DHMO](#): > > The master has addressed this topic [here](http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/313/what-do-k-r-and-u-mean-on-food-and-other-packages). Doesn’t address my question, but thank you for your concern. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![DHMO](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ecc23a/32.png) [@DHMO](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DHMO)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2010, 10:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kosher-bottled-water/544808/12 "2010-06-29T10:10:10Z")
From the referenced article, [QUOTE=Cecil] The most innocent-looking ingredient–an emulsifier, an oil, a dab of gelatin–can mean the difference between kosher and nonkosher, even if it merely comes in contact with something that will eventually be eaten (which is where things like oven cleaners and plastic bags come into play). [/QUOTE] There may be some possibility that the facility uses dairy in some way. Whether it gets into the bottled water or not is moot, only if it comes in contact with something which is then consumed in the water.