The Kosher industry and certification initiated in the US back in 1898 when the Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations was established. In 1918 The New York State Legislature enacted the nation’s first Kosher Food Law. Nearly a decade after that, in 1924, the Union of Orthodox Congregations introduced an official kashrut supervision and certification program. Today, the US has more than 12 million kosher consumers, including many non-Jewish consumers. For the non-Jewish population, there are several motives other than religious concerns to buy kosher products – these include Islam, veganism, eating healthier and safer, as well as overall animal welfare. In total, the OU Kosher – the largest kosher certifying agency- has almost 1,500 kashrut supervisors worldwide, 1,000 in the US and another 500 working abroad. The US is also home to nearly 40% of the global Jewish population - 30% of which are kosher consumers.