Hi -

I had a long chat with Arlene Mathes-Scharff at kashrut.org a while
ago about kosher certification.  She explained quite a few things
to me, including that:
        - different hechshers (certifiers) have different rules
        about what kind of cleaning is sufficient
        - different hechshers provide different degress of oversight
        to food manufacturers
She said that the bigger hechshers (such as OU) understand that they
are used by people with allergies, and therefore tend to be more
strict than the smaller hechshers ... BUT this is only a rule of
thumb!  My web page contains some more detailed information.  (Robin -

you may want to check it out since you're doing a revision of the FAQ.)

I hope this helps,
--Beth Kevles
  [log in to unmask]
  http://web.mit.edu/kevles/www/nomilk.html -- a page for the milk-allergic
  Disclaimer:  Nothing in this message should be construed as medical
  advice.  Please consult with your own medical practicioner.