Can someone help with Kosher symbols?

[Rosehip]

I wanted to bring in treats for my classmates next week. One girl keeps Kosher, so obviously won't be able to eat what I make (planning on making peppermint bark). I wanted to try to buy something I could bring that she can eat. I think she's fairly strict, if this makes any difference - she does not go into non-Kosher restaurants, for instance. I think the different symbols may indicate differing levels of strictness??

Anyway, I would probably have to ask her to know for sure, but I'd like to surprise her. I bought two different boxes of cookies:

Trader Joe's Dark Chocolate Covered Peppermint Joe Joe's with a Star-D
[all products are cholov stam] stamp

Candy Cane Joe-Joe's with a KOF-K Kosher Supervision stamp.

Are either of these more likely to be safe? I believes she typically brings dairy meals with her for lunch.

Also, I assume that she would need to be the one to actually open the box to ensure that it's still Kosher? Or no?

Thanks for any help! If I'm bringing in treats, I'd really like to be able to offer her someone.

ETA: Happy Hanukkah (and I realize the poor timing of my post as it's shabbos for many/most posters)!

[Kelilah]

How kind and considerate of you! Either hescher should be fine, and yeah, it should be an unopened box. On behalf of Jewish mamas and would-be Jewish mamas everywhere, thank you for being so inclusive for this girl!

[Rosehip]

Thank you for the help! It stinks to not be included, and as she can't go to non-Kosher restaurants, she misses out on a lot of the outings/socializing.

We offered to do an outing to a Kosher restaurant, but she said the only decent ones were $$$ for student budgets, and she didn't want us our Kosher experience to be a greasy spoon. Maybe it would also be a bit overwhelming for her to go to her regular restaurant with the entourage...

[npl]

Wow! That's so kind and thoughtful of you to make her feel included!
Just to second what Kelilah said.
Both are reliable supervisions. There are some people who are more careful about dairy products, so the Candy Cane with the Kof-K (as long as there is no D or Dairy with it) is the safer bet.
And yes, your instinct about leaving the packaging sealed is correct - that would make her feel totally comfortable about being able to eat it.

[Rosehip]

Originally Posted by npl

Both are reliable supervisions. There are some people who are more careful about dairy products, so the Candy Cane with the Kof-K (as long as there is no D or Dairy with it) is the safer bet.

Shoot, there is a "D" next to the symbol. Would some people not be comfortable with that? Please excuse my ignorance. From what she's said, I do gather she tends toward the stricter side of things, if that is possible. Would something parve be better?

[Ruthla]

The different symbols just indicate different organizations who supervise the food production. A lot of them are reliable (ie: considered acceptable by the majority of Orthodox Jews) but a few are not (some products are acceptable but others are not, and you can't just look at the symbol and know the product is OK without checking with your rabbi.) The Star K (or Star D for dairy stuff) and Kof K are both reliable.

The "D" means dairy- so it can't be eaten with or after a meat meal. It also means that it's not "good enough" if her family keeps "chalav Yisroel" (literally "Jewish milk.") Its' an extra stringency about dairy products that some Jews keep, although my family does not. I purchase things at Trader Joe's on a regular basis (though I personally avoid the Joe Joe's only because they contain gluten.)

Plenty of people keep strictly kosher in the home and out, but still use "chalav stam" (not keep the extra stringency of chalav yisrael.) So there really isn't enough information to know if she keeps chalav yisroel or not. Something pareve is a safer bet if you're not able to ask her about it.

I'm pretty sure that pep-o-mint lifesavers are OU pareve. It's tough finding pareve chocolate items anywhere.

[Rosehip]

Thanks Ruthla! This is all pretty complicated for the uninitiated! Are any of the stamps that one might find in a mainstream store chalav yisrael?

[npl]

If it is Chalav Yisrael, it will say so in writing next to the stamp, either spelled like I did, or spelled Cholov Yisroel.

[CorasMama]

somewhat OT, but what is/are the symbol(s) that mean "kosher for passover"? I know it's not passover, but it'd be nice for me to be able to look for such a symbol.

[imnottelling]

Originally Posted by CorasMama

somewhat OT, but what is/are the symbol(s) that mean "kosher for passover"? I know it's not passover, but it'd be nice for me to be able to look for such a symbol.

A P next to the kosher label means kosher for passover
(Like an O with a U in the middle and then P next to it, for example...many times they might also say kosher for passover under the supervision of...)

[Rosehip]

Thanks all for the help! I brought the Kof-K cookies, and she was able to eat them. I was happy that it worked b/c it was a close match with the peppermint/chocolate candies I'd made for everyone else. She seemed very happy that I'd thought to bring her in a treat.