Information about alert on kosher products

2020-07-29
Detailed information about organization
Notes

2020-7-29 KosherGram PDF ICE CREAM and FROZEN YOGURT STORES often claim that they are Kosher and may post Kosher certification letters, which leads consumers to believe that the store and its products are under supervision. In fact, in most cases, the letters refer only to specific products or ingredients which are factory produced under supervision, and are certified only when in their original sealed packaging bearing Kosher marking. Once the unsupervised store opens the packaging, the certification is no longer valid. Unless the consumer verifies that there is actual on-site reliable Rabbinical supervision of the entire individual retail store, no ice cream, yogurt, syrups or toppings should be considered Kosher except for those in their original sealed containers bearing a reliable Kosher certification. The following are some stores in our area that are not under supervision: TCBY, Haagen-Dazs, Menchie’s, and Oberweis. It is always preferable to buy at fully supervised stores. Locally, soft serve Cholov Yisroel ice cream is available at Jerusalem Pizza. Hard pack Cholov Yisroel ice cream is available at Spreads Bagels & Café. Hard pack non-Cholov Yisroel ice cream and yogurt is available at Baskin-Robbins/Dunkin’ Donuts at 10 Mile & Greenfield in Oak Park (which is K-COR certified for all products). Packaged Cholov Yisroel ice cream is available at One Stop Kosher Food Market. If it is necessary to purchase hard pack ice cream or yogurt from an unsupervised store, the consumer should request and see a sealed container before it is opened, and check for the Kosher certification mark on the container. In addition, the scoop should be thoroughly washed. Soft serve ice cream or yogurt should not be purchased from an unsupervised store, because of the inability to verify that Kosher mix was put into the machine. SAUCES CONTAINING FISH: Most Worcestershire sauces, and some barbecue and steak sauces, contain anchovies and state so in their ingredients listings. According to most Poskim, if the amount of anchovies in these sauces is at a ratio of 1:60 or less, they may be used with meat. Some Poskim, however, are stringent. Consult your Rav. Reliably certified sauces that do not state “FISH” on the label next to the Kashrus symbol, do not contain more than 1/60 fish. Sauces that do contain more than 1/60 fish will always state FISH next to the symbol. However, some sauces that do not contain more than 1/60 fish will still state FISH next to their Kashrus symbol. Contact the certifying Kashrus agency to ascertain the fish level in a FISH marked sauce. Following are the fish levels in some common sauces that are marked “OU FISH”: • MORE THAN 1/60 – Lea & Perrins Worcestershire Sauce [may not be used with meat] • NOT MORE THAN 1/60 – o Lea & Perrins Steak Sauce – in Traditional, Bold, and Signature varieties o Great Value and ShopRite brands of Worcestershire sauces o The following HEINZ products:  Kansas City Style, Memphis Style, and Texas Style BBQ Sauces  Campside Smoky Barbecue Sauce  57 Steak Sauce Made with Lea & Perrins  Zesty Cocktail Sauce JIM BEAM BARBECUE SAUCE in Bold ‘N’ Spicy, Smoky Barrel and Southern Tang varieties in 18 oz. containers bear a Kof-K and contain anchovies at a level of not more than 1/60. — Please note that the small 6.5 oz. glass bottles of Jim Beam Barbecue Sauces are not certified Kosher and do not bear a Kof-K. PLANTERS NUT PRODUCTS are acceptable only when bearing an OU symbol. Products bearing a K (which include most Planters Dry Roasted items and some Honey Roasted items) may contain gelatin, or may be produced on the same equipment as gelatin-containing products. Note that Planters Honey Roasted Cashews in the 3 oz. bag and 8.25 oz. can bear an OU, but the 1.5 oz. and 2 oz. size bags bear a K because they are not produced on an OU approved production line. Every package should be carefully checked for the OU symbol. SIMPLY NATURE frozen ORGANIC BROCCOLI FLORETS and CHOPPED SPINACH, and SEASON’S CHOICE frozen BROCCOLI FLORETS and CALIFORNIA MEDLEY sold at Aldi, products of Mexico, are subject to concerns of infestation. (The Kosher symbol on them is not the MK of Montreal or Manchester.) GLENFIDDICH 12 YEAR OLD SINGLE MALT SCOTCH WHISKEY mistakenly bears the “MK Mehadrin” logo of Manchester Beth Din on some bottles exported to the U.S. Since sherry casks are used in its aging process, this scotch does not qualify for Mehadrin standard, but instead is certified under North West Kosher (NWK), the Manchester Beth Din’s non-Mehadrin level of supervision. — Lists of recommended Glenfiddich whiskeys are available at https://www.crcweb.org/LiquorList.pdf [cRc] and https://www.star-k.org/resource/list/UTM1YXYE/Scotch [Star-K]. GERBER SITTER 2nd FOODS baby foods have OU certification on many, but not all, varieties. Check each product carefully for the OU symbol. Gerber Supported Sitter 1st Foods are not OU certified. IZZIO SOURDOUGH BREAD: Due to a production issue, Izzio Sourdough bread in 24 oz. and 8-slice packages bearing a Scroll-K symbol, with lot codes 20 196 and 20 197 printed on the plastic bag closure, is Kosher but is not Pas Yisroel. TOVAH brand frozen RICED BROCCOLI has been found to be infested, and should not be used. MCCORMICK PERFECT PINCH SALAD SUPREME SEASONING bears an unauthorized OU on some labels. This product is not OU certified (and contains non-Kosher cheeses). — Note that McCormick Perfect Pinch Roasted Garlic & Bell Pepper Seasoning is also not OU certified (and contains milk). Other Perfect Pinch seasonings varieties are OU certified when bearing the OU on the label. TENLI brand GUMMY and CANDY PRODUCTS distributed by Classic Confections and Vidal bear an unauthorized Star-K symbol. These products are not certified by Star-K. TANGY ZANGY SOUR FRUIT SLICES and TANGY ZANGY MILK CHOCOLATE SOUR WILDFRUIT SQUARES are not OU certified. Some bags bear an unauthorized OU symbol. CVS brand DAIRY RELIEF LACTASE ENZYME SOFTGELS bear an unauthorized Star-K symbol. This product is not Kosher. CVS brand Dairy Relief Lactase Enzyme Caplets and Chewable Tablets are Star-K certified, when bearing the Star-K symbol. INDIGO canned ARTICHOKES WITH STEMS (5 lb. can, a Foodservice item) is not OU certified. Some cans bear an unauthorized OU. DOLE SLAWESOME KIT SALADS with dressing and seasoning are OK certified when bearing the OK symbol. Please note that the Fiesta Lime variety contains sour cream in the dressing, and therefore bears OK Dairy on both the outer bag and on the dressing/seasoning envelope inside. J. HIGGS CORNIES CHILI CHEESE CORN CHIPS contains dairy ingredients and is certified Kof-K Dairy. Some packaging was incorrectly printed with a Kof-K Pareve symbol. GREAT VALUE CREAMY COCONUT BARS sold at Walmart contains dairy, as indicated in the ingredients and allergen statements, and is certified OU Dairy. Some packaging mistakenly bears a plain OU symbol without the D. DAVINCI GOURMET CLASSIC IRISH CREAM SYRUP contains dairy, as indicated in the allergen statement, and is certified Kof-K Dairy. Some packaging mistakenly states Kof-K Pareve. — A number of other DaVinci Syrups are also currently dairy, including Cake Batter, Caramel Pecan, English Toffee, Hawaiian Salted Caramel and others. The Pareve/Dairy status of these syrups sometimes changes. Always check every bottle for the Kof-K Pareve or Kof-K Dairy marking. GIANT EAGLE DRIED ISLAND FRUIT MIX is certified OK Pareve and bears an OK symbol. However, due to a packaging error, some packages with a Best By date of 01-15-2001 actually contain Yogurt Fruit & Snack Mix that is Kosher Dairy. More information is available at https://www.fda.gov/safety/recalls-market-withdrawals-safety-alerts/giant-eagle-recalls-dried-fruit-mix-due-undeclared-allergens or 800-553-2324. PRODUCT WARNING HAND SANITIZERS WARNING: The FDA has issued a new warning to avoid nearly 90 hand sanitizers, mostly from Mexico, that are labeled to contain ethanol (also known as ethyl alcohol), but that actually contain methanol (wood alcohol), which is toxic when absorbed through the skin and can be life-threatening when ingested. Details are available at https://www.fda.gov/drugs/drug-safety-and-availability/fda-updates-hand-sanitizers-methanol .