Pesach KosherGram 2012

Compiled and edited by Rabbi Beryl Broyde, Kashrus Coordinator 

I. GENERAL INFORMATION

EACH INDIVIDUAL LABEL SHOULD ALWAYS BE CHECKED FOR PESACH CERTIFICATION.

Consumers are cautioned not to take for granted that a product is Kosher for Pesach simply because it is in the Kosher for Pesach section of their store, or because a "Kosher for Pesach" sign is posted. Each year there are numerous instances, even in Jewish stores, of non-Pesach products mistakenly being mixed in with Pesach products, usually because their labels are almost identical. This occurs frequently with Telma soup mixes and cubes, Osem, Gefen, Haddar, Manischewitz, Empire and other brands of products that have both Pesach and non-Pesach versions of the same products with similar labels.

Storekeepers, likewise, should not take for granted that everything received in their Pesach shipment, even from a Jewish distributor, is indeed Pesach certified; non-Pesach products are frequently inadvertently mixed in. There have also been instances where the outsides of cases were marked Kosher for Pesach, but the products inside were not. Each individual label must always be checked for Pesach certification.

MULTIPLE CERTIFICATIONS: Some brands, e.g. Osem, do not bear the same certification on all of their products. Each product should be checked for a reliable certification. - In addition, some brands, especially those from Israel, bear more than one certification on a single package, but not all those certifications include approval for Pesach. In particular, the Badatz of Eida Hachareidis symbol often states specifically that its endorsement does not include Pesach. All products should be carefully examined for a reliable Pesach endorsement.

KITNIYOS (legumes) such as corn, beans, peas and rice, may not be eaten by Ashkenazim on Pesach. Sefardim who use these products must ascertain that they contain no additives (such as vitamins), and must carefully check them before Pesach for extraneous matter. There are a number of “Kosher for Pesach” products on the market that contain kitniyos, and are acceptable only for Sephardim. Many of these products will state on the label (often in Hebrew) that the item is to be used only by those whose custom allows for the use of kitniyos.

KITNIYOS DERIVATIVES - Those who follow the prevalent custom of not using any derivatives of kitniyos (legumes) on Pesach, such as corn oil, corn syrup, dextrose, soybean oil and lecithin, should be aware that some products with Kosher for Pesach certifications do contain one or more of these ingredients. This applies especially to imported candies and chocolates. A careful check of the ingredients should be made. (Lecithin is sometimes listed just as “emulsifier”, and corn syrup as “glucose”.)

QUINOA is subject to differing opinions as to whether it is considered kitniyos; consult your Rav. Those who do use quinoa should use only whole grains of quinoa, not quinoa flour, and only from sources that have been investigated and approved for Pesach, to avoid the issues of other grains growing in the same proximity, and contacting other grains during processing. The Star-K has approved the following source for this year: Ancient Harvest brand Quinoa in 12 oz. boxes bearing lot code 03-01-14K, available from Quinoa Corp. at 310-217-8125 or www.quinoa.net. When ordering directly, mention that you want the Passover run. It is important to confirm that this lot code appears on the package. In addition, Star-K advises that even the quinoa from this source should be carefully checked before Pesach for any foreign matter (e.g. barley), by placing the quinoa on a plate and looking through the grains.

EGG and GRAPE MATZOH - Matzoh made with fruit juice or eggs, which includes “Kosher for Passover” Egg Matzohs, Egg Matzoh Crackers, White Grape Matzoh, White Grape Bite-Size Matzoh Crackers, and Passover Tam Tam Crackers, may not be eaten on Pesach, according to Ashkenazic practice, except by the sick or elderly who cannot eat regular matzoh. Most brands now state this restriction clearly in English on the package. Please note that even the sick and elderly cannot fulfill the obligation to eat matzoh at the Seder with these types of matzohs.

PEELED OR SHREDDED VEGETABLES & FRUIT - Peeled potatoes, peeled carrots (including baby carrots), peeled apples, shredded lettuce or cabbage, etc. are often treated with antioxidants to keep them looking fresh. We have found that many of these antioxidants, in particular the nonsulfite types, contain ingredients that may not be Kosher for Pesach, such as dextrose, citric acid, ascorbic acid, lactic acid and others. One type also contains lactose, a dairy ingredient. The produce company should be contacted to determine the antioxidant used and its Kashrus status.

FROZEN VEGETABLES require special Pesach certification because many frozen vegetable plants process pasta, macaroni, breaded vegetables, etc. on the same equipment as plain vegetables.

PESACH STICKERS: If a product bears Pesach certification on an attached sticker, rather than being printed on the label itself, it is advisable to contact the supervising agency to verify that it authorized the placement of the sticker.

PET FOOD: Many commercial pet foods contain actual chometz and may not be used on Pesach. Check ingredient labels for wheat, barley, rye, oats, spelt, flour, gluten, middlings, starch, brewer’s yeast, malt, or pasta. Non-chometz substitutes should be used. Pet food listing both milk and beef ingredients should not be used the entire year.

MEDICATIONS ON PESACH: Important - No one should refrain from taking any required medication even if it contains chometz, without first consulting his physician and Rav.

Note: All medications for a heart condition, diabetes, abnormal blood pressure, stroke, kidney disease, lung disease, depression, epilepsy, the immune system (transplant anti-rejection), and cancer treatment (including precautionary) may be taken on Pesach. Furthermore, all prescription medication taken on a regular basis for chronic conditions should only be changed with the consultation of your physician. (If you can not reach your physician, you should continue to take your regular prescription and not change.) Some examples of such chronic conditions include the following: Any psychiatric condition, prostate condition, Crohn’s Disease, celiac, colitis, high cholesterol, Parkinson’s Disease, anemia, multiple sclerosis, thyroid condition, and asthma.

A partial listing of Kitniyos

Anise

Cumin (differing customs)

Lecithin

Sesame Seeds

Beans

Dextrose (outside U.S. may be chometz)

Millet

Soy Beans

Canola Oil

Fennel

Mustard

String Beans

Caraway Seeds

Fenugreek

Peanuts

Sunflower Seeds

Chickpeas

Green Beans

Peas

Tofu

Coriander

Kasha (buckwheat)

Poppy Seeds

Corn (maize)

Kimmel

Rice

II. THE FOLLOWING PRODUCTS MAY BE USED FOR PESACH WITHOUT SPECIAL KOSHER FOR PESACH CERTIFICATION (except where noted otherwise).

A new box, can or jar should be used where an old one may have come into contact with chometz.

This is a very partial list, for Pesach 5772 / 2012 only. The omission of any specific brand or product does not necessarily imply that it contains chometz or that it is not permissible for use on Pesach. - This list refers only to products manufactured in the U.S. Products manufactured in other countries, including Canada, even with the same brand names, may have different formulations. - Most of the medications, cosmetics and toiletries listed are not under supervision and their listing here, taken primarily from Rabbi Bess’ list and based on information from the manufacturer, pertains only to their lack of chometz, not to the general Kashrus of their ingredients. Many of the medications contain kitniyos, which is permissible when taken for medicinal purposes. – Many items are available from Adwe Products with Kosher for Pesach certification, and are free of chometz, kitniyos and animal derivatives.

An extensive coverage of medications, cosmetics and toiletries which are acceptable for Pesach, prepared by Rabbi Gershon Bess, is available from the Kollel Bais Avrohom of Los Angeles, and may be ordered by calling the Kollel at (323) 933-7193. It is also available locally at Borenstein’s and Spitzer’s Bookstores.

ALCOHOL: Isopropyl

ALMOND MILK: Lieber’s Supreme Almond Milk Alternative in Original and Vanilla flavors bears Pesach certification. If that is not available, the following OU brands of Original almond milk contain no chometz, and may be used on Pesach by those who require them; they should preferably be purchased before Pesach: 365 Everyday Value, AlmondSense, Hy- Vee, Kroger, Meijer, Ralphs, ShopRite, Trader Joe's.

ALUMINUM FOIL

AMMONIA

ANALGESICS: Bayer adult aspirin, Motrin IB tablets & capsules, Tylenol regular strength tablets, Tylenol Extra Strength caplets, Children’s & Infants’ Tylenol liquids–Cherry flavor, Triaminic Fever Reducer Children's & Infants’ Syrups (acetaminophen) in grape and bubble gum flavors with an OU.

ANTACIDS: Bromo-Seltzer, Pepcid tablets, Zantac (all forms).

ANTI-DIARRHEALS, LAXATIVES: Citrucel caplets, Colace capsules and syrup, FiberCon caplets, Imodium A-D caplets, Kaopectate liquid (all flavors), Metamucil Orange Smooth & Original Coarse powders, Miralax, Pepto Bismol (all forms), Phillips’ Milk of Magnesia caplets & Original liquid, Senokot tablets. → IMPORTANT NOTE: “Resource Benefiber”, which is listed on page 101 of the OU Pesach Guide as acceptable for those who are ill, refers only to a special institutional Benefiber product produced by Nestle Nutrition from guar gum, which is available by special order. The regular retail Benefiber product, produced by Novartis, is made from wheat dextrin and is chometz.

BABY FOOD: “Gerber 2nd Foods” in 4 oz. glass jars of Carrots, Squash, Green Beans (kitniyos) and Peas (kitniyos), bearing a plain OU (no P required). Separate utensils should be used for the kitniyos varieties, and they should not be washed in a Pesach sink.

BABY FORMULA: Enfamil, Isomil, Prosobee, Simalac, all with OU. All contain kitniyos. Separate utensils should be used, and they should not be washed in a Pesach sink.

BABY WIPES without alcohol.

BAKING SODA

BLEACH

CLEANSERS: Ajax, Clorox, Comet, Mr. Clean, Murphy Oil. COCOA: Hershey 100% pure Cocoa.

COFFEE, GROUND & INSTANT (unflavored):

Regular and decaffeinated: The following brands with an OK-P on the label - Maxwell House, Sanka, Yuban.
Regular only (not decaffeinated): The following brands with a plain OU: Folgers, Taster’s Choice.

CONTACT LENS FLUID

COUGH MEDICINES: Sudafed 12 Hour caplets, Triaminic Children's Cough & Sore Throat Syrup- Grape Flavor, Tussionex Suspension, Vicks Nature Fusion liquid & tablets, Vicks Children’s Nyquil Cold & Cough.

CUPCAKE PAPERS (paper baking cups): Reynolds Baking Cups – OU may be used for Pesach.

DENTAL FLOSS: Any unflavored, waxed or unwaxed.

DEODERANT (including roll-ons and sprays): Dry Idea, Old Spice, Right Guard, Secret, Soft & Dri, Sure.

DETERGENT: Any powder with an OU. Liquids: Cheer, Dreft, Dynamo, Fab, Ivory Snow, Tide.

DISHWASHING LIQUID: Ajax, Dawn, Ivory, Joy, Palmolive.

EGGS: should be purchased before Pesach.

FABRIC SOFTENER

FISH, FROZEN RAW (plain): Benz’s, Dagim, Ungar’s. - See also Part III. [Frozen fish need to be investigated for Pesach to determine if chometz products are processed in the area, or if a corn starch / corn syrup glaze is used.]

FRUIT, FROZEN: Plain frozen unsweetened fruit, with no syrup and no additives listed.

GLUE
: Elmer’s Glue-All multi-purpose glue, Elmer’s All Purpose Glue Stick. (Not Elmer’s Washable School Paste or No Wrinkle Glue Pens).

HYDROGEN PEROXIDE


ICE
(in bags): from plain water (any brand).

JUICE
: Frozen concentrated unsweetened orange juice and grapefruit juice with no additives listed.

LEMON JUICE
: ReaLemon with OU.

LIME JUICE
: ReaLime with OU.

LIPSTICK
: Cover Girl: Continuous Color, Outlast; Max Factor: Colour Perfection, Lipfinity; Revlon: Colorstay Overtime, Moon Drops Moisture Crème, Moon Drops Moisture Frost (not Ultima Ultimate Edition); and many others on Rabbi Bess’ list.

MINERAL OIL

MOUTHWASH
: Act Anticavity Rinse (all), Act Restoring Mouthwash (all), Scope, Tom’s of Maine.

NAIL POLISH, NAIL POLISH REMOVER

NUTS: Commercially packaged raw almonds, filberts or walnuts (shelled or unshelled) without any additives or preservatives (such as BHA or BHT). NOTE: Pecans, even raw, require Pesach certification.

OLIVE OIL: Bertolli, Colavita and Filippo Berio brands of Extra Virgin with OU, Pompeian Extra Virgin with Star-K, and other brands listed in OU and Star-K Pesach directories.

OVEN CLEANERS: Easy Off, Shaklee.

PARCHMENT PAPER: Reynolds – OU, and all brands bearing a Star-K.

PERFUME: Chanel Allure, Charlie, Gucci, Ralph Lauren, and many others on Rabbi Bess’ list.

PLASTIC WRAP AND BAGS

PLATES & CUPS, DISPOSABLE: Pure plastic or styrofoam plates and cups; Chinet with OK-P. RAISINS (only if oil is not listed on the package): Del Monte (natural and golden) – OU, Dole - OU.

RICE MILK: The following OU brands of Original rice milk contain no chometz, and may be used on Pesach by those who are permitted by their Rav to eat Kitniyos; they should preferably be purchased before Pesach: Hy-Vee, Meijer, RiceSense, Shop Rite. Also, Rice Dream unsweetened (not standard) rice milk.

SALT: Any non-iodized OU brand not listing dextrose or polysorbate.

SCOURING PADS: O-Cel-O Sponges, Scotch Brite scouring pads & soap pads, and any plain steel wool. SHAMPOO: Head and Shoulders, Johnson’s Baby Shampoo, Revlon Flex, Selsun Blue Lotion.

SHOE POLISH

SILVER POLISH: Hagerty, Weiman Royal Sterling, Wrights.

SOY MILK: The following OU brands of Original soy milk contain no chometz, and may be used on Pesach by those who are permitted by their Rav to eat Kitniyos; they should preferably be purchased before Pesach: Soy Dream enriched, 365 Everyday Value Light, Giant, Meijer, Shop Rite, SoySense Enriched.

SPRAY STARCH: Niagara, Linit

SUGAR: Big Chief, Pioneer and Peninsular brands of white granulated sugar with the K-COR symbol (no P required), Domino with OK-P.

TEA: INSTANT - Nestea 100% Tea, regular and decaffeinated (unflavored, unsweetened) - OU.
        TEA BAGS - Regular tea bags that are unflavored and not decaffeinated, and have no additives, may be used for Pesach without special certification. Lipton unflavored Decaffeinated Tea Bags with OU may be used for Pesach without

special Pesach certification.

TOOTHPASTE: Aquafresh, Colgate – all except “2 in 1”, Gleem, Ultrabrite. WATER: Any unflavored, spring or distilled.

WAX PAPER: Cut-Rite, Marcal, Reynolds.

III. PRODUCT ALERTS

ISRAELI PEPPERS (red, yellow, orange) are now being sold at local stores and require taking of Terumos and Maaseros. TOMATOS, ORANGES, MANGOS, DATES, POMELOS, CLEMENTINES and PERSIMMONS from Israel are also being sold in the U.S. Check the label or sticker of all produce for the country of origin.

FAYGO ORIGINAL SPARKLING WATER, with a KP in the beginning of the code on the shoulder of the bottle, is certified for Pesach by the Council of Orthodox Rabbis of Greater Detroit.

FRESH FISH FOR PESACH will be available at One Stop and Farm Fresh. Call the stores for details and orders. Supervision at Farm Fresh is only when the Mashgiach is present, or when the package is sealed with the Mashgiach’s Hebrew initials or the COR emblem.

CHAZZANO COFFEE EBRAICA products with K-COR are Kosher for Pesach – caffeinated and decaffeinated.

PRE-WASHED PACKAGED ICEBERG LETTUCE SALAD and COLESLAW require Pesach approval due to the citric or lactic acid that may be used in the washing process. However, Dole and River Ranch brands bearing a Star-K are approved for Pesach, even without a P.

C. WIRTHY & CO. ATLANTIC SALMON FROZEN FILLETS (plain unseasoned, raw) bearing a Kof-K and stating Product of Chile is Kosher for Pesach. (We do not have any Pesach information regarding the C. Wirthy product from Norway.)

KIRKLAND SIGNATURE ATLANTIC SALMON FROZEN PORTIONS and FILLETS (plain unseasoned, raw) bearing an OU are Kosher for Pesach.

FISHIN brand FROZEN WHITING FILLETS (plain unseasoned, raw) bearing a Kof-K and stating Product of Chile is Kosher for Pesach.

STREIT’S PRODUCTS produced in the U.S. and Canada are certified by the Kof-K, even if the Kof-K does not appear on the label.

JOYVA PRODUCTS are Kof-K certified for year-round use, but not for Pesach, because they contain cornstarch and corn syrup. They are therefore not recommended for Pesach, even when bearing a Passover marking.

SCHMERLING'S SUGARLESS AND NO SUGAR ADDED CHOCOLATES are not Kosher for Pesach, and state so on their labels.

NATURAL & KOSHER brand cheeses are not all Kosher for Pesach. Check each package for Pesach certification. HAOLAM CHEESES: A number of new types of Haolam cheeses are not Kosher for Pesach, and they state so clearly on their packaging. Check each product carefully for Pesach certification.

ELITE CHOCOLATES are recommended only when bearing the certification of the OU or the Badatz of Eida Hacharedis. For Pesach, special Pesach marking is required.

SUGAT and ORZIL BRANDS of beans, peas, rice and seeds, sold in the Pesach section at Farm Fresh, are kitniyos, which are not eaten by Ashkenazim on Pesach. The Badatz of Eida Hacharedis symbol on the label therefore states that its certification is not for Pesach. The Pesach certification that is on some of these products, from a different agency, is only for Sefardim.

“PLAY-DOH” contains chometz.

ELI'S CHEESECAKE products manufactured during Pesach will not bear the cRc logo on the package and are not

certified by the cRc. Consumers should check for packaging not bearing the cRc logo when purchasing after Pesach.

BEN-DAVID WINERY, based in Moshav Sdei Eliezer, was found to be using the “OK” symbol on bottles of Merlot 2008 (a dry red wine) without authorization. The label states “OK-P” (Kosher for Passover), but, in actuality, the wine has a regular non-mehadrin supervision and is the product of heter mechira grapes.

BABY POWDER was listed in some Pesach Directories as always being acceptable for Pesach. Actually, some baby powders contain oat flour. Baby powders may be used for Pesach if they list only talc, talcum powder, corn starch, or other innocuous ingredients.

SCIENCE DIET (dry) ADULT LIGHT CAT FOOD, listed in the cRc Pesach Guide, has been reformulated and now contains chometz, oat fiber, as listed in the ingredients. It is being removed from the cRc pet food list.

Please be aware that although the ASEPTIC PACK TOMATO SAUCE that was distributed by the Hebrew Theological College (Skokie Yeshiva) for Purim is marked Kosher for Pesach, it does contains soybean oil which is kitniyos. The Pesach certification was given by a Sephardic agency which allows kitniyos on Pesach.

POST-PESACH 5772 INFORMATION – DETROIT AREA

CHOMETZ may be purchased from the following stores immediately after Pesach, except for DUNKIN’ DONUTS at 10 Mile & Greenfield, where chometz should not be bought until 10:30 PM on Motzoei Pesach.

All COR certified establishments
Aldi
Costco
CVS
Family Dollar Stores
Farm Fresh
Fruitasia
GFS (Gordon Food Service)
K-Mart
Kroger Meijer Nutrifoods
One Stop Kosher Market
Randazzo
Restaurant Depot
Save-A-Lot 11 & Greenfield and 9 & Woodward
Sam’s Club Warehouse
Target
Trader Joe's
Wal-Mart
Walgreens
Westborn
Whole Foods

Please consult your Rav concerning buying chometz after Pesach from Jewish owned stores that do not observe Pesach. 

Kosher Gram