2020-11-23 KosherGram PDF
BELL PEPPERS FROM ISRAEL (red, yellow and orange) will soon begin appearing in U.S. stores, and will require taking of Terumos and Maaseros. Consumers should carefully check the fine print on the package, or the sticker on individual peppers sold loose, for the country of origin. Often the same brand has some peppers from Israel and some from other locations, so each individual package or pepper should be checked. Details of the tithing procedure can be found (courtesy of cRc Chicago) at Instructions for Separating Terumah and Ma’aser .
One should always be careful when buying produce to check the sticker, bag label or original case for the country of origin. Some additional examples of Israeli produce commonly found in the U.S. include tomatoes, carrots, citrus fruit (oranges, grapefruit, lemons, mandarins, clementines and pomelos), persimmons (“Sharon Fruit”), pomegranates, mangos, dates, dill and parsley.
DAKOTA BREAD COMPANY at 6879 Orchard Lake Rd, West Bloomfield, is now under supervision of the Vaad Harabbonim and is certified Pareve and Pas Yisroel.
“KOSHER CHECK”, as found locally on Peanut Delight Peanut Butter sold at Aldi, is the symbol of the Orthodox Rabbinical Council of British Columbia and is acceptable (formerly known as BC Kosher).
TRADER JOE’S ALL NATURAL GLATT KOSHER YOUNG TURKEY that bears the OU and Rabbi Yechiel Babad symbols, and USDA # P-1015, is authorized and is acceptable. Its Kosher status can be further verified by the tiny [difficult to see] engravings in the metal crimp sealing the top of the bag. The upper end of the crimp bears the engraving P1015, and the lower end bears the letters OU and the word Kosher in Hebrew.
Some bags of FRESH EXPRESS ICEBERG GARDEN SALAD found recently in stores do not bear the Star-K symbol. These bags are not Star-K certified and are not recommended. Even the same store may have a mixture of some bags with the Star-K and some without. This may also apply to some store brands that normally bear the Star-K. Check each bag.
KROGER HEARTY VEGETABLE READY TO SERVE SOUP (18.8 oz. can) no longer bears an OU, and is no longer certified.
LOTUS BISCOFF SPREAD, made in Belgium, has Kosher certification only for special productions, and should be accepted only when bearing the Chug Chasam Sofer Bnai Brak symbol printed on the label. Some jars have only “K-Pareve Chug” ink jetted on the side of the unsecured cap, and no Kosher marking on the label. According to our information, the Kashrus status of these jars is questionable.
SLIMFAST KETO FAT BOMB SNACK CRISPS bears an unauthorized OU on some packages. This product is not OU certified.
MAYNARDS SOUR PATCH KIDS FROZEN DESSERT & LEMON SORBET from Nestlé Canada (1.5L tub) bears an unauthorized COR 95 Dairy symbol. This product is not Kosher.
GOOD NEIGHBORS TABOULI SALAD bears an unauthorized KVH Kosher symbol. Although other Good Neighbors products are KVH certified, Tabouli is not certified due to infestation issues.
PENN DUTCH COOKIES of various types, sold by Penn Dutch Cookie & Biscuit LLC, bear an unauthorized OK symbol. These products are not OK certified.
GOLCHIN GIARDINIERA, with a Best Before date of 12/20/2024 or earlier, bears an unauthorized KSA Kosher symbol. This product is not Kosher certified.
PARTANNA VINAIGRETTES (all varieties) are not OU certified. Some bottles bear an unauthorized OU symbol. If you see this product in the marketplace, please provide details to kosherq@ou.org .
WHOLE FOODS MARKET COOKING ORGANIC SEASONING Spice Pouches in the following two varieties are mislabeled:
• Umami Magic Dust bears an unauthorized Scroll K symbol. It is not certified Kosher.
• Lemon Herb with Thyme contains buttermilk, but mistakenly bears a plain Scroll K symbol without the D.
BELMONT frozen PUMPKIN PIE sold at Aldi contains milk powder and whey, but was mistakenly labeled with a plain Kof-K symbol without the D. This product is certified Kof-K Dairy.
TRISCUIT ROSEMARY & JALAPENO WITH CHIA SEEDS CRACKERS contains dairy ingredients and is certified OU Dairy. Some packaging in Canada mistakenly bears only a plain OU symbol without the D.
READY PROTEIN WATER in all varieties contains whey, a dairy ingredient, and is certified OU Dairy. Some labels mistakenly bear only a plain OU symbol without the D.
ARCTIC ZERO NON-DAIRY FROZEN DESSERT is certified OK Dairy. Some packages of the following varieties mistakenly bear a plain OK without the D: Brownie Blast, Cherry Chocolate Chunk and Cookie Dough Chunk.
PRODUCT RECALL
MISS VICKIE’S CANADA POTATO CHIPS RECALL: Certain Miss Vickie’s brand Kettle Cooked Potato Chips made in Canada have been recalled due to the possible presence of pieces of glass. Details are available at https://www.inspection.gc.ca/food-recall-warnings-and-allergy-alerts/2020-11-03/eng/1604456061321/1604456069989?print=1#r04 or at 866-264-2056.