2018-8-26 Kashrus Alerts PDF available for download.
FRESH AND DRIED DATES FROM ISRAEL are sold at many stores in the U.S., including locally at Trader Joe’s, Plum Market and others. If they do not bear a reliable Kosher certification, they require taking of Terumos and Maaseros by the consumer. Details of the tithing procedure can be found (courtesy of cRc Chicago) at http://kshr.us/cRcMaaser
HONEY: Please be aware that “Forest honey”, “Honeydew honey”, and “Beechwood honey” (or honey named after other types of trees such as Pine, Fir, etc.), generally refer to honey produced by bees that have consumed the non-Kosher excretions of aphids and scale insects left on trees (as opposed to standard honey produced from flower nectar). These are not considered Kosher according to some opinions, and should be avoided.
TRADER JOE’S brand of CHOCOLATE BROOKLYN BABKA, MANGO BROOKLYN BABKA and HALF MOON COOKIES that bear OU Pareve, are Pas Yisroel and Yoshon.
KEEBLER READY CRUST MINI GRAHAM CRACKER PIE CRUSTS is certified OU Pareve, and correctly bears a plain OU on the individual packages. The outer case (of 12 packages) bears a plain OU on one side, but mistakenly bears an OU-D on the other side.
PRINGLES new EXTRA HOT Potato Crisps contains whey and is certified OU Dairy. Some cans with Spanish text mistakenly bear a plain OU without the D.
7-ELEVEN COCO PALETA COCONUT & CREAM BAR and 7-ELEVEN FRESA PALETA STRAWBERRY & CREAM BAR are mistakenly labeled with a plain OU symbol. These products contain dairy ingredients and are certified OU Dairy.
The 7-ELEVEN STORE at 11 Mile & Lahser is no longer under K-COR supervision for slurpees and iced coffee.
SHOTTYS Party-Ready GELATIN SHOTS claims on the box “We’re Kosher”. In fact, this product has no Kashrus certification and contains animal derived gelatin, and should not be considered Kosher.
“BEANBOY” CHOCOLATE COVERED ESPRESSO BEANS are not OU certified. Some packages bear an unauthorized OU symbol. (They also list butterfat in the ingredients.)
CATAWBA CANDY CO. DINNER MINTS sold at Family Dollar is not OU certified. Some packages mistakenly bear an unauthorized OU symbol.
Many “SWAD” brand products from India, including spice powders, flours, etc., dist. by Raja Foods LLC, bear a small OK symbol on the back of the package in the bottom left corner. This is not intended to be a Kashrus symbol, and these products are not certified.
JULY ALERTS
New MINUTE MAID TROPICAL FCB Slurpee Syrup is Kosher and pareve. The name on the syrup box label should be inspected, as explained in our 6/28/18 Kashrus Alerts.
STARBUCKS COFFEE STORES: Starbucks has decided to end its relationship with the expanded Star-K Kosher information program. Therefore, effective immediately, the Star-K can no longer vouch for the Kashrus of many of the items that it previously listed as recommended at these stores. Items no longer approved include Frappuccinos, Mocha, and Caramel Sauce.
Updated lists of acceptable Starbucks items can be found on the Star-K website https://www.star-k.org/ articles/kosher-lists/1709/ starbucks/ and on the cRc website http://www.crcweb.org/starbucksoverview.php
In addition, Starbucks has also decided to end the Kosher-Friendly store program, which was available in select stores in NY and NJ.
L’OVEN FRESH HAWAIIAN SWEET HOT DOG BUNS and L’OVEN FRESH HAWAIIAN SWEET HAMBURGER BUNS sold at Aldi bear an unauthorized Kosher – Dairy symbol. These products contain milk and butter, as listed in the ingredients, and are not acceptable. – However, L’OVEN FRESH HAWAIIAN SWEET ROLLS sold at Aldi bears a plain OU symbol, and is OU certified and pareve.
CAPE COD “WAVES” WHITE CHEDDAR & SOUR CREAM POTATO CHIPS contains many dairy ingredients, as listed on the package, but mistakenly bears a plain OU without a D. [Source: KashrusMagazine.com]
Most “I CAN’T BELIEVE IT’S NOT BUTTER” Vegetable Oil Spreads contain dairy ingredients and bear an OU-D. Some varieties are pareve and bear a plain OU symbol. One pareve variety, called “the LIGHT one”, correctly bears a plain OU on the container itself, but mistakenly bears an OU-D on the lid. This product is pareve.