2020-4-30 KosherGram PDF
WHEN SHOPPING ONLINE for grocery delivery or curbside pickup, be sure to check the actual label on each item when the order is received. This is essential because:
- Many online descriptions or pictures give inaccurate or outdated information regarding the product’s Kosher status.
- The store may substitute non-Kosher or non-approved products if the requested ones are not available.
Following are two recent examples:
- When a search for EMPIRE KOSHER CHICKEN at Costco yielded no results, an online grocery delivery service company website offered, as a “related result”, a non-Kosher brand of chicken [Foster Farms] as “Kosher”.
- SIMPLE TRUTH ORGANIC CANNED DICED TOMATOES IN TOMATO JUICE is pictured on the Kroger website with an OU. After pickup, a shopper found that some cans bear an OU, and other cans bear a different, non-approved symbol.
ALSO BE AWARE that due to the pandemic, some manufacturing plants are unable to obtain sufficient Kosher ingredients (e.g. cheese) for their productions, and some plants are expanding the range of products they make to offset lack of availability from their usual suppliers. As a result, some products will lose their Kosher certification, and some products will change from pareve to dairy. Every product label must be carefully checked for its proper status.
DOLE ICEBERG LETTUCE SALADS: Some bags of Dole Garden Salad and Dole Shredded Lettuce currently in stores do not bear the OK symbol. These bags are not OK certified and are not recommended.
CAROLINA brand BROWN RICE: The cRc (Chicago Rabbinical Council) reports that while brown rice in the Midwest is generally free of infestation issues, Carolina brand brown rice has been found to have infestation issues even in the Midwest. Consumers are advised not to use Carolina brand brown rice without a thorough checking.
The following is the procedure for checking brown rice as per the Star-K:
- Place the brown rice (no more than 16 oz. at a time) in a mesh strainer. Mesh size should ideally be #12 mesh or larger.
- Shake the brown rice over a lightbox or white paper for 25-30 seconds.
- Examine the surface of the lightbox or paper for any insect presence. If no insects are found, the brown rice may be used. If any insects are found, the brown rice should not be used.
UNCLE BEN’S WHOLEGRAIN PARBOILED BROWN RICE mistakenly bears an OU-D on some 25 lb. bags. This product is OU Pareve.
CAMILLE BLOCH SWISS MILK CHOCOLATE BAR mistakenly says Pareve on some labels. This product is dairy and Cholov Yisroel.
VITA WILD HERRING IN WINE SAUCE 32 oz. bearing a plain OU with lot code 03609 and Best if Used Before date JUN 26 20 has been recalled because it may be mislabeled and may actually contain Herring In Sour Cream (certified OU-D). Mislabeled jars will be obvious by the white sour cream sauce visible through the clear plastic jar. For more information contact Vita at 800- 989-8482.
HERSHEY’S ICE CREAM FUDJO CHOCOLATEY FUDGE BAR 2.5 ounce was mistakenly labeled Kof-K DE instead of the required Kof-K Dairy. This product contains milk, as clearly stated on the label, and is certified Kosher Dairy.
GORDON CHOICE FROZEN VEGETABLES from Gordon Food Service bear an unauthorized wKs [Whole Kosher Services] symbol on some products, including broccoli and cauliflower. No Gordon Choice or GFS products are wKs certified.
iO INSPIRED ORGANICS BALSAMIC VINEGAR is not OU certified. Some labels bear an unauthorized OU symbol.
BEST YET ONION RINGS are not OU certified. Some packages bear an unauthorized OU symbol.
NO SUGAR, VEGAN PURE and VEGAN WAY brands of products sold by the No Sugar Company Limited and Vegan Way Nutrition Inc. are not certified Kosher by The Orthodox Rabbinical Council of British Columbia [“Kosher Check”]. The K check logo on them is a Keto Diet symbol, not a Kosher symbol.
NESTLE NERDS CANDY is not OU certified, and does not bear an OU symbol. Rainbow Nerds in Israel bears an Allbrands Importer Israel sticker that wrongly states that Nerds is certified by the Orthodox Union.
MALK ORGANICS nut milks and oat milks bear an unauthorized HKA logo.
PRODUCT RECALLS
BENEFIBER HEALTHY SHAPE [PREBIOTIC] FIBER SUPPLEMENT POWDER and BENEFIBER PREBIOTIC FIBER SUPPLEMENT POWDER from five specific lots have been recalled due to green plastic pieces or shavings from bottle caps that may be present in the product, posing a choking or injury hazard. Details are available at https://www.benefiber.com/recall/ or 800-452-0051.
LENOX brand 2.5 QUART WHISTLING STAINLESS STEEL TEA KETTLES have been recalled because they can expel hot water during use, posing a burn hazard to consumers. Details are available at www.gocontinuum.com or 800-669-6385.