From the Desk of Rabbi Sholem Fishbane
cRc Kashrus Director

We at the cRc receive countless calls a week from consumers looking for information on various kosher symbols. We have therefore decided to post a Directory of Reliable Kashrus Agencies and their symbols on our website. As there are close to 750 Kosher agencies worldwide, it is nearly impossible to list all of them. Therefore any symbol that is not posted does not indicate that it is an inferior Hechsher. 

Please call our office for further information on those symbols in question. For clarification on why some symbols are recommended and others are not, you may read the article on our website titled “Understanding the Reliability of Kosher Agencies”. 

       The cRc Kosher Consumer
          Another cRc service in the world of Kosher

  

June 2009                                                           ________________                                                     Sivan 5769

 

Johnson & Johnson, the manufacturer of LISTERINE POCKETPAKS has informed KOF-K Kosher Supervision that they will be discontinuing kosher certification of LISTERINE POCKETPAKS as of July 1, 2009.  In anticipation of this change, Johnson & Johnson has revised packaging to no longer bear the KOF-K Kosher symbol. Due to potential consumer confusion, Kof-K Kosher Supervision recommends LISTERINE POCKETPAKS only when bearing the Kof-K symbol.

 With the summer months upon us, the cRc would like to take this opportunity to reiterate its policy and opinion regarding the purchase of ice cream from shops that are not certified kosher. Unless the entire shop is under a reliable hashgacha, no open product should be purchased without the consumer personally inspecting each item. Any ice cream must first be determined to be kosher and in some cases, the scoop must be first washed clean. Any other products purchased, such as cones, toppings, milk or any other additives, must also be inspected to determine if it is kosher. Items such as cakes and novelty items may be coming in from another outside source, so special care must be taken when purchasing any of these items. Since one may not assume that there were no changes made since the last visit, this all must be done each time you go into the store to make a purchase! 

Many shops may sell ice cream which is produced under the certification of the cRc or other reliable agencies, and have signs posted to indicate as such. However, unless the entire store is under certification, this letter only applies to the unopened ice cream that is listed on the letter of certification, and not necessarily the store itself.  Merely asking the store attendant if an item is kosher is not sufficient, as they may not be aware of specific requirements that may affect the kosher status of an item. You must always see the actual product in its original container.

As the average person may also not always be aware of all of the kosher regulations, it is always preferable and recommended to only frequent shops under a reliable kosher supervision. Check with the cRc in the Chicago area, or your local Orthodox Vaad in other areas for the stores under kosher certification.

 Tofutti has announced a limited precautionary recall of Vanilla Tofutti Cuties due to possible trace amounts of dairy. These traces, if they exist, were inadvertent and Batul L’Halachah This product was produced in one of their plants during July 2008 and can be identified by plant # 360-300. Anyone that has any of this product should call Tofutti at 908-272-2400 for a refund. All Tofutti products including Tofutti Cuties continue to be certified Kof-K Parve. Additional safeguards have been put in place to avoid any future inadvertent errors.

The following products under the Roundy's label were only labeled with the cRc, mistakenly omitting the “D” Dairy designation. All of the varieties listed below are cRc dairy (cholov stam); Dark Chocolate Cashews, Natural Dark Chocolate Almonds, Dark Chocolate Cranberries, Milk Chocolate Cherries, Chocolate Double Dipped Peanuts, Chocolate Malt Balls, Chocolate Raisins, Cashew and Caramel White Clusters, Peanut Brittle, Yogurt Cherries, Yogurt Cranberries, Yogurt Pretzels, Yogurt Raisins, Mardi Gras Mix, Tropical Blend.  Corrective measures are being taken.

Please note that the following brands produced by Irish Distillers have been researched, approved, and added to the cRc’s liquor list: Jamesons Irish Whiskey, Kellan Whiskey, Midleton Irish Whiskey, Paddy Irish Whiskey, Power Irish Whiskey, Tullamore Dew Irish Whiskey.

The cRc’s liquor list can be found at http://www.crcweb.org/kosher/consumer/liquorList.html 

Caroline's Desserts (Redmond, WA) is no longer certified kosher under the Seattle Vaad. Any products manufactured after May 1, 2009 should not be considered kosher-certified.

 Grape Drink manufactured by Highland Dairy is not certified by the cRc even when bearing a cRc on the label.

 The cRc has verified that the only store in Ben Gurion Airport that has properly sold its chometz as well as not selling any chometz over Pesach is the James Richardson Store at Gate D7.

On J & J Snack Foods Whole Fruit Peach Sorbet (1 pint) container the lid says OU-D and the carton says OU. The product is pareve. 

Caroline's Sweet Blue Cheese Dressing, Cain's Foods – Ayer, MA: This product bears an unauthorized OU symbol and is being withdrawn from the market. Consumers spotting this product are requested to contact the Orthodox Union.

 Please note that we have investigated the local grocery establishments in the metropolitan Chicago area and have not found any issues of Chometz Sh'ovar Alav HaPesach. This includes Dominick's, Garden Fresh, Hungarian, Kol Tuv, Kol Touhy, Moshe’s New York Kosher, and all Jewel locations. 

Please be advised that EBRO FOODS, INC., 1330 West 43rd Street, Chicago, IL is no longer certified by OK Kosher Certification.

 Stickney & Poor Blue Cheese Dressing, Four-In-One Co.: This product bears an unauthorized OU symbol and is being withdrawn from the market. Consumers spotting this product are requested to contact the Orthodox Union.

Haji Baba bakery pita and mini pita breads under the label Boulder Pita, Haji Baba, Falafelking: Effective immediately, all Haji Baba pita products are NO LONGER certified by the Scroll-K, even if there is a Scroll-K symbol on the bag. The use of the Scroll-K symbol on Haji Baba, Boulder Pita and Falafelking products is unauthorized. 

Please be advised that a limited quantity of SNAPPLE naturally flavored GO BANANAS made by Snapple Beverage Corp. has been inadvertently labeled OK Pareve. This product is kosher but contains milk (as stated in the ingredients), and is dairy. Labels are being corrected.

 Please be advised that Grand vin de Bordeaux from Chateau Gardut Haut-Cluzea Premieriers Cotes de Blaye may have an unauthorized OK-P sticker on the label. This wine is NOT kosher. At this time, it is only known to be distributed in Europe. Anyone who sees it should contact the OK office at 718-756-7500.

Although cRc-certified during the majority of the year, certain packages of products manufactured by the following companies may have the cRc logo removed or covered during a period after Passover: Bulldog Bakery, Today's Temptations, Eli's Cheesecake. Please be careful to check those products as the cRc does not certify those specific items unless the cRc is on each package.

Several stores around the U.S. sell various prepared salads under the certification of the cRc. Please be aware that not all of these salads are certified kosher, and are only certified by the cRc if the cRc logo appears on each individual container. Some of these salads contain dairy ingredients, and there is indeed a “cRc-D” logo on the label. However, the “D” on some of these labels may be small and might be overlooked. In particular, there is a potato salad sold at Sam’s Club and Wal-Mart that is labeled as such. Please make certain to check each label carefully before purchasing. 

The cRc would like to inform the public that Hungarian Kosher Supermarket is continuing their notable program of selling fresh romaine lettuce that has been checked by our expert mashgiach.  

Pepsi is introducing a new flavor, Pepsi Throwback, which is kosher and pareve. The newest flavor of Sierra Mist is kosher pareve. It goes by the name of “Ruby Splash”, but is also known as “grapefruit”.

Costco is selling Coca Cola that is made in Mexico. The brand name of Coke products that are kosher in the United States are also kosher when bottled in Mexico

The newest Slurpee flavor, Apocalyptic Ice, is kosher pareve.

The cRc would like to welcome the following new companies that have recently joined the cRc: 

Land-O-Sun Dairies, DBA Frostbite - Toledo, OH, Sensational Four - Elgin, IL, All American Bakery - Charles City, IA, TLC Ingredients - Joliet, IL, Ecolab- St. Paul, MN, All Puree LLC - Newburgh, NY, Saco Foods - Middletown, WI, Ta’Boun Grill – Skokie Branch – Skokie, IL, Fleish Meats, LLC - Winamac, IN, Spertus Institute of Jewish Studies, DBA Spertus Kosher Catering – Featuring Cuisine by Wolfgang Puck – Chicago, IL, Manna Kosher Catering - Wheeling, IL, Q-4 Packo - Minden, NV

 

Add me to cRc - EMail Kashrus Alerts 
Please include name, city, state.