Friday, March 25, 2011

Shop rite has Israeli produce including "CARROTS".

Shop Rite is carying Israeli produce including "CARROTS". The law says they must put "country of origin"

Thursday, March 24, 2011

Are strawberries, raspberries, blackberries "muchzak-bi'toiluyim"?

Are strawberries, raspberries, blackberries "muchzak-bi'toiluyim"?
It seems they are "muchzak', therefore if they were were not cleaned prior to cooking one may not use them. This is usually the case by commercial jam processors. Jelly is strained, Jam has pieces.

Frozen strawberries with a hashgocha, should also pureed prior to use, as they are cleaner but aren't insect free.

Tuesday, March 22, 2011

Shabbos-Hot cobler with Ice cream

Shabbos-Hot cobler with Ice cream, is it permitted?

The ice cream was pasteurized at 160 F to 170F, is that suffecient to allow the cold Ice cream on the hot cobler? Is there bishul after bishul when it was cooled or chilled? Most probably not permitted.

Beef prices hit all-time highs- What does this have to do with kashrus?

Kosher slaughter is only viable if there is a ready market for the non-kosher beef hinds & treif fore quarters. If non-kosher consumption drops, kosher may accept albeit reluctantly some not so Glatt, etc.

Chicago cattle futures rebound as beef prices hit all-time highs
Bruce Blythe, Business Editor -updated: March 21, 2011

Cattle futures in Chicago bounced back from last week’s slide amid record beef prices and expectations animal supplies will remain tight as the peak demand summer grilling season approaches.Choice-grade boxed beef prices, a wholesale market benchmark, averaged $1.8826 a pound earlier today, up 0.75 cent from the end of last week and at their highest point since prices briefly topped $2.00 in late 2003, according to U.S. Department of Agriculture data. Wholesale beef is up 12 percent since mid-February, reflecting rising exports and improving domestic demand.

Friday, March 18, 2011

Olive oil, read the label

When you see a Heimish olive oil "100% Virgin, cold press" and the Heimish certifier writes "not for passover use", Why? Is it because they took an e.g. OU olive oil & bottled in a Heimish brand bottle & doubled or trippled the price?

Wednesday, March 16, 2011

Raisins-oven dried, also infested

Raisins in general have been found to be an infested product and should not be consumed. Other claimed that the outdoor drying is causing the infestation. A brand that claimed "oven-dried" was found to also be infested, therefore the oven dried may not be consumed either.

Monday, March 14, 2011

Sardines

' אדר ב' תשע"א
שיווק דגים ללא סימני כשרות

מכתבו החשוב של הרה"ג משה אליעזר בלום שליט"א עורר נושא כאוב של דגים הנמכרים ללא סימני כשרות, שיכול להביא לידי מכשול של אכילת דגים טמאים.
יש לציין שהסרדינים המשווקים על ידי העדה החרדית מהים הבלטי, אין עליהם קשקשים, ואי אפשר לבדוק את סימני הכשרות שלהם.
כמו כן כשרויות הבודקים את בשר הדגים מפני תולעי אניזקיס,מסירים את עור הדג, כדי שגויים סיניים יבדקו אותם על שולחן אור, כאשר במקרה הטוב משגיח אחד מפקח על מאות פועלים סיניים ודגים יכולים להתחלף בקלות.
יוצא שמפני חשש של תולעים אלו, שאינן אסורות מעיקר הדין, ורק למיחש נמנעים מאכילתם, עלולים להיכשל באיסור חמור של דגים טמאים האסורים מדאורייתא.

בברכה
אשר פרידנער

נ.ב. במכתב הנ"ל צויין שבסרדינים ממרוקו לא מצויים תולעים בחלל הבטן. הבד"ץ של העדה החרדית פרסמו שנמצאו בסרדינים ממרוקו תולעים ולכן הם הפסיקו לייצר שם סרדינים.

FISH OIL standards?

http://www.nutraingredients-usa.com/Regulation/Codex-fish-oil-standard-must-be-flexible-GOED/?c=P%252BxdiblPOxcXFaXdfNKglw%253D%253D&utm_source=Newsletter_Subject&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Newsletter%252BSubject

BEER NEEDS A good HASHGOCHA?

CBC MARKETPLACE: FOOD » BEERBeer: Ingredients and additives Broadcast: Oct 28, 1998
Mountain springs, pure water, the finest hops and barley. What more could there be to beer? More than 100 things, actually.Additives in beer is not a new idea. In the 15th century brew masters threw a live chicken into the beer kettle and called the result cock's ale. Today, no chickens, but as many as 108 ingredients in beer.

Palm Oil updates- new sources, etc

http://www.foodnavigator-usa.com/Financial-Industry/Loders-Croklaan-docks-first-US-sustainable-palm-oil-shipment/?c=P%252BxdiblPOxe0R02K1qrfAg%253D%253D&utm_source=Newsletter_Subject&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Newsletter%252BSubject

http://www.bakeryandsnacks.com/Markets/Leading-palm-oil-supplier-eyes-Africa-for-expansion-plans/?c=P%252BxdiblPOxc%252BHL%252BWzosCkA%253D%253D&utm_source=Newsletter_Subject&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Newsletter%252BSubject

Sunday, March 13, 2011

Italian Police Seize Spanish Olive Oil

http://www.oliveoiltimes.com/olive-oil
http://www.oliveoiltimes.com/tag/olive-oil-fraud
Around 54,000 liters of Spanish olive oil have been seized by Italian police in the southern city of Salerno, the press agency AdnKronos reported. Police made the decision to impound the oil on Friday after learning that it was being falsely passed off as Italian.

The discovery was made during a check of a large truck that was making its way to southern Italy from the Spanish town of Valencia. During the check a document was found declaring that the olive oil had been produced in Italy’s Campania region, in which Salerno is one of the largest towns. Further investigation however, uncovered a second document that read “Extra Virgin Olive Oil – 100% Spanish”.

Wearing Shatnez Prevents Tefillos from being accepted!

Wearing Shatnez Prevents Tefillos from being accepted!
Written by: Rabbi Chaim Morgenstern

The aveira of wearing a shatnez garment prevents a person’s tefillos (prayers) from being accepted. Rav Menachem Rekanti explains that the mekatrigim (prosecuting angels) which are created from wearing a shatnez garment confound the tefillos, and the intermediary malach who brings the tefillos to Hashem refuses to do so because the wearer resembles the priests of Avoda Zora.

Friday, March 11, 2011

Qualified trained mashgichim for insect checking

The Mishnah Berurah in Pesach brings from the "Chasam Sofer" "if one doesn't have a trained individual with good eye sight-he should NOT eat vegetables that require checking"
e.g. Romain, brocolli, spinach, cauliflower, strawberries, etc

From a commentor- Anonymous said...
Some in the kashrus field are of the opinion that many if not most mashgichim & Rabonim aren't experts in insect checking. If it stares them in the eye they'll see it.

Salmon Heads are infested

Eida Chareidit Alert: Eida Chareidit Alert: Salmon Heads-5 Adar II 5771-March 11, 2011

The following Eida Chareidit alert pertaining to infestation in the heads of salmon was released on 1 Adar II 5771.

The Eida warns that the heads of salmon should not be used, even after being cleaned and checked, since they are simply too infested. This new directive has been distributed to fish stores with an Eida Chareidit hechsher.

Wednesday, March 09, 2011

Kashrus Alert: Emirils Wing sauce "OU-Dairy"

Kashrus alert:  Emirils Wing sauce is a sauce for Buffalo wings, it's
"OU-Dairy"

The falacy of kashrus's "it's on the list" (European style)

Schindlers list you can rely on, European kashrus lists you can't rely on.

The fallacy of kashrus's "it's on the list" (European style). It's on the list, means plain and simple "we don't know of anything in the product that should render it as non-kosher". On the other hand they don't know all of the required information including on going personal qualified inspections of the facilities..

Thursday, March 03, 2011

Caviar / Masago has the anisakis worms

Caviar / Masago has the anisakis worms, therefore it's not permitted to be used at all.

Costco selling Israeli peppers, must take terumas u maisrois.

Costco stores are selling Israeli peppers, must take terumas u maisrois.

McNeil should only be used w/ kosher certification."Novaris is kosher certified"

Subject: Fw: Tylenol Grape Flavor From McNeil

בסד
נא לפרסם הדברים לתועלת הרבים חברי הלכה
היות שנתפרסם לאחרונה על ידי בית דין סקוירא אודות החשש בטיילנאל גרעיפ פלעוור של הקאמפני מקניל

Tylenol Grape Flavor From McNeil