Public
Notice
Regarding Bodek and B'gan Frozen Strawberries
It has been noted that both Bodek and
B'gan—two separate companies—market frozen strawberries produced in Peru. Under
existing arrangements, the primary certifying authorities including Rabbi
Shmuel Teitelbaum, Minchas Chinuch Hashgocha and the OU rely entirely on the insect-free
certification of Rabbi Aharon Teitelbaum (the Nirbater Rav), who oversees the
initial production for B’Gan etc. in Peru. Consequently, no independent,
secondary reinspection of these products is conducted before they are marketed.
Recently, independent kashrus individuals
not affiliated with Bodek or B’gan have reportedly discovered insect
infestations in these imported frozen strawberries from Peru. These findings have called into serious question the reliability
of the current certifications, particularly because the specific authorities
being relied upon are widely known not to be specialized experts in insect
infestation or entomological kashrus inspection protocols. This
raises severe concerns within the community regarding whether the oversight is
sufficient to guarantee that the strawberries are entirely insect-free.
The
Halachic Context
From a halachic standpoint,
strawberries are widely recognized as much’zak be’tolaim (substantiated
and presumed to be infested). Due to the nature of their textured surface, many
halachic authorities maintain that it is virtually impossible to ensure they
are insect-free through standard commercial washing alone.
As a result, a growing consensus of
halachic experts advises that consumers should not rely on pre-washed frozen
strawberries—even those bearing multiple prominent certifications. Instead,
strawberries should only be used if they are completely peeled, as this is the
only definitive way to ensure they are free of insects.
Current
Actions and Lack of Public Alerts
Reports indicate that the certifying
Rabbonim have quietly directed companies to remove affected stocks from retail
store shelves. However, no public alerts have been issued to warn families who
may already have these products stored in their home freezers, or who may have
already used them in prepared foods.
The Problem with Undated Notices
Notably, both the B'gan and Bodek
consumer notices are undated. An undated notice is a significant irregularity
in any consumer-protection context:
- No Traceability: It cannot be tied to specific production
lots, shipment dates, or timeframes.
- Lack of Accountability: It allows the notice to be quietly
circulated—or quietly withdrawn—without creating a fixed public record of
when the problem was acknowledged.
- Consumer Ambiguity: Neither notice identifies lot codes,
production dates, or a date range of affected product, leaving consumers
with no way to determine whether strawberries already in their freezers
are NOT included.
The absence of dates and lot
identification points to a broader systemic concern: that a system relying on a
single initial inspection—conducted by an authority lacking specialized
infestation expertise, with no independent secondary reinspection—cannot reliably
distinguish clean lots from infested ones. If the certifiers were confident in
identifying which specific lots were affected, standard practice would be to
disclose them. The decision to instead pull all Peruvian-sourced
product, without dates or lot numbers, speaks for itself, THE CURRENT SYSTEM
DOES NOT WORK!
Conclusion
The lack of a transparent public
statement or formal clarification from the certifying Rabbonim in the wake of
these independent findings has created significant ambiguity for kosher
consumers. This prolonged silence leaves the current safety and halachic status
of these batches open to serious question, heightening the urgency for
consumers to discard these items or consult their own competent halachic
authorities before using them.
