Yudel's "Rest-of-the-Story": September 2019

Tuesday, September 24, 2019

Interesting shiur on hot water tanks for shabbos / Yom Tov

https://www.hiddur.org/programs/appliance-and-boilers-on-shabbos-and-yom-tov-af580e?cid=440417

Sunday, September 22, 2019

Food for thought.

"Sell by" date, Best by, Best if used by, Best before, Use by, born on, Packed on, Guaranteed fresh, etc.confusing?

Let us break these down for a better understanding as to what is what here.

Has anyone experienced this lately? The moment we begin to realize that the pack of food we bought is about to expire. Our creative side begins to think up brand new dishes which now include a mix of foods we normally would not put together. Well, before you begin making what will most likely become something with word SURPRISE in it, you may want to learn the truth about those dates on your food.

Better than the OU?

Monday May 4, 2015 5:33 PM -

By Rabbi Yitzchok Adlerstein

In an interview in Mishpacha’s current issue, the co-owner of First Choice baby foods tells of his impetus for starting his business:

“I’m a chassidishe guy - I got married at 19. We had a baby, and when we went to the grocery store, my wife took the Beech-nut jar off the shelf - that’s all they had. I said, “Let’s try to get one with a better hechsher. You get water with a hechsher, salt with a hechsher - why not this?“

My opinion may not count. I have been known to buy water without a hechsher. But when faced with the choice of competing hechsherim, I will usually prefer the OU insignia to that of a mom-and-pop outfit.

It’s been decades since I last heard OU kashrus characterized as run by a bunch of modernish rabbis who spend most of the day mixed swimming with their wives who don’t cover their hair, and got semicha through a multiple-choice test. It wasn’t true back then, and it is certainly not true today.

Having had many friends who worked in kashrus, I’ve heard all the stories - the good, the bad, the ugly. I know that anyone who walks into the daily mincha minyan of the OU mashgichim has to be impressed by their yiras shomayim, their credentials as talmidei chachamim, and the diversity of yeshivos from which they came. I know that many kashrus decisions today require technical skills to analyze complexities of modern food technology. The new guy on the block just doesn’t have the experience and access to specialists that larger outfits like the OU has. And I would never, ever want to trust a for-profit kashrus organization (i.e. where the mashgichim or administrators gain or lose depending on whether a particular account is retained) when I could chose a hashgacha like the OU in which pecuniary gain is not a direct issue. I also appreciate the fact that the top of the halachic pyramid at the OU is occupied by two recognized authorities, not one. Add to that some items that the small guys don’t provide - the transparency about policies, access to mashgichim, and a data base of issues and answers.

Unfortunately, while no kashrus agency has a perfect record, the stories I’ve heard about some of the smaller operators leave me even more committed to the OU. These include the selection of personnel by some of the other agencies on the basis of beard length and nusach davened, rather than competence. Or, when faced with the really intractable problems, having to go elsewhere for advice and for important ingredients - usually to the OU!

Always eager to learn, I looked to the rest of the article to find out what makes some other hechsher better than that of the OU. When nothing showed up, I went to the “About” section of the company’s website. Nothing there either about wanting to offer a product with a “better” hechsher than the OU. I did learn, however, that the company’s products are under the supervision of the OU. (They are also serviced by several other agencies, all of whom charge for their overlapping services. Kashrus, it seems, has become more partisan than a congressional joint subcommittee meeting. The costs of having multiple hashgachos, of course, are passed on to the consumer. Insisting on “better” hechsherim than the OU has a price - and we, the consumers pay it.)

While I have little use for water with a hechsher, I would guess that HKBH loves the dedication of the individual consumer who insists on what he or she believes are hidurim in kashrus. I am staking a lot on a conviction that He also appreciates those with a dogged commitment to the bottom line in Shulchan Aruch that does not demand those hidurim as a matter of law, and to the approach of many sugyos in Chulin where Chazal permitted entire classes of foodstuffs - without supervion at all - because they considered any objections to be not of real halachic concern.

I don’t believe for a second, however, that it is ever appropriate to go for the hidurim at the expense of basic competence. I’ll go with the OU.

Likely, the interviewee who uttered those few ill-considered words was just having a bad day.

Must have been something he ate.

This article first appeared at CROSS CURRENTS.

{Matzav.com Newscenter}

Tuesday, September 17, 2019

Is this a choshen mishpat or Yoreh Dayah issue?

As is well known, people have their kashrus preferences in the meat and poultry they eat.

If your butcher department carries also the brands that you do not use, yet he uses the same uncleaned tables, knives, grinders, slicers, etc.

So in essence you are getting THE LOWEST COMMON DENOMINATOR!

Make sure you ascertain in advance what brands they carry and process.

A " Sefardi" would have those issues as well re: Bet Yosef.

We recently became aware that Kosher West starting using, processing AGRI, etc.

Sunday, September 15, 2019

Tarnogol chicken breed is without a Mesorah-Don't use

The Leghorn's "Hyline-breed" EGGS are what's been used in the USA for countless years. Do not chan

ge.
Rav Shmuel Wosner, Z"L said the USA broilers have a Mesorah.

Now there are the Peleg, Li'Hovin, AntiVaxers, Alternative medicine, Fish Chevra, Kashrus "wana-be's" are trying to convince the world "they discovered America" and all of these chicken and eggs are not kosher.

It's the same "money-hungry" individuals with the Braekel, Kabir now the Tarnogol Vs leghorn broiler.

Wednesday, September 11, 2019

Alert!- The Tranogol breed chicken does not have the required mesorah

ALERT! ONE MUST KASHER UTENSILS IF USED THE "TARNOGOL" BREED
Send us an email for a copy of the just published report.

Kashrusy@aol.com---Subject line- Tarnogol report
or kashrusy18@gmail.com

There are 2 breeds called "leghorn".

The old original one.

The new Leghorn (2008) does not have a mesorah.
Don't use it.

One may not use the 'Tarnogol-Breed" for Kaparos, as they may be giving it to unsuspecting "Ani'yim".

The English did not like the small body of the Leghorn and so crossed it with the Minorca to give a more robust frame – more like a dual purpose breed. Despite this the Leghorn remains a thin bird, not really suitable as table fare at all.

Thursday, September 05, 2019

Star-K says "figs can't be checked", yet .......hashgocha says "check them"

Tuesday, September 03, 2019

How much water is in some kosher (salted) poultry? more than allowed! after salting, it absorbs like a sponge.

A class action lawsuit claims that packages of Trader Joe’s branded raw poultry products

A class action lawsuit claims that packages of Trader Joe’s branded raw poultry products include too much retained water. The Trader Joe’s raw chicken class action lawsuit was filed by Christina Webb, who says she purchased Trader Joe’s chicken from multiple locations in California.

According to Webb, the amount of retained water is far greater than what’s advertised on packages of Trader Joe’s all Natural Boneless Chicken Breasts, Trader Joe’s All Natural Chicken Thighs, and Trader Joe’s All Natural Chicken Wings.

Webb says that the poultry packaging claims to contain only five percent retained water, but actually contains as much as 16 percent excess retained water.

The Trader’s Joes class action states that the amount of water exceeds what is legally allowed in the products’ net weight.

The Trader Joe’s chicken class action lawsuit says that after sampling and analyzing Trader Joe’s chicken products offered for sale in supermarkets in Northern California, it was found that Trader Joe’s raw chicken packages were routinely and consistently misbranded and “economically adulterated” as a result of the excess retained water.

The Trader Joe’s poultry class action lawsuit claims that Trader Joe’s violated several California consumer protection laws including the Consumer Legal Remedies Act, Unfair Competition Law, False Advertising Law, and Song-Beverly Act.

Allegedly, all of these incorporate the requirements of the federal Poultry Products Inspection Act by reference, or incorporate requirements identical to them.

Webb says that the Trader Joe’s branded poultry packages are in breach of express and implied warranties the way they are labeled and sold. She also says that Trader Joe’s sale of them constitutes theft by false pretenses under California law.

Trader Joe’s knew or should have known that the poultry contained too much water, the plaintiff states.

Webb says that she was financially injured by the inclusion of the excess water weight because she paid the marked, per-pound price for excess retained water, and not for chicken. Allegedly, had she known that the product contained too much water, she would not have paid as much for the chicken, or would not have purchased it at all. The Trader Joe’s class action claims that many other customers were similarly financially injured by the mislabeled poultry.

Webb seeks damages on behalf of herself and other similarly affected consumers. She also seeks an injunction compelling Trader Joe’s to cease the packaging and distribution of mislabeled chicken, re-label existing deceptively packaged poultry, and to conduct a corrective advertising campaign informing customers of the deceptive practices.

locations in California.

Weis's- Glatt Organic poultry- The rest of the story- Alert! not-reccomended for the educated kosher consumer

Weiss organic poultry (aka- Glatt Organic) was processing at an OU facility, with the OU

certification. After accumulating an outstanding unpaid "high 6 figures", Weiss Organic opted to process in a different OU facility. Weiss Organic asked the OU for certification. The OU had the parties go to a Din Torah. Weiss was ordered to pay up the high 6 figure amount. They refused. The OU took the position, Weiss Organic is a " Loi-Tzayis-Dinah", therefore also dishonest, untrustworthy to kosher certify them.

Weiss Organic, naturally went to the Star-K (BTW-Star-K was told the OU will not certify till they comply with the psak bais din). The Star-K gladly accepted to certify them in the OU certified poultry plant.

We are of the opinion that the kosher consumer should only purchase (especially meat & poultry) only from upstanding honest purveyors that comply with ruling of a Bais Din.

For a copy of the Star-K shechita "attributes" report from the Debreciner Rav, Rav Stein & others, send us an email to kashrusy@aol.com

Yudel's "Rest-of-the-Story"