5 Towns update: All approved by Rav Forst and his 50+ co-horts.

 Thank you for informing the public. 

I would like to tell you some of the other things that happened recently. 

#1 a Milchig/Dairy place called sunflower caffe. That restaurant was under rabbi Forsts special mehudar list. They were caught not checking their vegetables immediately after פסח by the official vegetable checker of the vaad who goes from store to store. 

He noticed a large delivery of vegetables before יום טוב and asked to have them Checked. The owner told him that he should wait until after יום טוב. That same vegetable checker did not return to that store immediately after יום טוב and when he did he realized that they used the non checked produce. They then realized that the restaurant constantly did this to have the checker come and check some of the vegetables but most was used without checking. 

Needless to say the restaurant did not lose their certification and still operates under the Vaad even though they were caught cheating. "This standard procedure", Rav Forst  condones those things. The only change the Vaad implemented was to force the restaurant to have a משגיח תמידי as until then they relied on the unreliable owner. 

Which brings me to #2 many if not most establishments under the Vaad work either without anyone but a שומר שבת owner or a שומר שבת manager who does not enter the kitchen other than to turn the fires on, but is unaware when it went off, that they must re-light it. 

Some restaurants have a teenage boy (Mashgiach) working at the cashier alone. The Vaad calls this as an approved שומר שבת employee. Even large caterers just have a שומר שבת manager. All approved by Rav Forst and his 50+ co-horts.

In one case I asked one of the רבנים from the Vaad regarding the caterer in the SANDS establishment, if they have a משגיח תמידי and was told that the owner has been learning דף יומי for almost two full cycles. When I pressed him he admitted that they don’t have a Mashgiach, but the owner’s nephew is there for most of the time. Not as a משגיח rather just managing. All approved by Rav Forst and his 50+ co-horts.

And in places where they rely on an owner or manager they allow יוצא ונכנס but the Vaad has no way to verify how often and the duration of the יוצא. You may remember that the small place MUSCAT that left the Vaad to be certified by the Mehadren of 5 Towns, and they became aware that the Vaad worked with the owner leaving daily for over 6 hours and was doing so without any knowledge of the Vaad as they never told him how long he could leave and they never checked up on him. All approved by Rav Forst and his 50+ co-horts.

Before Mehadrin Hashgocha took him on they went a few times at different hours only to find the גוים working alone in a locked place. Therefore, they only took him when he agreed to hire a משגיח תמידי. 

#3 after סוכות this past year Mehadrin Hashgocha was called by one of the part owners of the kosher local Dunkin doughnuts. He asked if  Mehadrin kashrus would agree to give them certification. When Mehadrin  asked him why he would want their Hashgocha, he said that the Vaad stopped allowing the sale of kosher facon. I asked him why, they told said what happened?

The 3 local kosher Dunkin doughnuts are supplied with the supplier who delivers to all of the Dunkin doughnuts in the area which are not kosher. Bacon is sold in regular Dunkin doughnuts and many times bacon was found in the kosher stores by error of the worker. 

The 2 kosher Dunkin doughnuts in the 5 towns and 1 in Long Beach have no Jewish workers and are open 24/7/365) After bacon was found numerous times, they didn’t say how many times. And those are the times when a משגיח actually came in and found the bacon it may have happened many times without notice) the Vaad told them that if they find bacon instead of facon 3 times in 6 months they will stop allowing the sale of facon. 

These are just a few stories of the Vaads' recent running’s. with the 53 Rabbis.

I understand that mistakes happen, what is bewildering is the manner in which they are dealt with, either because they are indifferent or because of too many opinion makers קדירה דבי שותפאי.      

In order to verify any or all of the above, talk to the Vaad or Rav Forst or any of the 53 Rabbis. 

I guess they could start doing the KCL Hashgocha in  Lakewood-WELCOME

BTW- Lakewood's KCL still allows "FACON", so when Mashiach comes you'll  be used to the taste already.