Kosher Alerts

The following alert has been sent out by the Blue Ribbon K: Pure Market Express raw food products are no longer under Blue Ribbon Kosher Supervision. Pure Market Express, (500 Chestnut St., Chaska, MN 55318) products are not to be considered kosher even when bearing the Blue Ribbon Kosher symbol. The company ships fresh and fresh frozen raw foods nationally, some of which may still display a Blue Ribbon Kosher on their product labels. They were certified kosher for a short time at the beginning of the 2010, but their certification has been removed. With the short shelf life of their products, there should not be any of the originally certified products remaining. Anyone spotting this product with a Blue Ribbon Kosher claim is urged to contact Blue Ribbon Kosher at 952-925-3651. Cascadian Farms brand sherbet Cascadian Farms Organic Sherbet, all 4 flavors: Harvest Berry, Orange, Rainbow, and Wild Strawberry, under Blue Ribbon Kosher Supervision and bearing the Blue Ribbon Kosher symbol, contains dairy ingredients as listed on the ingredient panel but the “D Stam” designation has been inadvertently omitted. The product is being withdrawn from the marketplace. Anyone spotting this product with a Blue Ribbon Kosher claim is urged to contact Blue Ribbon Kosher at 952-925-3651

Please be advised that the 24 pack – 20oz plastic bottles of SNAPPLE made by Snapple Beverage Corporation has been incorrectly labeled OK pareve. Each 24 pack contains 3 flavors; Mango Madness and Kiwi Strawberry are kosher, OK certified and have the OK symbol on the label. FRUIT PUNCH is NOT certified and NOT KOSHER. Labels are being corrected. The product may be returned to the store for a refund. Any questions or comments regarding this alert should be sent directly to the OK at http://www.ok.org/

Brand: Santorini Product: Stuffed Vine Leaves Company: Boboris Foods Issue: Some cans of Santorini Stuffed Vine Leaves bear an unauthorized OU symbol. Santorinin Stuffed Vine Leaves are not certified by the OU, and the company is removing the OU from this product. If you see this product with an OU, please call the OU at 212-613-8344.

AT: Le Jardin Conference & Event Centre 8440 Hwy 27 Woodbridge, On L4L 1A5 Is Now Under Badatz Toronto Supervision

Please note: Pasta Quistini products are kosher certified only when bearing special COR hologram stickers, which indicate a specific kosher supervised production. Any Pasta Quistini product which bears a pre-printed COR symbol is not certified kosher. Kindly contact our office at 416.635.9550 if you should find any unauthorized Pasta Quistini product bearing a pre-printed COR symbol on the packaging.

Brand: Original Product: Kashkaval Sheep’s Cheese Company: Corfu Foods Inc., Bensenville, IL Issue: This product is NOT certified by the OU, and bears an unauthorized OU-D. The product is being withdrawn from the market. Consumers spotting this product are requested to contact the Orthodox Union at 212-613-8241

Brand: New Harvest Naturals Product: Gluten Free Pound Cakes Company: Abe’s Place Gourmet Delicacies - Allentown, PA Issue: Products previously certified by the OU are no longer certified by the OU. Products in packages that bear the OU certification symbol were produced under supervision and may be used.

The following revised whiskey alert and answers to some of your frequently asked questions has been sent out on behalf of AKO Revised Whisky Alert May 17, 2010 The AKO Executive Committee has reason to believe that there are large liquor companies in the United States which may be owned in whole or part by Jews. We are concerned that such companies may not have arranged for the sale of their chametz (mechiras chametz) during Pesach. These companies primarily manufacture bourbon, cordials, and American whiskey, and also deal in a small amount of Scotch and vodka. Chametz-containing liquors owned, produced and/or aged by Jewish-owned companies over Pesach are forbidden as chametz she’avar alav haPesach. Since many liquor products are aged for many years before they are sold to the public, it cannot be assumed that these beverages are acceptable for kosher use even if they are purchased a long time before or after Pesach. Accordingly, we recommend that Kashrus Agencies and consumers change their policies and only consume those alcoholic beverages which [are free of standard kosher concerns and] are known to (a) be produced by a non-Jewish company or a Jewish-owned company which arranged for the sale of their chametz, (b) not contain any chametz, including not having chametz secondary grains or malted barley (bourbon and cordials are examples of items that may have these forbidden items), and/or (c) were not aged over Pesach (e.g. vodka). The following are some brands which we believe to be subject to the above concern: 1792 Ridgemont 51 Ice 99 Schnapps A. Smith Bowman Absinthe Ancient Age Antique Collection Barton Blantons Bowman Buffalo Trace California Deluxe Canadian Host Canadian Hunter Canadian LTD Canadian Supreme Colonel Lee Dr McGillicuddy’s Eagle Rare Elmer T Lee Experimental Collection Fireball Fleishmann’s George T. Stagg Hancock’s Presidents Reserve Herbsaint Highland Mist House of Stuart Imperial Inver House James Foxe Kentucky Gentleman Kentucky Tavern Lauder’s McAfee’s Benchmark Mix 51 Mr. Boston Northern Light Old Charter Old Thompson Old Van Winkle Pappy Van Winkle Peychaud’s Regan’s Rich & Rare Rock Hill Farms Royal Canadian Sazerac Rye Ten High Terra Brazilis Thomas H. Handy Tom Moore Tyrconnell Van Winkle Very Old Barton Virginia Gentleman W L Weller Consumers who already own one of these liquors are encouraged to ask their personal Rabbi whether returning the bottles to the store is considered to be having hana’ah (benefit) from chametz she’avar alav haPesach. Lastly, we note that this notification does not cover the serious question of the status of whisky (or other chametz) owned on Pesach by a Jewish distributor who does or does not arrange for the sale of his chametz; consumers are once again encouraged to discuss this question with their personal Rabbi. Whisky Alert Questions and Answers May 17, 2010 On May 6th AKO released an alert regarding whisky which has led to a considerable number of questions from consumers. This document will address the most common of those questions. 1. The alert was on AKO stationery and quoted the “AKO Executive Committee”. Pardon my ignorance, but who are these people? AKO has been the umbrella group for national and community hashgachos in North America and beyond for the past 25 years. It currently has approximately 80 members and the Executive Committee is comprised of the administrators of the larger of those hashgachos including (alphabetically) cRc (Chicago), CRC/Hisachdus (Brooklyn), COR, Heart-K, Kof-K, MK, OK, OU, and Star-K. 2. I checked your list and think that it is missing some brands owned by the same companies, or you list brands that I think are owned by others. Are you sure your information is accurate? We spent much time doing our due diligence in investigating the multiple layers of the companies involved, but of course it is always possible that we missed a few. If you have a specific example, please bring it to our attention and we’ll do our best to check into it. Please note that our list does not include items which are merely distributed by the companies in question nor does it include any items (e.g. brandy, liqueurs) which we have always recommended as requiring a hashgachah. 3. The alert lists many brands. Is everything produced by these companies not recommended? Not at all. As noted in the alert, some products are produced from 100% non-chametz or are not aged, and do not pose a concern of chametz she’avar alav haPesach. It is worth noting that although Bourbon must legally contain at least 50% corn-based alcohol, it commonly contains chametz as (a) a secondary grain-source which may be 20-40% of the product, (b) malted barley used to breakdown the starches into fermentable sugar, and/or (c) backset from chametz fermentations. The simple understanding is that the presence of any of these forms of chametz would be enough to render the Bourbon chametz she’avar alav haPesach (see Mishnah Berurah 442:27 & 447:105), but people with specific questions are encouraged to consult with their local Rabbi for direction. 4. The alert states a number of facts such as that a Jew owns these companies and never performed mechiras chometz, however the language implies there was a safek (halachic doubt)? The somewhat ambiguous language came from the legal department but the AKO Executive Committee and at least 8 Poskim associated with national hashgachos had numerous discussions before releasing this alert, and were convinced that there is no safek. 5. Are there not numerous halachic reasons to permit whisky owned by a Jewish company over Pesach? The aforementioned group of Administrators and Poskim considered many possible reasons to be lenient including the owner’s possible mumar status,that whisky is produced via distillation (zei’ah), and a possible corporate structure of ownership. This group unanimously decided to publicize the alert, as none of the aforementioned reasons justified allowing a Jew to purchase these alcoholic beverages. 6. What if I already own a bottle of one of the listed liquors? Do I have to throw it out like other chametz she’avar alav haPesach? Although all of the aforementioned Poskim recommended that a Jew not purchase these beverages in the future, some of them were willing to consider reasons to be lenient in specific situations for people who own considerable amounts of the affected whisky and/or would like to return unopened bottles to the store where they bought it. People with these types of questions are encouraged to consult with their local Rabbi who will direct them. [AKO is considering preparing some halachic literature for Rabbis to assist them in dealing with the complexities of the aforementioned shailos.] However, it may be helpful for consumers to know that we believe that these companies were not always Jewish owned. Accordingly: • Any products listed on the original alert which were purchased by a consumer before Pesach 1992/5752 (and then sold via a personal mechiras chametz for the subsequent Pesach holidays), are recommended. • Any products listed on the following list which were purchased by a consumer before Pesach 2009/5769 (and then sold via a personal mechiras chametz for the subsequent Pesach holidays), are recommended: 1792 Ridgemont 99 Schnapps Barton Canadian Host Canadian LTD Canadian Supreme Colonel Lee Fleischmann’s HighlandMist House of Stuart Imperial Inver House KentuckyGentleman KentuckyTavern Lauder’s Mr. Boston Northern Light Old Thompson Ten High Tom Moore Very Old Barton