Kosher Alerts

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. For updated information or questions regarding this notification, please email AKO at liquor@akokosher.org. 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

Brand: Citavo Product: 6470040 French Vanilla Artificially Flavored Ice Coffee Company: Vitality-Ontario, Canada Issue: This product is marked with a regular OU (no ’D’) although it is a dairy product. The item has been discontinued.

The following alert has been sent out on behalf of the Association of Kashrus Organizations (AKO) Whisky Alert May 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 Canadian Host Canadian Hunter Canadian LTD Canadian Supreme Colonel Lee Dr McGillicuddy’s Eagle Rare Elmer T Lee Experimental Collection Fireball Fleishmann’s 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 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.

The following products were inadvertently labeled with COR 398. These products are not under COR supervision. Nativa: Blackberry Jam Organic Blueberry Jam Organic Morello Cherry Jam Organic Raspberry Jam Organic Strawberry Jam Organic Presidents Choice: Apricot Fruit Spread Organics Blueberry Fruit Spread Organics Raspberry Fruit Spread Organics Strawberry Fruit Spread Organics Wool worths: Apricot Jam Organic Cherry & Berry Jam Organic Peach & Passion Fruit Jam Organic Strawberry Jam Organic Corrective measures have been taken.

The following products made by Crofters Food Ltd were inadvertently labeled with a COR symbol. These products are not COR certified. Crofters: Apricot Organic Premium Spread Black Currant Organic Premium Spread Blood Orange Organic Premium Spread Blueberry Preserve (Bake Stable) Cherry Prese rve (Bake Stable) Four Fruit Organic Premium Spread Lemon Ginger Flavour Preparation Organic Fruit Base For Yogurt Mango Organic Premium Spread Mango-Apricot Organic Fruit Base For Yogurt Morello Cherry Organic Kefir & Yogurt Drink Base Morello Cherry Organic Premium Spread Peach Organic Fruit Base For Yogurt Peach Organic Kefir & Yogurt Drink Base Peach Passion Organic Premium Spread Raspberry Organic Fruit Base For Yogurt Raspberry Organic Kefir & Yogurt Drink Base Raspberry Organic Premium Spread Strawberry Organic Fruit Base for Ice Cream Strawberry Organic Fruit Base For Yogurt, Strawberry Organic Kefir & Yogurt Drink Base Strawberry Organic Premium Spread Vanilla Organic Fruit Base For Yogurt Wild Blackberry Organic Premium Spread Wild Blueberry Organic Premium Spread Corrective measures have been taken.

We are pleased to advise that further to our previous instruction regarding peppers, currently peppers no longer have to go through the same process of washing and checking, which was previously required. All that has to be done with peppers is to cut off the top, wash it well and carry out a visual check to ensure that there are no worms.

This is to advise that the following 4 items were inadvertently labeled with a COR "dairy". These products are PAREVE. UPC and Item Number Brand Name Product 6 05388 86456 7 Wal-Mart Premium Canadian White Sli ced Panini Bread 6 05388 86457 4 Wal-Mart Premium Multigrain Sliced Panini Bread 6 05388 86459 8 Wal-Mart Premium Stone Ground 100% W.W. Sliced Panini Bread 6 05388 86450 4 Wal-Mart Premium Marble Rye Sliced Panini Bread Corrective measures have been taken.

The cRc has verified that the only store in Ben Gurion Airport that has properly sold his chometz as well as not selling any chometz over Pesach is the James Richardson Store at Gate D7. To the best of our knowledge, there are no issues of Chometz Sh’Avar Alav HaPesach at any establishment in the Greater Chicago area.

Brand: Value Red Product: Non-Dairy Creamer Company: Lucerne North America, LLC.-Pleasanton, CA Issue: This certified product contains dairy ingredients as listed on the ingredient panel but the dairy designation has been inadvertntly omitted. Corrective action is being taken.

UPDATE: April 8, 2010 It has come to our attention that the cRc logo on some of the cakes manufactured by Today’s Temptations during Passover were mistakenly not removed or covered. Any Today’s Temptations CAKES purchased after Passover with a sell date of April 25th or earlier should not be used, even when bearing the cRc logo. All breads bearing the cRc logo and all products (including cakes) having a sell date after April 25th may be used without hesitation. All of their products are Pas Yisroel and Pareve. We apologize for any confusion that this may have caused.

Although cRc certified during the majority of the year, certain packages of products manufactured by the following companies may have the cRc logo removed or covered during a period after Passover. Please be careful to check those products as the cRc does not certify those specific items unless the cRc is on each package. - Bulldog Bakery - Today’s Temptations - Eli’s Cheesecake

Brand: Testlab Product: Bacterial cultures (also known as Probiotics) (Including Lactobacillus acidophilus, and other cultures) Company: Brewster Food Co. - Reseda, CA Issue: A limited number of lots of these products were labeled incorrectly with a plain OU. These products are DAIRY. Future packaging will be corrected.

Please note that information regarding Metamucil Wafers was listed incorrectly in the 2010 Passover Guide to Cosmetics and Medications published by Kollel Los Angeles and in the Star-K 2010 Passover Directory. The correct information is as follows: Metamucil Wafers are chometz and should not be consumed on Pesach. Please note that all Metamucil powders are chometz free as listed in the guide. Metamucil Coarse Milled Original Texture Unflavored contains no chometz and no kitniyos as indicated in the guide.

Only those packages of Ancient Harvest and Trader Joe’s brand of whole grain quinoa that bear either the Star K or the Half Moon K are manufactured in a chometz free facility and are therefore accepted for use for those that eat quinoa on pesach. Packages of these labels bearing the OU are manufactured in a different facility and are not necessarily made in a chometz free facility and are not recommended for use on Pesach.