News, Info & Resources for the Cleveland Orthodox Jewish Community
From the official OU account on Twitter (https://twitter.com/OUKosher/status/958005457972494336):
The OU has begun to use a DE symbol in limited situations. Keep in mind that for a variety of reasons, maintaining DE integrity can be extremely complex.
(Vaad Hakashrus – Cleveland Kosher, KosherQuest.org)
Due to changes in manufacturing, some varieties of Ferrara Pan candies are no longer certified by the UMK. Packaging with the UMK symbol is still certified. Lemonheads, Red Hots, Atomic Fireball, and others that do not bear the UMK symbol are NOT acceptable. Please check the label before purchasing any of these products.
(cRc)
Beef and Chicken Flavor Bouillon Cubes, under the name “Spice Classics” are incorrectly labelled with an O-U, despite containing chicken and meat ingredients. These are being sold at our local Marc’s. The O-U has been notified and corrective action is being taken.
Brands: Forrelli
Products: Crème Strawberry Flavored Wafers
Company: Allied International Corp. of VA Dulles, VA
Issue: Forrelli Crème Strawberry Flavored Wafers made in Turkey bear an OU Parve. This product is not certified by the Orthodox Union and it also contains dairy ingredient. The product is sold locally in discount stores.
Two problems that consumers should continue to be vigilant about:
1) Products may contain a number of hechsherim, only one of which certifies the product for Pesach. It is not uncommon for the year-round hechsher to be one that is acceptable to a large audience but the one certifying just for Pesach to be one that not all accept (i.e. Rabbanut of a given small Israeli city, or unknown foreign hasghacha).
2) Especially in supermarket kosher isles, look for the exact same product stocked in both Kosher for Pesach and not Kosher for Pesach forms in the same “Passover” location.
The COR (Canada) provides the following common examples that were found:
(Star-K)(Ed: This is being sold in our local stores. )
Due to numerous consumer inquiries , we have tested “Chasalat Alei Katif” Romaine Lettuce from Israel and have found thrips to be present similar to regular Romaine Lettuce heads purchased in the marketplace.
Therefore, it is recommended that this product be washed and checked like any Romaine Lettuce. (instructions below)
Consumers who wish to check romaine lettuces at home are advised to follow the procedures listed below
(Please see www.checkforinsects.com for more detailed instructions and pictorial and video tutorials)
1. Wash the produce you wish to use in cold water (it is recommend to use a liquid detergent solution).
The following kashrus information is from the COR Detroit dated December 27, 2013.
“DUNCAN HINES MILK CHOCOLATE BROWNIES, which in the past contained cream and milk and stated OU-D on 19.3 oz. boxes, has been reformulated to a pareve formula and now bears a plain OU on new 18 oz. packages. Each box should be carefully checked, because some old formula product is still on store shelves.
Many PILLSBURY FROSTINGS which used to be OU-D have now changed to plain OU (pareve) status, even some with names such as Milk Chocolate, Cream Cheese and Butter Cream. Each container should be checked, because some OU-D product is still on store shelves.”