K A S H R U T . C O M_©

Asher's Chocolates/Lewistown, Inc. Issues Voluntary Recall of Candy Products Because of Possible Health Risk

The recalled items can be identified by the production code printed on the side of the label. No other production codes are affected by this recall.

No illnesses have been reported to date in connection with this problem. No products manufactured by C.A. Asher Inc./Asher’s Chocolate Co. of Souderton PA are involved in this recall.

The recalled candy products were distributed nationwide in retail stores.

The potential for contamination was noted after a single sample from routine testing by the company revealed the presence of Salmonella in a group of products. “The safety and wellbeing of our customers is our primary concern, and we are taking this incident very seriously. In our 124 years of business, we have never previously detected Salmonella in our testing. We are working and cooperating fully with the U. S. Food & Drug Administration on this voluntary recall,” said Jeff Asher, President and CEO. “We apologize to our retail customers and consumers and sincerely regret any inconvenience.”

Consumers who may have purchased any product are urged not to consume it. Consumers should contact Customer Service to arrange for return of product and a refund. Customer Service can be contacted by email at customerservice@lewistownashers.com or by calling 888-288-3880 between 9AM and 5PM Eastern Time, Monday - Friday.

Rabbi Herman CHODOSH BULLETIN-2 Sept 16

THE NEW PROBLEM WITH FLOUR

A few weeks ago a very large amount of Gold Medal flour was recalled because of salmonella contamination. As a result, the normal supply chain of wheat to mills has been upset, as mills are trying to get wheat to make up the shortfall. For the Yoshon consumer, this means that the rules that have helped us for the past many years may not be relied on, at least temporarily. This affects national brands such as Gold Medal flour from KC and Heckers and Ceresota flours. It may also affect some of the Jewish brands. Therefore, until further notice, any flour purchased in groceries for home baking can NOT be assumed to be Yoshon unless (1) they have a Yoshon label under hashgocho or (2) have a dating code to indicate that they were packed before Jul 29 ’16. Some sample codes are given below.

WARNING ABOUT BARLEY: The O-U has warned that significant amount of worm contamination has been found recently in pearled barley. We have been warning in the Guide for years that barley must be checked for worms before use, all year around. PLEASE NOTE that this is not a Yoshon-related problem, since the worms have been reported even before the Chodosh season has started and no barley has yet been stored for Yoshon use.

NOTE TO MASHGICHIM: The revised Chodosh packing date for the Bay State flour mill in Clifton, NJ is Aug 22, not Aug 28.

SELECTED DATING CODES FOR ALL PURPOSE FLOUR

• Gold Medal (all mills) Feb 7 ’18.
• Heckers and Ceresota Jan 29 ‘18
• Pillsbury Jan 29 ‘18
• Shoprite July 29 ‘17
• Stop and Shop Jul 29 ‘18

For other brands and other types of flour, modify the code in last year’s Guide as detailed below, or call the Hot Line.

Star-K Yoshon Quick Reference Guide 2016 as of September 1, 2016.

Voluntary Recall of Cartons of Entenmann’s Little Bites Fudge Brownies 5 Pack (Best By Date Oct 8, 2016), Chocolate Chip Muffins 5 Pack and 10 Pack (Best By Date Oct 8, 2016) and Variety 20 Pack – Fudge Brownies, Chocolate Chip Muffins and Blueberry Muffins (Best By Date Sep 24, 2016) due to Choking and/or Cutting Hazard from Presence of Small Pieces of Plastic

The product was distributed to retail stores in the last two weeks.

The company announced the recall after receiving consumer reports of plastic in product. One injury was reported. FDA has been notified on this voluntary recall.

All recalled products are being removed from store shelves. No other Entenmann’s products are affected.

Consumers who have purchased the recalled product should dispose of it or they can return the product to its place of purchase for a full refund. Consumers with questions may contact the company at 1-800-984-0989 at any time 24 hours a day.