K A S H R U T . C O M_©

Canadian Health Alert: Now Kids Vitamin D-3: Out of Specification

December 8, 2022 from the CFIA:

Now Kids' Vitamin D-3: The Active Ingredient (Cholecalciferol) exceeds Health Canada upper limits of 1000 IU (25 mcg) per day by 322.5 IU daily (total 1322.5 IU/10 drops).

Brand	Product Name	Market Authorization	Dosage Form	Strength	Lot number
Now Foods	Now Kids' Vitamin D-3	NPN 80009269	Liquid	Vitamin D3 2.5 mcg (100 IU)	3238260

December 7, 2022 from the OU in response to a question from the editor:

The Trader Joe's hot chocolate sticks are labeled OUD, but in fact, its true status, at the present time, is DE (Dairy Equipment).

What does DE mean? A DE product does not contain actual dairy ingredients, but it is manufactured with heat on dairy equipment. DE items may be eaten after meat, but not with meat at the same time.

Many products qualify to be DE but are labeled OUD because OUD is a less confusing symbol for the kosher consumer. Also, to be a true DE product, the equipment must be properly cleaned of residue after dairy production, and that level of cleanliness is sometimes difficult to maintain and guarantee.

Please note that it is possible that the manufacturer will reformulate this product and add a true dairy ingredient. You will not be able to know this, since the OUD kosher symbol will remain the same. We recommend that you contact our office every few months to reconfirm the DE status of this product.

Decembember 6, 2022 from the editor:

Now is the time that Israeli citrus fruits that a product of the shmitta year are appearing in stores. Pictured are Sweeties at Costco.

• December 2, 2022 from the COR Detroit:

  BELL PEPPERS FROM ISRAEL (red, yellow and orange) are now being sold in local stores, including Kroger and Trader Joe's, and at this time are forbidden to be eaten due to the Shemitah restriction of "sefichin". (They do not have kedushas shevi’is, and may be disposed of.)
  Carefully check the fine print on the package, or the sticker on peppers sold loose, for the country of origin. Often the same brand has some peppers from Israel and some from other locations, so each individual package or pepper should be checked.

  November 23, 2022 from the cRc Twitter:

  For produce coming from Israel, please be aware that there are issues regarding the halachos of shemittah, terumah, and ma’aser. This includes bell peppers, which you may notice at Jewel in Evanston. Remember to always check labels for country of origin.

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• Chives from Israel at Trader Joes
  From the London Beth Din "avoid till the middle of Jan 2023".

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• Schmitta oranges and grapefruit in the stores this year are shmitta

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• List of Shmitta dates for various produce items from Institute under the leadership of Dr. Moshe Zaks. Rav Shaul Reichenberg.

Information on Terumos, Maasros and Shmitta can be found at https://www.kashrut.com/consumer/vegetables

• December 2, 2022 from the Queens Vaad:

  Versailles Palace, located at 63-34 Austin Street, Rego Park, is no longer under the supervision of the Vaad Harabonim of Queens

December 3, 2022 from the FDA.

Exportadora Copramar is recalling 1260 cases of James Farm frozen raspberries due to the potential of the product being contaminated with Hepatitis A.

U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) testing indicated the presence of Hepatitis A in James Farm branded frozen raspberries identified by UPC Code: 76069501010 and Lot Code - 22-165.

The recalled frozen raspberries are packaged in foodservice 10 lb James Farm branded cartons. The product is exclusively sold through Restaurant Depot/Jetro locations in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia and Delaware.

All inventories of the effected lot have been removed from Restaurant Depot/Jetro locations. Restaurant Depot/Jetro locations are also directly contacting their customers regarding this recall. There have been no illnesses or adverse reaction reports to date related to this product.

This Notice affects the following product:

• 1260 cases of James Farms Frozen Raspberries : 2/5 lb. bags per 10 lb carton
• "Best if used by " date of June 14th, 2024 .
• "Product of Chile."UPC Code: 76069501010, Lot Code - CO 22-165
• UPC code is found on the top of the carton with the lot code on the bottom of the carton.

No other retail packages of frozen raspberry products are included in this voluntary recall. Consumers who have purchased the above products should not consume them and should either discard them or return them to point of sale / place of purchase for a full refund.

Company Contact Information: Exportadora Compramar, 302-401-6474 ext 223, Monday through Friday between 9am and 6pm Eastern Standard Time.