THIS SECTION IS FOR NEWS AND INTERESTING STORIES RELATED TO FOOD, NUTRITION AND FOOD PROCESSING. THEY ARE NOT NECESSARILY RELATED TO KOSHER BUT MAY BE OF INTEREST TO THE KOSHER CONSUMER, MANUFACTURER OR MASHGIACH.
January 1, 2026 from the Fox Business
"The U.S. is backing off proposed tariffs that threatened to deal a major blow to Italy's pasta industry, reducing duties on several leading producers.
"After an investigation into allegations that Italian pasta was being sold in the U.S. at unfairly low prices, officials found exporters had addressed many concerns, prompting a rollback of proposed tariffs on 13 companies, a U.S. Department of Commerce official told Reuters.
"Pasta maker La Molisana’s proposed tariff was cut to 2.26%, while fellow producer Garofalo’s was lowered to 13.98%, according to Reuters.
"The remaining 11 pasta makers — Agritalia, Aldino, Antiche Tradizioni di Gragnano, Barilla, Gruppo Milo, Pastificio Artigiano Cav. Giuseppe Cocco, Pastificio Chiavenna, Pastificio Liguori, Pastificio Sgambaro, Pastificio Tamma and Rummo now face a 9.09% tariff, the New York Post reported.
"The U.S. had previously proposed duties of up to 92% on Italian pasta makers, on top of a 15% tariff applied to most European Union imports, Reuters reported.
"The final rates are expected to be announced March 12, though it could be extended by up to 60 days, according to Reuters."
November 10, 2025 from the Wall Street Journal:
"Your favorite Italian-origin fusilli and macaroni are poised to disappear from U.S. supermarket shelves.
"Italy’s biggest pasta exporters say import and antidumping duties totaling 107% on their pasta brands will make doing business in America too costly and are preparing to pull out of U.S. stores as soon as January. The combined tariffs are among the steepest faced by any product targeted by the Trump administration.
"The U.S. Commerce Department has announced a 92% antidumping duty on pasta made in Italy by La Molisana and 12 other companies, which import the bulk of pasta from Italy to the U.S. That is on top of the Trump administration’s 15% tariff on imports from the European Union.
"The Commerce Department acted after a long-running probe into pricing practices for the product that goes into everything from spaghetti Bolognese to mac and cheese. The severity of the decision has stunned one of Italy’s most iconic industries and has escalated into a diplomatic dispute between Washington and Rome, which is determined to combat the tariff.
"Antidumping probes into Italian pasta makers are nothing new. The Commerce Department has been inspecting them since the mid-1990s, when it found that many importers were flooding the U.S. with pasta priced below normal market prices in a bid to undercut their U.S. competitors.
"American pasta makers have regularly filed antidumping complaints against Italian imports since then. Reviews by the Commerce Department have often found one or more Italian companies guilty of underpricing their pasta.
"But the penalties were usually small. Italian makers shrugged and saw it as part of the cost of doing business in the U.S.
"This is the first time that so many of them face potentially trade-killing tariffs.
"The latest government review was triggered, as in the past, by a complaint from U.S. companies: 8th Avenue Food & Provisions, which owns Ronzoni pasta, and Winland Foods, which is behind brands including Mueller’s and Prince.
"People with knowledge of the case also say the Commerce Department assigned new analysts to scrutinize the filings who had little understanding of Italian accounting practices, leading the agency to view the companies as noncooperative. The Trump administration didn’t respond to questions about the analysts on the case."
Ed. note: Italian pasta is yoshon.
December 30, 2025 from Matzav.com:
"Spain’s Ministry of Finance announced a ban on the import of products from hundreds of Israeli locales in Judea, Samaria, eastern Yerushalayim and the Golan, becoming the first major E.U. member state economy to implement such a measure.
"The ban was set to become effective today, the ministry said, adding this was the result of a September decree 'adopting urgent measures against genocide in Gaza and in support of the Palestinian population.'
"The decree 'prohibits in its Article 3 the importation into Spain of products originating from Israeli settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory,' according to the statement.
"To be applied, the ministry is to “approve the list of localities and postal codes corresponding to the Israeli settlements,” the text reads. With the announcement, the measure “is approved” and “will take effect the day after its publication” in the Boletín Oficial del Estado (“Official State Gazette”), the text read.
"Slovenia, one of the E.U.’s smallest economies with about 2 million citizens, announced a similar ban in August, becoming the first E.U. member to boycott Israeli products. Legislation to effect a ban is being worked on in Ireland’s parliament.
"Enfoque Judio, a reputable Spanish-Jewish news site, confirmed the authenticity of the document published. It noted in its reporting that the inclusion of the Golan Heights in the ban lies outside of the approved September decree."
"Israel exports roughly $850 million in goods to Spain annually, according to the Israel Export Institute, roughly half the volume that Israel imports from Spain. Products from Judea, Samaria and the Golan are believed to account for a small fraction of the Israeli exports to Spain."
January 1, 2026 from WHEC:
"New York State has banned foam containers used for cold storage. The law prohibits food services, manufacturers, and distributors from using polystyrene foam containers for items like cold foods and drinks.
"This comes after a long-standing public concern over the foam’s environmental impacts, such as its slow biodegradability, contributing to microplastic pollution. Foam packaging is a contributor to littering, leading to negative impacts on wildlife, waterways, waste streams, communities, and natural resources.
"For more information on the state law, visit the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation’s website, here.
December 21, 2025 from KTLA:
"New laws go into effect every year, but few have as broad an impact on California consumers as the state’s full ban on plastic grocery store bags, which takes effect Thursday.
"Shoppers are already seeing the impact – as grocery stores and pharmacies phase out single-use bags, which generally aren’t recycled and contribute significantly to global plastic pollution.
"California’s first attempt at banning single-use plastic bags in 2014 was a misfire as a loophole allowed stores to provide thicker plastic bags that were supposed to be reused.
"Now, under SB 1053, which Gov. Gavin Newsom signed into law in 2024, those thicker plastic bags will also be banned, effective Jan. 1, 2026. The law applies to grocery stores, big-box retailers with pharmacies, convenience stores, food marts and liquor stores.
"Customers are encouraged to bring their own reusable bags to stores, but only paper bags, which are recyclable, will be available. Stores that don’t comply could face stiff fines."
December 28, 2025 from Yeshiva World:
"A Russian ballistic missile struck the Ukrainian city of Uman on Friday, causing dozens of casualties in the surrounding area, though authorities reported no fatalities.
"The missile landed approximately 50 meters from the Tiferet HaMatzot bakery, where dozens of workers were present at the time of the strike. Despite the proximity of the explosion, no injuries were reported among those inside the facility.
"The blast shattered windows at the bakery and damaged its main entrance, along with technical equipment that had been stored outside. Officials described the lack of injuries as remarkable given the scale of the strike and the number of people on site.
"Tiferet HaMatzot produces roughly 70 tons of matzah each year, supplying Chabad Houses and Jewish communities throughout Ukraine and Europe. The matzah is distributed free of charge through the Federation of Jewish Communities in Ukraine and is also sold to Jewish communities in Europe and the United States."
December 23 2025 - from the Times of Israel:
"Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich on Tuesday signed an order expanding the value-added tax exemption on personal imports from $75 to $150, arguing that it is necessary to allow cheaper imports to encourage competition and lower prices.
"The move will go into effect on Wednesday. The VAT, a type of consumption tax, is set in Israel at 18 percent.
"In a statement, Smotrich said it is part of “a broad and significant series of steps” aimed at lowering the cost of living, alongside efforts to shake up the banking and dairy sectors.
"All of these steps are predicated on the proposition that 'it can be cheap here,' he said, arguing that “the Israeli economy is often dominated by a small number of strong monopolies,” giving consumers only the illusion of choice.
"The finance minister asserted that the change will 'oblige the monopolies to enter into real and fair competition for your hearts and your pockets. To be better and cheaper and more service-oriented and more competitive.'
"The move — on which government bodies were split, according to the Globes business outlet — drew outrage from some Israeli businesspeople, who took the move as a betrayal of domestic industry.
"Israel is ranked fourth in the list of developed countries with the highest comparable prices, according to an Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development report published earlier this year. Last year, the OECD reported that food and beverage prices in Israel were 52 percent higher than the average among developed countries, second only to South Korea."
December 17, 2025 from World Israel News:
"Israel is awaiting a decision from President Donald Trump on the tariff rate in hopes that the US president will consider lowering it from the hike proposed last year to 17%.
"The rate derived from US calculations tied to its bilateral trade deficit.
"While lower than the levies imposed on some countries under Trump’s broader tariff initiative, Israeli officials argue the figure is inconsistent with the strategic and economic relationship between the two allies.
"Since April, Israeli goods entering the US have been subject to shifting interim rates.
"For several months following Trump’s initial tariff announcement, Israeli exports were taxed at 10%, matching a temporary baseline applied to many countries.
"Beginning in early August, that rate rose to 15% on roughly 60% of Israeli exports, pending a final determination.
"The discussions are unfolding as the US enforces sweeping sector-based tariffs that apply universally, including to Israeli products.
"Those efforts expanded in December, when Barkat signed a new agricultural trade agreement with US Trade Representative Jamison Greer.
"Under the deal, Israel will eliminate tariffs on about 300 US food and agricultural products, with some exemptions taking effect immediately and others phased in over the next decade.
"Trump’s pending decision is expected to clarify whether those concessions — and Israel’s broader case — will translate into a lower long-term tariff rate."
December 18, 2025 - from Anash.org
"A decades-old matzah bakery in Boro Park was left devastated early Wednesday morning when a massive five-alarm fire tore through the facility that for years produced matza under the CHK and supplied matzos to thousands of Lubavitcher families. Founded in 1909 on the Lower East Side and relocated to Brooklyn in 1920, the Boro Park Seder Matzah Bakery produced more than 600,000 pounds of matzah annually.
"The fire broke out around 2 a.m. at the bakery, located on 36th Street in Kensington, quickly engulfing the building where matzah had been baked for generations. According to firefighters, the blaze began near the bakery ovens and spread rapidly after igniting stacked matzah boxes and the matzah.
"A mashgiach at the bakery told Anash.org that the fire started from the gas unit near the oven that was recently mandated by the government, which apparently blew up inside the bakery.
"The Department of Buildings has issued a full vacate order for the bakery due to “extensive fire damage, including a partially collapsed roof,” and reported that adjacent properties also sustained fire damage."
December 12, 2025 from the FDA:
Town Food Service Equipment Co., Inc. of Brooklyn, NY is recalling aluminum saucepans, because it has the potential to be contaminated with lead (Pb) which may leach into food.
The saucepans being recalled were distributed in AL, AR, AZ, CA, CO, FL, GA, IL, KY, LA, MA, MD, ME, MI, MN, MO, MS, NC, NJ, NM, NV, NY, OH, OK, PA, RI, SC, SD, TN, TX, UT, VT, WA, WV, Puerto Rico and Quebec City, Canada through its network of authorized food service equipment dealers, which include retailers, between January 1, 2023 and November 30, 2025.
The 4 sizes of aluminum saucepans being recalled have capacities ranging from 1 quart to 3 quarts, have indented graduations on the interior, and a plated steel handle riveted to the body. The pans, boxes, or bags the pans are packed in may be marked with one of the following item or SKU numbers.
| Item no. | Description | SKU |
|---|---|---|
| 35400 | Town brand 1 Quart Aluminum Saucepan | 843784003566 |
| 35401 | Town brand 1-1/2 Quart Aluminum Saucepan | 843784003566 |
| 35402 | Town brand 2 Quart Aluminum Saucepan | 843784003573 |
| 35403 | Town brand 3 Quart Aluminum Saucepan | 843784003580 |
Consumers who have purchased and are in possession of any of the items are urged to return them to the place of purchase for a full refund. Consumers with questions may contact Town Food at 718-388-5650 Mon-Fri 9AM-5PM EST, or email our recall coordinators at recall@townfood.com. Updates on the recall will be posted on our recall webpage: https://townfood.com/recall-alum/
December 11, 2025 from the CPSC in conjunction with Government of Canada:
Vevor Ice Crushers have been recalled because the ice crusher can experience a thermal event and ignite, posing a fire hazard.
Consumer Contact: Sanven Technology toll-free at 855-599-6320 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. PT Monday through Friday, email at recalling@vevor.com, or online at https://www.vevor.com/pages/vevor-ice-shaver-recall or at www.vevor.com and click on “Product Recall” for more information.
Description: This recall involves Vevor’s ice crushing machines designed for consumer use. The ice crusher has a handle that consumers press down to feed ice into a shoot; the handle activates a cutter within the feed shoot. The products were advertised as Ice Shavers, Ice Crushers, and Snow Cone Makers. The ice crushing machines were all sold under model number BY-300 and BY-300 FS and came in yellow, red, silver and blue. “Vevor” and the model number are printed on a label on the top of the product.
Remedy: Consumers should immediately stop using the recalled ice crusher and contact Sanven for a full refund. Consumers should email a photograph of the ice crusher with the unplugged power cord cut in half to recalling@vevor.com.
Sold Online At: Vevor.com, Amazon.com, Walmart.com, Wayfair.com, HomeDepot.com and Lowes.com from July 2021 through July 2025 for between $40 and $86
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