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.
April 13, 2026 from the FDA
The U.S. Food & Drug Administration is releasing data from a sampling assignment carried out in 2025 to test domestic and imported honey for economically motivated adulteration, a term used by the FDA for food fraud. Food fraud occurs, for example, when a valuable ingredient or part of a food is intentionally left out, taken out, or is substituted or when a substance is added to a food to make it appear better or of greater value.
The FDA samples various foods to safeguard the integrity of the food supply and protect consumers against food fraud. This sampling was designed to identify products that contained undeclared added sweeteners that are less expensive than honey, such as syrups from sugarcane and corn. The FDA tested honey samples using a stable carbon isotope ratio analysis method, which measures carbon isotopes in both the overall honey and its protein content. If a sample's carbon isotope levels didn't match what is expected from real honey, FDA experts reviewed the results more closely. They considered factors such as natural variations of honey composition and the test's margin of error to determine if the honey was adulterated. This assignment follows previous honey assignments in 2021-22 and 2022-23 in an effort to continue monitoring industry compliance.
As part of the assignment, conducted in 2025, the agency tested 102 honey samples, including 54 domestic samples and 48 import samples. Of the 102 samples tested, the violation rate was about 4% for both domestic products (2 out of 54) and imported products (2 out of 48). In the 2022-2023 assignment, the agency collected and tested 107 imported honey samples and found 3% of those samples to be violative. In 2021-2022, the agency collected and tested 144 imported honey samples and found 10% of those samples to be violative. For imported violative samples, the FDA stopped the products and future shipments of these products from entering the U.S. by placing the firms and products on import alerts. For domestic violative samples, FDA is working with firms on recalls and other corrective actions.
Even though the majority of honey products tested were in compliance, these findings highlight the ongoing vulnerability of honey to food fraud and reinforce the importance of the FDA's continued sampling efforts to ensure the integrity of the food supply and protect consumer interests. Moving forward, the FDA will maintain its surveillance of honey for food fraud through the agency's risk-based sampling programs and take appropriate follow up actions if violative products are detected.
April 15, 2026 from the Food Processing
"Israeli food biotech company Celleste Bio has unveiled what it’s calling the world’s first milk chocolate bars made with real cocoa butter using cell suspension culture technology, according to a release.
"Mondelēz International, which invested in the company in December 2024, produced about a dozen of the milk chocolate bars using the cell-cultured cocoa butter and found that they met its integrity and consumption standards for its products. Celleste is “on track to produce one ton of cocoa butter annually in a 1,000-liter bioreactor from a single bean,” explained Hanne Volpin, chief technical and scientific officer.
"Celleste was founded in 2022 and announced this product in October 2025 as the first chocolate-grade cocoa butter made using plant cell culture technology. This latest milestone, making chocolate bars with the product using real-world production standards, demonstrates that Celleste’s cell-cultured cocoa butter functions identically to traditional cocoa butter, delivering the same texture, melt profile and sensory experience, the announcement noted.
"Further, the company said, this sets the stage for production scale-up to reach market-ready quantities of the cocoa butter product within the next two years. Celleste also is leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) computational modeling to customize melting points and taste experiences of its cocoa butter to meet specific customer demands." .
April 16, 2026 from the CPSC in conjunction with Government of Canada:
Fisher & Paykel Gas Ranges have been recalled because the ovens in the ranges can experience a delayed ignition, causing gas to accumulate and the oven door to open from combustion, posing a burn hazard to users.
Consumer Contact? Fisher & Paykel toll-free at 866-936-7327 from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. ET Monday through Friday, email at techphotos@fisherpaykel.com, with the title “Ignitor Inspection” or online at https://support.fisherpaykel.com/s/product-recall/professional-ranges or fisherpaykel.com and click on “Support” and then “Product Recall” for more information.
Description: This recall involves Fisher & Paykel 30, 36 and 48-inch stainless steel, free-standing or self-contained gas ranges (RGV3 models). The gas ranges come in natural gas or liquified petroleum gas. The recalled models have a serial number starting with EEV, ERV, EAV, EYV, EUV, ELV or RFV. The model and serial numbers are printed on the rating plate located on either the back of the product or behind the front kick strip. The recalled gas ranges include:
A full list of recalled products is hereC
Remedy: Consumers should stop using the ovens in the recalled gas ranges immediately and contact Fisher & Paykel for a free inspection and repair. Fisher & Paykel will provide professional in-home repair of the oven’s ignitor. Consumers can continue to use the cooktop burners on the range.
Sold At: Factory Builder Stores, Albert Lee Inc and other appliance retail stores nationwide from June 2025 through March 2026 for between $6,200 and $14,000.
April 16, 2026 from the CPSC :
Arch Studio Tea Kettle has been recalled because the tea kettles’ handle can detach during use when heated, posing a risk of serious injury from burn hazard.
Consumer Contact Macy’s toll-free at 888-256-1541 from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. ET Monday through Friday, email at teakettle@realtimeresults.net or on-line at https://www.recallrtr.com/teakettle or macys.com and click on “Product Recalls” at the bottom of the page for more information.
Description: This recall involves the Arch Studio-branded tea kettles. The stainless-steel kettles have a black handle and measure about 10.7 inches long, 7.59 inches wide and 8.62 inches high; and have a 1.9-quart capacity. The brand name and “HJ10525” are etched on the underside of the kettles.
Remedy: Consumers should stop using the recalled tea kettles immediately and contact Macy’s for a full refund in the form of a check for the purchase price. Consumers will be asked to complete a recall form at https://www.recallrtr.com/teakettle for a prepaid shipping label to return the product. No purchase receipt will be required.
Sold At: Macy's stores nationwide and online at macys.com from August 2025 through February 2026 for about $50.
April 9, 2026 from the CPSC :
Steam Shot OmniReach and Steam Shot Omni Steam Cleaners with attachments has been recalled because the recalled steam cleaners’ attachments can unexpectedly detach from the steam cleaners and expel hot water or steam onto users during use, posing a serious burn hazard.
Consumer Contact: Contact BISSELL toll-free at 855-417-7001 from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. ET Monday through Saturday, email RecallNA@bissell.com or online at www.steamshot2026.com or www.BISSELL.com and click on “Product Recalls” for more information.
April 9, 2026 from the CPSC :
NBIIUYIGE children’s portable hook-on chairs have been recalled because the portable hook-on chairs violate the mandatory safety standard for portable hook-on chairs because the crotch restraint can be removed, posing a risk of serious injury or death from a fall.
Consumer Action: CPSC urges consumers to stop using the portable hook-on chairs immediately and dispose of them. Do not sell or give away these hazardous products.
NBIIUYIGE portable hook-on chairs are used to seat young children at the table. The chairs have a black or gray metal frame covered with black or gray polyester and cotton material. There are two metal arms that anchor to a dining table and the child is suspended from the table. “Portable Hook-On Chair” and “Model: WHYG-01” can be found on a label stitched to the bottom of the seat.
March 30, 2026 from Reuters:
"Sysco said on Monday it would buy catering supplier Jetro Restaurant Depot in a $29 billion deal expanding the top U.S. food distributor's reach among price-conscious independent restaurants.
"Family-owned Jetro Restaurant Depot operates a wholesale cash-and-carry model, where customers pay upfront for goods such as food, beverages and takeaway containers, complementing Sysco's delivery network serving restaurants, hospitals and hotels.
"The two companies have been engaged in conversations for years, Hourican said, and the question of succession was part of the reason why the Kirsh family behind Restaurant Depot decided to sell now. The founder, Nathan, is in his 90s and his children don't run the business. They decided that Sysco is the best home for their family's business to help take it to the next generation and beyond, Hourican said."
March 25, 2026 from VinNews:
"Deb El Food Products, a family-owned company founded by Elliot P. Gibber, donated 2.1 million eggs to a large Jewish Passover food distribution organized by the Met Council, as part of what organizers described as the group’s largest holiday effort to date.
"he donation was made through the Gibber family’s company, which is based in Elizabeth, New Jersey, and produces liquid, frozen and dried egg products. Officials said the eggs were distributed as part of the 'Great American Egg Drive,' a nationwide initiative in partnership with the American Egg Board to move food from farms to food banks and relief organizations."
March 25, 2026 from JNS:
"Manischewitz is reviewing its packaging as some have warned on social media that the brand’s packaging doesn’t adequately differentiate between products that are and are not kosher for Passover and that grocery stores often shelve them together.
"'We’re aware of the conversation and appreciate the community bringing this to our attention, especially at a time as important and detail-oriented as Passover,' Mirit Shalvi, senior vice president of marketing and strategic partnerships at Manischewitz, told JNS.
“At Manischewitz, we take our role in helping families prepare for the holiday very seriously. We understand that kashrut during this time is deeply meaningful,” she added. “That said, we also recognize that in a busy retail environment, particularly during the high-volume Passover season, similar packaging across product lines can sometimes create confusion.”
"Shais Taub, a Chassidic rabbi and author, shared a photo of similar-looking boxes on social media
"'It’s heartbreaking when someone thinks they are keeping Passover and is unknowingly eating chametz,' he wrote, of food that isn’t kosher on Passover. 'It happens way more often than you might think. Look at these two products and tell me nobody would confuse them.'"
March 23, 2026 from JTA:
"On Friday nights, in Jewish homes around the world, a familiar ritual unfolds: a blessing over wine, poured into a cup and passed around the table.
"That ritual, multiplied during Passover, may help explain why kosher wine is holding steady even as the broader wine industry struggles.
"Across the United States and globally, wine consumption is declining. Baby boomers, long the industry’s most reliable customers, are aging out of peak drinking years. Younger consumers are drinking less alcohol overall and are more likely to reach for craft beer, spirits or ready-to-drink cocktails when they do. In California, wineries have begun laying off workers, cutting production and, in some cases, shutting down altogether.
"But in the kosher wine market the downturn looks more like a slowdown.
"Royal Wine, the largest distributor of kosher wine in the United States, is used to seeing year-over-year growth in the double digits, according to Jay Buchsbaum, a vice president at the New Jersey-based company.
"'By that standard, we did not have a great year,' he said in an interview. 'But we did have an increase, whereas the industry has declined by as much as 12% so we’re bucking the trend.'
"'Passover for us is what October, November and December are for the rest of the industry,' said Herzog’s winemaker David Galzignato, describing a seasonal surge that mirrors the year-end rush in most wineries.
"Jewish life, by contrast, has long been structured around wine — not as a lifestyle choice, but as a ritual obligation."
"Another broader trend is generating optimism among industry insiders: the growing demand for kosher wine outside the Jewish community.
"Perhaps the best example is Royal’s Bartenura label, which is the best-selling premium Moscato, a sweet, aromatic white wine, in the United States, selling nearly 10 million bottles a year. Buchsbaum estimates that as little as 15% of Bartenura buyers are Jewish, with the blue-bottled wine developing a particular fan base among Black consumers."
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