K A S H R U T . C O M_©

Shabbos Problem With Uncooked Ingredients In Takeout Food

July 17, 2017 from the Kof-K

Four senior poskim of the Medrash Govoha in Lakewood are reminding people that many cooked takeout foods are finished with raw ingredients such as parley, raw sesame seeds or black pepper. If these items are heated on Shabbos above "yad soleded bo", then one is cooking food on Shabbos.
For more information go here.

CFIA reverses decision to remove West Bank wines labelled 'Product of Israel'

July 13, 2017 from the CBC:

"The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) is reversing an earlier decision that said wines from the West Bank labelled 'Product of Israel' could no longer be sold in Canada."
"The agency initially asked the Liquor Control Board of Ontario — which in turn asked liquor vendors — to stop selling and importing wines from the Psagot and Shiloh wineries labelled 'Product of Israel.'" "The agency had said the label would not be an acceptable country of origin declaration for wine products that have been made from grapes in the West Bank occupied territory, which Ottawa does not officially recognize as a legitimate part of Israel."
"The CFIA said this afternoon that it had not fully considered the Canada-Israel Free Trade Agreement when dealing with the matter. The CFIA also says it regretted the outcome of the wine labelling assessment, and confirmed the products in question can be sold as currently labelled."

Hungarian PM Vows To Protect Jewish Rituals Ahead Of Opening Of Kosher Slaughterhouse

July 14, 2017 from the Vos Is Neias:

"Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban vowed to protect religious freedoms in his country during a talk with foreign rabbis visiting for the opening of a large kosher slaughterhouse for geese."
"Foreign rabbis attended the opening of the slaughterhouse in Csengele, situated approximately 80 miles southeast of Budapest, Koves said. With a capacity for slaughtering 2,400 animals daily, it is one of the largest slaughterhouses of its kind in Europe and is under the joint rabbinical supervision of EMIH and the Chief Rabbinate of Israel."
"There are plans to make halal meat as well at the same slaughterhouse for consumption by Muslims."
"The opening of the slaughterhouse is especially appreciated at a time when parliaments in Belgium’s regions pass motions about 'banning kosher slaughter and other countries are undermining freedom of religion all over Europe.'"

Ontario court fines Creation Foods Co. for kosher food violation

July 7, 2017 from the FoodSafetyNews:

"n the first provincial court case prosecuted in Canada for misrepresentation of a kosher food product, Creation Foods Co. of Woodbridge, has been fined $25,000."
"The corporate entity recently pleaded guilty to two counts of contravening Section 31(1) of the Food and Drugs Act in the Ontario Court of Justice in Newmarket."
"The charges resulted from an investigation by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA). Investigators determined that the company sold a non-kosher food product to two Jewish youth camps, by means of a forged kosher certificate. Cheese sold to both camps did not meet kosher requirements. CFIA said it was the first case in Canada brought before a provincial court related to the misrepresentation of a kosher food product."
"Section B.01.049 of Canada’s Food and Drug Regulations states that no one shall use, in labelling, packaging, advertising or selling, a food that does not meet the requirements of the Jewish religious laws concerning food applicable to it, the word “kosher” or any letters of the Hebrew alphabet or any other word, expression, depiction, sign, symbol, mark, device or other representation that indicates or that is likely to create an impression that the food is kosher."

European Jews, Muslims team up to face ritual slaughter, circumcision bans

July 9, 2017 from the Jerusalem Post:

There was a meeting in Amsterdam of an organization called Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, or OSCE of Jews Muslims and anti-racism activists to fight the attempts to limit religious customs like kosher slaughter and circumcision. These have incuded banning non-medical circumcision of minors, ritual slaughter of animals and other religious customs. "The event included work sessions that featured case studies and exchange of information on the status of religious freedoms in European countries and initiatives to limit them."

Time bombs: Carriers, shippers do little to protect perishables

July 11, 2017 from the FoodSafetyNews:

There are "virtually no regulations covering virtual food sales." "Home delivery of perishable foods is a mega disaster in the making if businesses don’t step up and do the right thing. "Consumers don’t perceive a risk and they aren’t looking for it." "Industry should be proactive and pack (home-delivered foods) for the worst case scenario, not the best case scenario, which is what they are doing now."
Researchers tested delivery of perishables by ording raw meat and fish. "Almost half of the food orders — 47 percent — arrived at temperatures above 40 degrees F. This is "the top limit of the safe temperature zone where pathogens such as E. coli and Salmonella thrive. Some of the foods were measured at 75 degrees." The researchers also found that the packaging, labeling and method for cooling were not appropriate.

Cow is the cheapest milk and the most common adulterant

July 11.,2017 from the http://www.foodnavigator.com/Science/ProGnosis-Biotech-on-milk-adulteration" target='fn'>Food Navigator:

ProGnosis Biotech, a company that produces tests for milk aduteration said that higher priced milks such as from goat or sheet are often fraudulently adulterated with mik from a lower priced species such as cow. This is done in Europe. In India that water, calcium or urea are used as milk aduterants.

The Gruesome Truth About Lab-Grown Meat

July 11, 2017 from the Slate.com:

Currently all lab-grown meat uses fetal bovine serum.Fetal bovine serum "is a byproduct made from the blood of cow fetuses. If a cow coming for slaughter happens to be pregnant, the cow is slaughtered and bled, and then the fetus is removed from its mother and brought into a blood collection room. The fetus, which remains alive during the following process to ensure blood quality, has a needle inserted into its heart. Its blood is then drained until the fetus dies, a death that usually takes about five minutes. This blood is then refined, and the resulting extract is FBS."
"Cultured meat grown in a lab is made from bovine cells that grow in a petri dish to ultimately produce a substance that is meatlike enough to market as a burger." FBS contains growth factors and is a useful way to grow cells cultures ang growing cultured meat. Using it also defeats the purpose of creating cultured meat.

Dutch Jewish organisation signs agreement with Minister to safeguard the continuation of Sechita in the country

July 6, 2017 from the EJPress:

"NIK, the Organisation of Jewish Communities in the Netherlands, has signed an agreement with the Dutch Minister of Agriucuture which will guarantee the right to continue ritual slaughter of aniamls in the country."
"The agreement, an annex to the 2012 treaty regarding slaughter according to religious rights, was signed by the NIK President Jonathan Soesman and General Director Ruben Vis, together with representatives of the slaughter industry and the Muslim community."
"The treaty and addendum will be put into a new regulation which comes into force January 1 2018, enabling and guaranteeing the continuation of the right to exercise Shechita in the Netherlands."

Kashrus information on FRESH BOX FARMS Hydroponically Grown products

June 30, 2017 from the KVH

FRESH BOX FARMS PRODUCTS, Millis, MA are grown in a state of the art HYDROPONIC indoor facility.
Unlike other Kosher certified produce that requires washing and/or checking to remove natural occurring insect infestation, Fresh Box Farms has controls in place under strict KVH Kosher supervision that prevent any type of insect infestation.
As with any kosher product, always check to ensure the (KVH) kosher symbol is displayed
Please Note: Since this hydropnic produce is not grown in soil there are opinions that maintain that the blessing of בורא פרי האדמה is no longer applicable and שהכל נהיה בדברו should be recited instead.
Please consult with your personal Halachik authority to determine how to best proceed.
There is no Halachik need to wash and check the produce.
Fresh Box Farms products are currently available at:

• The Butcherie-428 Harvard St, Brookline, MA
• Zayde's Market- 15 Washington St, Canton, MA
• Roche Bros. stores including: 1800 Centre St, West Roxbury, MA |70 Hastings St, Wellesley, MA | 25 Washington St, North Easton, MA
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