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.
September 8, 2017 from the World Israel News:
"About a dozen assailants clad in black hurled rocks, bottles and a metal pipe at the Schalom kosher restaurant in Chemnitz, Germany, in late August." "The attack on the “Schalom” restaurant" was "on the sidelines of anti-immigration demonstrations in response to the murder of a German man, allegedly by asylum seekers."
September 4, 2017 from the cRc:
In previous years, the cRc has recommended certain readily available fencing material (commonly sold in Home Depot) to be used for schach and provided detailed instructions on how to place them on the sukkah. However, based on feedback from consumers on the sturdiness of those materials and how they were being used, we have determined that there is a reasonable chance that some people will end up not having kosher schach (since the fencing material could become invalidated if a few of the reeds break) unless they place multiple layers of fencing on top of their sukkah.
Accordingly, we are no longer issuing specific recommendations of fencing material. Instead we suggest that if you choose to use these fencing mats that you add additional schach (e.g. added layers of these mats, bamboo poles, evergreen or other tree branches) to ensure the fulfillment of the halachic requirement of "more shade than sunlight." Also, any fencing mats should be placed perpendicular to the schach support beams in order to avoid ma’amid issues, as we have explained in previous years.
September 5, 2018 from the CPSC :
Rust-Oleum black satin countertop coating has been recalled because the countertop coating contains levels of lead that exceed the federal lead paint ban. Lead is toxic if ingested by young children and can cause adverse health issues.
This recall involves one-quart (32 fluid ounce) containers of Rust-Oleum black satin countertop coating with product number 263209 and batch code P7612D. The product number and batch code are printed on the bottom of the can. The can is silver and the label on the can is green and white. The label on the can reads “countertop coating,” “black satin,” “renew laminate surfaces,” and “moisture & scratch resistant.”
Consumers should immediately stop using the recalled countertop coating and contact Rust-Oleum. Consumers who have not used the countertop coating will receive a full refund plus $25 to return the product to Rust-Oleum. Consumers who have applied the recalled countertop coating will receive a repair kit or replacement of the affected surfaces.
Consumer Contact: Rust-Oleum at 800-908-4050 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. CT Monday through Friday, by email at rustoleumcountertoprecall@rustoleum.com or online at www.rustoleum.com and click on “Recalls” for more information.
September 4, 2018 from the Specialty Food News:
"Companies that sell plant-based and lab-grown meat in Missouri will have until Jan. 1, 2019 to comply with a new labeling law, reports the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. The law, which bars plant-based and lab-grown companies from labeling their products as meat, went into effect on Aug. 28, but the Missouri Department of Agriculture delayed enforcement to give companies time to ensure their labels comply."
"The department says it will not refer complaints to prosecutors if the labels on products prominently use words like "plant-based," "veggie," "lab-grown" or "lab-created" before or immediately after the product name. Inspectors also will not refer cases if there is a prominent statement on the package that the product is "made from plants" or "grown in a lab," according to the report."
August 24, 2018 from the St. Louis Business Journal:
"A lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of a Missouri meat law that prohibits “misrepresenting” a product as “meat” if it is “not derived from harvested production livestock or poultry” was filed Monday in U.S. District Court in Columbia, Missouri."
"The suit, brought on free-speech grounds, was filed by American Civil Liberties lawyers on behalf of Turtle Island Foods of Hood River, Oregon, which uses the trademark name Tofurky and produces plant-based products. They are sold nationwide. The Good Food Institute, a nonprofit in Washington, D.C., that advocates for plan-based alternatives, also is a plaintiff."
"The plaintiffs said there has been no confusion among consumers about calling plant-based products meats."
"The lawsuit seeks a permanent injunction against the law and costs and attorney fees."
"A spokeswoman for Missouri Attorney General Josh Hawley told the Associated Press that the office would defend the new law."
September 2, 2018 from the Matzav.com:
"Rabbi Moshe Yehuda Leib Landa of Bnei Brak, publicized a letter in which he says the understanding that Coca Cola does not need hechsher is a mistake."
"Many people mistakenly believe that there is no need to look for a kashrus symbol on Coca-Cola bottles, erroneously assuming that they are all kosher. This is not so, R’ Landa warns."
"Rabbi Landa, whose hashgacha organization oversees the Central Bottling Company’s production of Coca Cola in Bnei Brak, qrites in his letter, 'It’s very unfortunate to see that they bring the Coca-Cola drink into the country in cans and bottles made by the Palestinian Authority and from Europe, and trip up the public.'"
August 24, 2018 from the Sidney Morning Herald:
"Australia’s biggest listed honey company and some of the country’s largest supermarket chains face accusations of selling fake honey."
"Testing at a leading international scientific lab that specialises in honey fraud detection has found almost half the samples selected from supermarket shelves was 'adulterated', meaning it had been mixed with other substances. The adulterated samples were all products that blend local and imported honey."
"Capilano’s Allowrie branded Mixed Blossom Honey, which sources honey from Australia and overseas, and markets itself as 100 per cent honey, showed up as “adulterated” in the majority of samples tested."
"Experts say adulterated honey was generally bulked up with rice syrup and beet syrup and other unidentified substances, which aren’t detected by official honey tests."
"International fraudsters, often criminal gangs in China, produce the fake honey and sell it to unsuspecting suppliers at a higher price, making a fortune along the way."
"The issue is not isolated to Australia, with the European Union, where most of the imports come from China, also fending off fake honey at its borders. According to reports, policymakers are concerned about what is thought to be the third-most adulterated product in the world with 20 per cent of samples tested by the EU failing to meet standards."
"In China, beehive numbers have increased by 6.7 per cent over the decade to 2016, but exports have soared by 200 per cent."
August 24, 2018 from the Matzav.com:
"Last year, Israel’s High Court ruled that restaurants may list the kosher ingredients they use and explain how kashrus is maintained in order to attract observant customers. Only establishments describing themselves as kosher would be in violation of the Rabbinate’s monopoly over kashrus."
"Several private hechsherim promptly utilized the loophole to begin certifying eateries as kosher, but Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit has now stymied them by deciding that the High Court decision only applies to restaurant owners."
"Now, no external group may put up signs explaining why eateries are kosher or even affix their logo to such signs."
August 21, 2018 from the Matzav.com:
"New York State Assemblyman Dov Hikind (D-Brooklyn) announced that tuna processed in the United States will now meet the community’s koshrous standards. Since January, Hikind has been working with the heads of the State Education and Child Nutrition programs to assure that yeshivas will not lose funding for lunch programs. Hikind was initially contacted by a number of yeshivas regarding their concerns about the National School Lunch Program “Buy American” provision. Specifically, there were concerns regarding how this provision relates to the purchase and serving of tuna fish that meet the community’s standards. The provision, which came into effect last June, requires schools to purchase domestic commodities or products made in the U.S.
"The BJE will send mashgichim to American Samoa early next year to supervise the production of enough tuna for all children in yeshivas in New York State and elsewhere for the next year. It will be available to the schools as a free USDA commodity." The tuna will be certified as kosher by the Star-K.
August 218, 2018 from the Arutz 7
"Police have opened an extensive investigation into the Rabbinate's Kosher certification unit amid suspicions are widespread bribery."
"Investigators from the Lahav 433 unit have detained nine officials from the Rabbinate for interrogation, including a senior figure whose name cannot be revealed due to a gag order. Police found hundreds of thousands of shekels upon searching the official's house."
"According to Haredim10, police suspect that the Rabbinate permitted different food brands from overseas, primary from Europe, to label their products as "Kosher according to the Chief Rabbinate" in exchange for bribes. According to the guidelines, imported food is not allowed to be listed as solely supervised by the Rabbinate."
"The investigation is being conducted by the Israel Police, the Customs Investigation and VAT Office in Tel Aviv, the Tax Authority, the Anti-Money Laundering Authority and the Economy Department of the State Attorney's Office."
August 10, 2018 from the FoodsafetyStrategises:
"The USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) has clarified its final rule governing inspection and certification of processed fruits, vegetables, and miscellaneous products regarding Country of Origin Labeling (COOL) of Packed Honey."
"The AMS has clarified the final rule to say that honey packers must name the country of origin of all imported products, regardless of whether the labeling uses approved USDA marks or grade statements."
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