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.
February 22, 2023 from the cRc Twitter:
Starting to stock up for Mishloach Manos? Remember to check product labels for kosher certification, including store brands and items bought online, even if it's a product you buy all the time or have bought recently!
February 2, 2023: From the COR Detroit:
ONLINE SHOPPING REMINDER: When shopping online for grocery delivery or curbside pickup, always check the actual label on each item when the order is received. This is essential because many online descriptions or pictures give inaccurate or outdated information regarding the product’s Kosher status. In addition, the store may substitute non-Kosher or non-approved products if the requested item is not available.
One recent example: Great Value [Walmart] regular Tomato Ketchup is pictured online with an OU symbol, but the actual product in the store and that is delivered does not bear an OU.
February 22, 2023 from the Washington Post:
"The Defense Department is advising U.S. military personnel to be mindful of a substance that could derail their careers: poppy seeds.
"In a memo published Tuesday, Gilbert R. Cisneros Jr., the undersecretary of defense for personnel and readiness, warned service members that eating poppy seeds could result in a failed drug test.
"Navy Cmdr. Nicole Schwegman said in an email to The Washington Post that the Defense Department became aware of the poppy seed problem last year. She said the department reviewed studies and worked with a laboratory to analyze codeine and morphine levels in poppy seed brands.
"New data shows some poppy seeds varieties “may have higher codeine contamination than previously reported,” Cisneros’s memo states.
"'Consumption of poppy seed products could cause a codeine positive urinalysis result and undermine the Department’s ability to identify illicit drug use,' he wrote."
February 16, 2023 from the CPSC
Paradise Grills First Generation Outdoor Kitchens have been recalled because the Liquid propane (LP) gas can accumulate inside the closed lid and cabinets, causing an explosion when the user relights the grill, posing fire and burn hazards to the user.
Consumer Contact: Paradise Grills at 800-604-2023 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. ET Monday through Friday, email at safetynotice@paradisegrills.com, or online at www.paradisegrillsdirect.com/safety-notice or www.paradisegrilldirect.com and click on “Safety Recall” for more information.
This recall involves First Generation Paradise Grills Outdoor Kitchens. They can have cabinets, sinks, refrigerators, and other features such as LED lighting, Tiki Huts, commercial grills, granite and other additional options. The recalled models are the GX-3, GX-4, GX-5, GX-6, GX-7, GX-8, GX-9, GX-10, GX-11 GX12 and GX14, Tahiti, Fiji, Tropicana, Aruba 6 and Aruba 8. The model name is listed on the sales agreement.
Consumers should immediately stop using the recalled grills and contact Paradise Grills to receive a new 16”x 4” stainless steel vent to be installed on the First Generation Outdoor Kitchen.
Consumers located in Florida, Texas, Georgia and Alabama should immediately contact Paradise Grills to schedule a date for completion of their free repair. This includes labor and a new vent.
Consumers located in all other states should immediately contact Paradise Grills to receive free shipment of the vent, installation instructions, and reimbursement for the installation cost by a qualified professional or technician. The firm will require a copy of the installer’s invoice or billing statement (marked “Paid”) for the installation service. Paradise Grills is contacting all known purchasers directly.
Sold At: Paradise Grills showrooms and at home, boat and RV shows nationwide from January 2009 through December 2020 for between $4,000 and $15,000.
February 9, 2023 - from Kol HaOlam Twitter
"The 'Heimishe Matzos' matzah bakery in Kiryas Zanz in Netanya burned down on Friday night, destroying the bakery in addition to over 5 tons of matzoh that had already been baked for Pesach."
February 13, 2023 - from Vinnews
"For the first time ever, the capital city of Albany has a kosher kitchen located in a hotel. Ezra Friedlander, CEO, The Friedlander Group, a PR and lobbying firm, tweeted a video of the exciting new kosher dining location, conveniently located in the Holiday Inn Express.
"The hotel will be a great kosher option for the local community, as well as politicians and askanim who work in the capital district, and travelers headed to various locations upstate, in Vermont, Canada, the Adirondacks, and elsewhere.
"According to a statement, the hotel located at 300 broadway “is proud to present a kosher breakfast all year long under the auspices of ‘518 kosher’ by Howard Goldberg, which is under the Vaad of Albany under the leadership of Rabbi Moshe Bomzer.
"The hotel will also host minyanim with a Sefer Torah."
February 13, 2023 - from YeahThatsKosher
"Bravo Kosher Pizza has been a presence on Broadway in Midtown since 2012, quickly becoming a top contender for best kosher pizza. However, recent lease issues are forcing the pizzeria to move over a few avenues east.
"The new location won’t be far from the original, but the move is definitely a disappointment for office workers and others near Times Square and those further west.
"The 37th Street location will close on February 20th, and the new location will launch on March 20th. Delivery will be available in the interim from their Trinity Place location in Lower Manhattan. The new midtown location will be at 378 5th Ave, NY, NY.
"n addition to this move, Bravo Kosher Pizza is in process of opening up 2 new locations, one this month inside the new kosher food hall at the American Dream Mall in NJ, and one coming soon to the 5 Towns, in the same shopping center as Trader Joe’s in Hewlett, NY.
"Bravo Kosher Pizza is certified kosher Cholov Yisroel by the OK. "
February 13, 2023 from The MedPage today:
"School-age kids' body mass index (BMI) z-scores fell following the implementation of the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 (HHFKA), researchers reported.
"Compared with the decade prior to the HHFKA being put into place, there was a significant decrease in annual BMI z-scores among U.S. youth from the ages of 5 to 18 (-0.041, 95% CI -0.066 to -0.016) in the 3.5 years after the law passed, according to Aruna Chandran, MD, MPH, of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore, and colleagues.
"A significant decline in BMI was apparent for both younger children ages 5 to 11 (-0.034, 95% CI -0.059 to -0.009) as well as teens ages 12 to 18 (-0.045, 95% CI -0.071 to -0.018), the researchers wrote in JAMA Pediatricsopens in a new tab or window.
"The shift also held for both lower and higher income households, those with a median annual income below $50,000 (-0.038, 95% CI -0.063 to -0.013) and at or above that threshold (-0.041, 95% CI -0.066 to -0.016). "This income cutoff roughly aligns with the income eligibility for free and reduced-price meals in the 2016 to 2017 school year," the researchers pointed out.
"Both males (-0.037, 95% CI -0.062 to -0.012) and females (-0.046, 95% CI -0.070 to -0.020) also saw significant BMI drops between the pre- and postintervention periods.
"The HHFKA -- "the first national legislation to improve the dietary quality of school meals and snacks in over 2 decades," according to Chandran's group -- applied to food sold on site at school, from breakfasts and lunches to snacks in vending machines. It required food for sale at schools to fall in line with 2010 U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) guidelines, which recommended food include more whole grains, fruits, vegetables, and low-fat dairy products with less sodium and fat. It also established age-specific recommendations for school meal serving sizes.
"This study really "underscores the important impact of the [National School Lunch Program and School Breakfast] on reducing excess weight gain among lower-income children, who are unquestionably among the most vulnerable for food insecurity, obesity, and obesity-related chronic diseases.
"mplemented in phases, the HHFKA first started to roll out into schools during the 2012 to 2013 school year after Congress passed it in 2010. By the 2015 to 2016 school year, 93% of school districts were in compliance, according to a USDA reportopens in a new tab or window. The time periods compared in the study were January 2005 to August 2016, before implementation, and afterward from September 2016 to March 2020."
February 9, 2023 from The AP News:
"U.S. agriculture officials on Friday proposed new nutrition standards for school meals, including the first limits on added sugars, with a focus on sweetened foods such as cereals, yogurt, flavored milk and breakfast pastries.
"The plan announced by Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack also seeks to significantly decrease sodium in the meals served to the nation’s schoolkids by 2029, while making the rules for foods made with whole grains more flexible.
"The goal is to improve nutrition and align with U.S. dietary guidelines in the program that serves breakfast to more than 15 million children and lunch to nearly 30 million children every day
"The first limits on added sugars would be required in the 2025-2026 school year, starting with high-sugar foods such as sweetened cereals, yogurts and flavored milks.
"Under the plan, for instance, an 8-ounce container of chocolate milk could contain no more than 10 grams of sugar. Some popular flavored milks now contain twice that amount. The plan also limits sugary grain desserts, such as muffins or doughnuts, to no more than twice a week at breakfast.
"By the fall of 2027, added sugars in school meals would be limited to less than 10% of the total calories per week for breakfasts and lunches.
"The proposal also would reduce sodium in school meals by 30% by the fall of 2029. They would gradually be reduced to align with federal guidelines, which recommend Americans aged 14 and older limit sodium to about 2,300 milligrams a day, with less for younger children.
February 9, 2023 from The The Enrepeneur:
"According to Urner Barry, a market research firm focused on things like meat, eggs, and seafood, the price for wholesale eggs dropped to $2.61 a dozen on Monday.
"Compare that to the price of a dozen eggs wholesale on Dec. 19: $5.43. As the outlet noted, that's a drop of 52%.
"wholesale prices are more sensitive than retail ones. If the wholesale price moves 10%, then the retail price would move a corresponding 2% on average.
"t takes about a month for wholesale price changes to affect consumers.
"Brian Moscogiuri, a global trade strategist at Eggs Unlimited, told the outlet that lower demand post-holiday season, and a few weeks without new avian flu outbreaks, have given egg producers and sellers a break.
"However, he added, because avian flu has been found among non-chickens, it's still "a major risk heading into the spring migration."
February 2, 2023 from The Food Dive:
"More than any other grocery store food item, egg prices are skyrocketing as producers struggle to meet supply.
"Experts do not expect prices to return to where they were before last year’s highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) outbreak — which has resulted in the culling of more than 58 million birds, according to the CDC — as long as the supply of the protein continues to be strained. This could take several months, said Kevin Bergquist, Wells Fargo’s Agri-Food Institute sector manager.
"Some policymakers and consumer advocacy groups are urging the federal government to take action against producers who they see as a monopoly of egg giants gouging consumers amid an already fraught economy.
"According to the most recent Consumer Price Index from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, egg prices increased 11.1% on a monthly basis in December, and were up nearly 60% compared to the same time a year before. This led the overall food index to increase 0.3% in the month, after slightly decreasing the two months prior.
"The HPAI outbreak, commonly referred to as bird flu, began in early 2022 and is the primary factor fueling the price hikes. The CDC has not reported any new cases of bird flu in backyard or commercial flocks since late December, indicating that new infections could be subsiding.
"Consumers trading down to proteins including eggs and poultry instead of red meat in recent years has also contributed to the tightening supply, according to USDA.
"The high cost of inputs like feed, labor and fuel, followed by bird flu created a “perfect storm” for a difficult egg growing season in 2022, according to AgAmerica Senior Director of Partner Relations Curt Covington. Government assistance has helped farmers fund the growth of new flocks, Covington said, but their ability to meet supply for eggs requires time for those new birds to develop.
"Prices have slightly improved since their peak of late December and early January. According the USDA’s most recent egg market report, prices remain elevated relative to early 2022 but fell during each week of January. According to Bergquist, this reflects a normal seasonal drop in prices after the holiday season.
"In order for prices to go back to normal levels, the Wells Fargo analyst said, the virus must cease to be a major factor in negatively impacting egg production. In normal years, he said, egg prices increase around Easter. Economists predict the springtime holiday will lead to a price spike this year, but they could then level out.
"Accusations of price gouging from consumer advocacy groups have called the motives behind price increases into question. Farm Action, an NGO made up farmers and other food industry workers, argued in a letter sent to the FTC last month that the impact of avian influenza actually did not warrant such a dramatic increase in the supply of eggs. The group pointed to USDA data indicating 2022 saw egg laying rates that were 1% to 4% higher than those in 2017 to 2021."
February 8, 2023 from the CPSC in conjunction with Heathy Canadians:
Fabuloso Multi-Purpose Cleaners have been recalled because the recalled products can contain Pseudomonas species bacteria, including Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Pseudomonas fluorescens, which are environmental organisms found widely in soil and water. People with weakened immune systems, external medical devices, or underlying lung conditions who are exposed to the bacteria face a risk of serious infection that may require medical treatment. The bacteria can enter the body if inhaled, through the eyes, or through a break in the skin. People with healthy immune systems are usually not affected by the bacteria.
Consumer Contact: Colgate-Palmolive Company toll-free at 855-703-0166 from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. ET Monday through Friday, or online at www.Fabulosorecall.com or at www.Fabuloso.com and click on the banner at the top of the landing page for more information. This recall involves certain Fabuloso Multi-Purpose Cleaners, which is a multi-purpose cleaner that can be used to clean most residential hard surfaces. The first 8 digits of the lot code of the recalled products are 2348US78 through 2365US78 and 3001US78 through 3023US78. A list of the UPC and lot codes of the recalled products can be found at www.Fabulosorecall.com. For a complete list of products, visit www.Fabulosorecall.com. The lot code is located on the back of the bottle above the label either directly above or towards the top of the bottle. No Fabuloso Antibacterial variants or other Fabuloso products are impacted by this recall. The following Fabuloso Multi-Purpose Cleaners are included in this recall:
Remedy: Consumers should immediately stop using the recalled Fabuloso Multi-Purpose Cleaner products and contact Colgate-Palmolive Company for a full refund or a free replacement product. To receive a refund or replacement, consumers should take a picture of the product’s UPC and lot code and dispose of the product in its container with household trash. The consumer recall form can be found on www.fabulosorecall.com. Do not empty the product prior to disposal.
Sold At: Online at Amazon.com and other websites and at Dollar General, Family Dollar, The Home Depot, Sam’s Club, Walmart, and other major retailers nationwide from December 2022 through January 2023 for between $1 and $11.
February 1, 2023 - from YNetNews:
"Israel's leading dairy products manufacturer Tnuva announced on Wednesday that its popular milk cartons are expected to be in short supply on supermarket shelves nationwide in the coming weeks, one month after the food conglomerate reported similar shortages.
"Tnuva estimates the shortfall at around one-fifth of its regular supplies to retailers and is expected to last up to two weeks. The company cited logistical upgrades at one of its facilities in the central city of Rehovot as the reason for the temporary shortage.
"The upgrades necessitated a suspension of its milk carton supply lines for a few days, after which it expects to ramp manufacturing back up over the course of a few extra days. Meanwhile, manufacturing of the company's milk in plastic bottles and bags will be unaffected.
"The shortages have led to a spike in demand for milk cartons manufactured by Tnuva's main competitor Tara, which consumers have also reported to be in short supply.
"The company said it is concerned that the shortages will prompt some consumers to hoard milk cartons, which could further exacerbate the problem.
"Last month, Tnuva announced that it had to suspend the operations of one of its packaging machines for maintenance work which led to a 10% shortfall in supplies.
"Israelis prefer milk cartons over any other type of packaging, and Tnuva dominates the market with around 60% of all sales across the country.
"In a company statement, Tnuva relayed that it was working around the clock to restore supply chains to full working order."
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