K A S H R U T . C O M_©

The following news is from modernfarmer and Bioengineers Create Vegan Milk on November 25, 2014.

Muufir is using bioengineering to create a vegan milk. "To make it, they add chemically synthesized cow DNA to yeast cells, then harvest the cultures the yeast grows. (It’s kind of like a sourdough starter.) From there, they added things like calcium and potassium and emulsify the mixture into milk. They tinkered with the ratios to create something that tastes and feels like cow’s milk, but left out lactose, using a different sugar instead to make it drinkable for the lactose intolerant."

The following news is from True Source Honey on November 25, 2014.

"The True Source Honey Certification Program, whose mission it is to protect consumers, retailers and manufacturers from illegally sourced honey, has issued an alert concerning honey labeled as coming from Turkey." Poor quality honey has been trans-shipped to other countries and labeled as if they come from that country to avoid anti-dumping duties. Currently honey from Turkey is being sold at below market prices which is similar to what has been done in the past with other trans-shipped Chinese honey. The volume of Turkish honey imported into the US has increased 10-fold in three years.
US companies can be procecuted if it has been shown that they knowingly purchased illegaliy imported honey. In the past Chinese honey has been presented as having originated in Indonesia, Malaysia, Mongolia, Thailand and Vietnam, instead of China.

The following news is from the FoodManufacturing.com on November 24, 2014.

There is an international boom in quinoa. Quinoa is being factory-farmed in Peru and that grain is being smuggled into Bolivia and is being mixed with or sold as organic Bolivian quinoa.
"A decade ago, Peru accounted for just 6 percent of global sales while Bolivia had 90 percent, according to U.N. figures. But Peru is on track to supplant Bolivia this year as the top exporter, having doubled production from 2013 to 95,000 metric tons amid strong demand from the U.S. and Europe.
"Peru's higher output stems from greater use of insecticides and chemical fertilizers as agribusiness steps up cultivation in coastal valleys, where there are two harvests a year compared to one in the highlands." The quinoa from Peru is a smaller grain. There is very little organic quinoa produced in Peru.
Organic quinoa now fetches up to $10 a pound retail in the United States, with non-organic available for as much as half that price.
"Prices for Peru's white-seed coastal "sweet" quinoa have been consistently dropping. The coastal quinoa is more apt to be contaminated by pesticide overuse because it grows on land previously occupied by other crops." There are fewer bugs in the harsh climate of the Bolivian highlands.

The following news is from the Supermarket News on November 18, 2014.

"Associated Food Stores on Tuesday said that it had agreed to a new supply agreement with C&S Wholesale Grocers, which is acquiring Associated’s former supplier, White Rose."
"C&S will provide warehouse, transportation and procurement services for Associated, the Hewlett, N.Y.-based retailer which licenses the Associated, Compare, Met, Met Fresh and Metropolitan City Markets banners to more than 350 independently owned and operated supermarkets in metro New York. C&S, Keene, N.H., is in the process of acquiring White Rose as part of its deal to buy Associated Wholesalers out of bankruptcy."

The following news is from the Food Manufacturing and FoodNavigator on November 7, 2014.

A paper in the ACS' Journal of Proteome Research has shown that people with celiac disease also react to non-gluten proteins in wheat. This can affect how people with celiac are treated.

The following news is from the Gourmet Business on November 4, 2014.

Gourmet Business included Farm to Table Kosher in their listing of Food Trends for 2015. These are products that "address consumer demand to eat in more sustainable, conscious and cultural ways".

The following news is from the Perishable News and Supermarket News on November 4, 2014.

Grocers Supply, a wholesale distribution and supply business in Houston Texas has sold its business to C&S Wholesale Grocers. Grocers Supply serves 900 independent grocery stores and is the biggest wholesaler in Texas. Grocers Supply did not sell their retail stores.

The following news is from the Supermarket News and Heraldonline.com on October 30, 2014.

C&S Wholesale Grocers, Keene NH was the high bidder and was approved to purchase Associated Wholesalers, AWI. N.H.-based wholesaler will gain control of AWI’s independent distribution business based in Robsonia, Pa., as well as its New Jersey-based White Rose wholesale business, serving Northeast chains including Fairway Market and Met Foods. AWI has been operating under Chapter 11 bankrupcy protection.

The following news is from the FDA Guidance Document and FDA Learning Nodule posted on October 30, 2014.

The FDA has issued two documents that are related to seafood labeling and processing:

• The FDA has issued a new list of acceptable names. The FDA is also now using DNA to test the fish that are most likey to be mislabeled. The FDA has found that the fish were correctly labeled 85% of the time.
• The FDA has also produced a learning module for seafood processors.

The following news is from the Jewish Press on October 26, 2014.

The Jewish Press reported that Hareidim in Israel buy fruits and vegetables from Arabs to avoid Shmitta issues. These "Shemittah-free “Mehadrin” vegetables and fruits can easily cost two or three times more than standard “Heter Mechira” fruits and vegetables." "The Arabs vegetable network was buying both Heter Mechira vegetables from the open market, as well as vegetables from unknown sources, without any health or agricultural supervision or certification." "The Arab network was stamping their products with fake Israeli Rabbinate certificates and selling them as Mehadrin to restaurants and stores who wanted or required Mehadrin Shemittah-free vegetables." Therefore, "the Hareidim have been eating “Heter Mechira”. At worse, they’ve been eating vegetables grown using unpurified sewer water or pesticides from unknown and unsupervised Arabs fields."

Information on Shmitta at http://www.kashrut.com/consumer/vegetables/#SCHMITTA