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.
May 15, 2025 from CPSC :
Boyro Baby Convertible High Chairs have been recalled because the high chairs pose a deadly fall hazard to babies because the restraint system is not attached to the product and the locks or latches can fail. In addition, the high chairs pose an entrapment hazard because the opening between the seat and tray is large enough that a child can become entrappe
Consumer Contact: Boyro Baby by email at boyrobaby@outlook.com, or online at www.boyrobaby.com/testimonial or www.boyrobaby.com and click on “Safety Recalls” for more information.
Description: This recall involves Boyro Baby-branded high chairs. The 4-in-1 high chairs were sold in green, gray and pink and have a removable seat cushion, a detachable tray, a footrest and storage space underneath the seat. They convert from a high chair into a low chair, rocking chair and slide.
Remedy: Consumers should stop using and disassemble the recalled high chairs immediately and contact Boyro Baby for instructions on receiving a full refund. The instructions will include instructions on cutting the restraint system and seat cushions, and emailing photos of the disassembled and destroyed pieces of the high chair to boyrobaby@outlook.com. Once the photos have been received, Boyro Baby will issue a refund.
Sold Exclusively Online: Amazon.com and from October 2023 through November 2024 for between $70 and $90.
May 8, 2025 from CPSC in Conjunction with the Government of Canada:
About 130,000 additional coolers (In addition, about 20,000 in Canada and 5,900 in Mexico) (More than one million Igloo coolers were previously recalled in February 2025)
This recall expansion involves an additional 130,000 Igloo 90 Qt. Flip & Tow Rolling Coolers manufactured prior to January 2024. The date of manufacture is imprinted on the bottom of the cooler in a circular pattern with an arrow pointing to the month of manufacture and the last two digits of the year of manufacture inside the circle. <>p>The recalled coolers have a tow handle, and “IGLOO” is printed on the side of the coolers. The coolers were sold in multiple body and lid color combinations. The following cooler models with tow handles are included in the recall expansion. The model number is located on labels affixed to the bottom of the cooler.
| Additional Recalled Coolers Model/SKU # | Description | Date Codes |
|---|---|---|
| 34692 | LATITUDE 90 QT ROLLER | 07/2020-09/2021 |
| 34785 | LATITUDE 90 QT ROLLER | 10/2021-12/2022 |
| 34790 | MAXCOLD LATITUDE 90 QT ROLLER | 10/2021-02/2023 |
Consumers should immediately stop using the recalled coolers and contact Igloo for a free replacement handle.
Since the recall was announced in February 2025, Igloo has received 78 reports of fingertip injuries, including 26 resulting in fingertip amputations, bone fractures or lacerations.
Sold At: Costco, Target, Academy, Dick’s, and other stores nationwide and online at Amazon.com, Igloocoolers.com, and other websites from January 2019 through January 2025 for between $80 and $140.
February 13, 2025 from CPSC in Conjunction with the Government of Canada:
This recall expansion involves an additional 130,000 Igloo 90 Qt. Flip & Tow Rolling Coolers manufactured prior to January 2024. The date of manufacture is imprinted on the bottom of the cooler in a circular pattern with an arrow pointing to the month of manufacture and the last two digits of the year of manufacture inside the circle.
The recalled coolers have a tow handle, and “IGLOO” is printed on the side of the coolers. The coolers were sold in multiple body and lid color combinations. The following cooler models with tow handles are included in the recall expansion. The model number is located on labels affixed to the bottom of the cooler. Additional Recalled Coolers Model/SKU #
| Additional Recalled Coolers Model/SKU # | Description | Date Codes |
|---|---|---|
| 34692 | LATITUDE 90 QT ROLLER | 07/2020-09/2021 |
| 34785 | LATITUDE 90 QT ROLLER | 10/2021-12/2022 |
| 34790 | MAXCOLD LATITUDE 90 QT ROLLER | 10/2021-02/2023 |
Consumers should immediately stop using the recalled coolers and contact Igloo for a free replacement handle.
Sold At: Costco, Target, Academy, Dick’s, and other stores nationwide and online at Amazon.com, Igloocoolers.com, and other websites from January 2019 through January 2025 for between $80 and $140.
February 13, 2025 from CPSC in Conjunction with the Government of Canada:
Igloo 90 Qt. Flip & Tow Rolling Coolers have been recalled because the tow handle can pinch consumers’ fingertips against the cooler, posing fingertip amputation and crushing hazards.
Consumer Contact: Igloo toll-free at 888-943-5182 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. ET Monday through Friday, email at igloo90qt@sedgwick.com, or online at www.igloo90qtrecall.expertinquiry.com or http://www.igloocoolers.com and click on “Recall Information” at the top of the page for more information.
This recall involves Igloo 90 Qt. Flip & Tow Rolling Coolers manufactured prior to January 2024. The date of manufacture is imprinted on the bottom of the cooler in a circular pattern with an arrow pointing to the month of manufacture and the last two digits of the year of manufacture inside the circle.
The recalled coolers have a tow handle. “IGLOO” is printed on the side of the coolers. The coolers were sold in multiple body and lid color combinations, some of which are pictured above. The following cooler models with tow handles are included in the recall. The model number is located on labels affixed to the bottom of the cooler.
A list of recalled products can be found here
Consumers should immediately stop using the recalled coolers and contact Igloo for a free replacement handle.
Incidents/Injuries: The firm has received 12 reports of fingertip injuries, including fingertip amputations, bone fractures, and lacerations.
Sold At: Costco, Target, Academy, Dick’s and other stores nationwide, and online at Amazon.com, Igloocoolers.com, and other websites from January 2019 through January 2025 for between $80 and $140.
May 8, 2025 from Consumer Reports:
"Cassava has become a popular gluten-free alternative, but CR’s tests of 27 products found that more than two-thirds of them contain more lead in a single serving than our experts say you should have in a day
"Consumer Reports’ latest tests of 27 products found that for over two-thirds of them, a single serving exceeded the level of lead Consumer Reports’ food safety experts use as a threshold for an acceptable daily intake—some by more than 2,000 percent. CR has tested several categories of foods and spices for heavy metals. With the exception of some spices (for example, certain brands of basil, cinnamon, ginger, thyme, and turmeric), 'we’ve never seen lead levels as high as those we found in some of these cassava foods,' says James E. Rogers, PhD, director of product and food safety research and testing at Consumer Reports.
"Root vegetables—including cassava, carrots, beets, and sweet potatoes—grow in the ground and are known to take up some lead along with other heavy metals and contaminants. There’s nothing about the cassava plant that should make it more likely than other root vegetables to absorb lead, according to Ganga Hettiarachchi, PhD, a professor of soil and environmental chemistry who studies trace metal and nutrient chemistry at Kansas State University in Manhattan. But it is possible that some cassava could be grown in highly polluted areas, or handled or processed in ways that introduce lead, she says.
"Several studies have found that cassava can be a significant dietary source of lead exposure in people who eat it frequently. For example, in a 2015 study in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, researchers found that cassava grown in one region of Ghana was high enough in lead to raise the risk of health problems among people who ate it regularly.
"had between 200 and just over 600 percent of that level per serving. These should be limited, but they’re okay to eat occasionally. The flour with the lowest lead levels in our tests is Tonomi Cassava Flour; one serving supplies 215 percent of CR’s level of concern. Our experts say it’s okay to have up to three servings of it per week.
"Of course, no one eats flour (cassava or otherwise) straight. Still, when we reviewed several recipes for baked goods made with cassava flour, we saw that consuming that ¼ cup in one sitting isn’t difficult. For example, recipes that yield 12 muffins call for 1½ to 1⅔ cups of cassava flour. That means that 2 muffins would supply about ¼ cup.
"Cassava chips also had high lead levels in our tests. Of the eight products we looked at, two are on our avoid list, and one had lead levels high enough that our experts advise eating no more than one serving per week. The lead levels in an ounce of these three products ranged from about 600 to 1,700 percent of CR’s level of concern. The chips with the lowest lead levels were Goya Yuca Cassava Chips. An ounce supplied 10 percent of CR’s level of concern for lead (see chart here.
"Consumer Reports assumes one serving a day of the product in its risk assessment calculations."
May 13, 2025 from Food Dive:
May 9, 2025 from the Israel National News:
"In a dramatic and unsettling revelation, Hussein Jaber of Abu Ghosh, the man entrusted with purchasing Israel’s leavened food ahead of Passover, has disclosed that representatives from Qatar, Dubai, and Kuwait made covert offers to buy the entire stockpile he legally acquired from the State of Israel. The offers, first reported by Matzav Haruach, were not business ventures but what Jaber calls an attempt to 'cause severe economic damage' to the country.
"'These were not offers based on need or trade,' Jaber claimed. 'They were designed to invalidate the religious legality of the sale and to eliminate vast inventories of leavened food, everything from warehouses and food plants to dairies and even industrial machinery.'
"The timing and nature of the proposals suggest a calculated effort to exploit a critical religious-economic tradition in Israel. Under Jewish law, leavened food must be removed or sold to a non-Jew before Passover. Any leavened food owned by Jews during Passover becomes forbidden even after the holiday ends.
"To avoid massive economic waste, businesses and institutions sell their leavened food in a legal transaction under Jewish law. For years, Jaber has served as the state's non-Jewish buyer in this arrangement, a trusted, if symbolic, role now revealed to carry geopolitical weight.
"Jaber noted that this is not the first time he has faced such pressure. 'In the past, even Saudi Arabia approached me with a similar offer,' he said, recalling that they, too, had no real use for the goods. 'Saudi Arabia didn’t need Israeli biscuits,' he remarked wryly, “they just wanted to cause damage.”
May 9, 2025 from the Yeshiva World:
"In a late-night vote, New York lawmakers passed the FY2026 state budget, delivering a win for yeshivos and nonpublic schools across the state. The budget includes significant increases in funding and expands key programs that support thousands of students in Jewish day schools and other nonpublic institutions.
"One of the most significant achievements is a $10 million increase to the state’s innovative STEM reimbursement program, bringing the total allocation to $85.5 million. This boost will enable more nonpublic school students to access high-quality instruction in science, technology, engineering, and math.
"Additionally, nonpublic schools will now be included in the state’s newly created Universal Free Meals program. This landmark policy ensures that all students, regardless of the school they attend, will receive free, nutritious meals each day—a long-standing goal of education advocates who have fought for equal treatment.
"Security funding for nonpublic schools was also renewed and expanded, with $70 million allocated for the Nonpublic School Safety Equipment (NPSE) program and $35 million set aside for the Securing Communities Against Hate Crimes (SCAHC) initiative.
"The state also maintained funding for other vital programs, including $230 million for mandated services reimbursement (CAP/MSR) and $5 million to support arts and music instruction in nonpublic schools.
March 21, 2025 from Agfunder News:
"The race is on to find more sustainable, functional, or healthy alternatives to animal and tropical fats (coconut, palm, cocoa). But does the next generation of “designer fats” fit the bill?
"While several startups in the novel fats space are coaxing microbes or animal cells to produce some of these more saturated fats, San Jose, Calif.-based Savor is deploying a thermochemical approach which it claims is more scalable, whereby it takes a carbon source and a hydrogen source, heats them up and oxidizes them to create fatty acids.
"The company launched its first product from its pilot facility in Illinois: animal-and-plant-free butter.
"Labeling is still to be determined for the butter alternative, which has self-GRAS (generally recognized as safe) status in the US, and is targeting baking, confectionery and dairy applications. A cocoa butter equivalent will follow soon.
"To date, Savor has developed multiple prototypes that replicate the functional properties of milkfat, cocoa butter, lard, beef tallow and liquid vegetable oils
"The 25,000-square-foot pilot production facility in Batavia, Illinois, has the initial capacity to produce metric tons of fat, said the firm, which has 10 pending and issued patents covering its process 'from feedstock to final products as well as several families of product formulations.'"
May 1, 2025 from CPSC in Conjunction with the Government of Canada-->:
SharkNinja Foodi OP300 Series Multi-Function Pressure Cookers have been recalled because the pressure-cooking lid can be opened during use, causing hot contents to escape, posing a risk of burn injuries to consumers.
Consumer Contact: SharkNinja toll-free at 888-370-1733 from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. ET Monday through Friday and 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. ET Saturday, email at sharkninja@rqa-inc.com, or online at https://www.rqa-inc.com/client/SharkNinja/ or www.ninjakitchen.com and click on “Recalls” under “Support” at the top of the page.
Description: This recall involves all Ninja Foodi OP300 Series Multi-Function Pressure Cookers. The cookers have functions that include pressure cooking and air frying. They were sold in black and have a 6.5-quart capacity. “Ninja” is printed on the front of each unit and on the product label. Model numbers OP300, OP301, OP301A, OP302, OP302BRN, OP302HCN, OP302HAQ, OP302HW, OP302HB, OP305, OP305CO and OP350CO are included in this recall and are printed on a label on the side of the cooker. An additional code following the model number is not part of that model designation. For example, a unit labeled “OP301 I07” is a model OP301 unit. Any OP300 series replacement pressure cooker lids purchased as an additional part are also included in this recall.
Remedy: Consumers should immediately stop using the product’s pressure-cooking function and contact SharkNinja for a free replacement lid. Consumers can continue to use the product’s air frying and other functions.
Incidents/Injuries: SharkNinja has received 106 reports of burn injuries, including more than 50 reports of second- or third-degree burns to the face or body, with 26 lawsuits filed.
Sold At: Walmart, Costco, Sam’s Club, Amazon and Target stores nationwide, and online at www.Ninjakitchen.com, www.walmart.com, www.costco.com, www.samsclub.com, www.amazon.com and www.target.com from January 2019 through March 2025 for about $200.
April 28, 2025 from Israel National News:
"Following Tnuva's announcement that the prices of dairy products not under government price controls will rise, dairy giants Strauss and Tara have announced similar hikes.
"Strauss' price hike will take effect in early June, while Tara's will take effect on May 18.
"In its announcement, Strauss stated: 'Following the government’s announcement of the increase in the cost of price-controlled dairy products, Strauss is announcing an update to the retail price list. The update will apply to price-controlled dairy products and related dairy products, which make up to half of all dairy products, at a rate of up to 1.5%, and an average rate of about 1% on all dairy products. The update will take effect after the Shavuot holiday, on June 3, 2025.'
"Earlier, Unilever also announced an average price increase of 3.5%, with the prices of some products increasing by up to 9%."
April 24, 2025 from JTA:
"As soon as news broke this week that the Food and Drug Administration was suspending federal testing of commercially produced milk, the Orthodox Union’s hotline lit up.
"The flood of inquiries was “off the hook … crazy: emails, calls, WhatsApp, everything,” said Rabbi Avrohom Gordimer, chair of the dairy committee at O.U. Kosher, the most recognizable kosher certifier in the United States.
"The callers were all anxious about the potential implications of the policy change on the kosher status of milk. Since 1954, most kosher-keeping American Jews have relied on an influential rabbi’s determination that government oversight of milk production is sufficient to render commercially produced milk kosher.
"The rabbi, Moshe Feinstein, was dealing with an age-old problem of Jewish law when he made his ruling.
"According to halacha, or traditional Jewish law, milk is only kosher if it comes from a kosher animal. One way to ensure that is the case is to consume only milk produced in a facility where Jews oversee every step of the process — relatively easy to accomplish in the pre-modern world, but less practical in the contemporary United States.
"Feinstein — considered one of the most important Jewish legal authorities of the 20th century — addressed the challenge by ruling that government regulations could effectively take the place of some aspects of Jewish supervision. Because the U.S. government both requires that only cow’s milk be called milk, and because inspectors are regularly dispatched to milk production facilities to ensure that all legal requirements are upheld, Jews could assume that commercial milk does not contain milk from non-kosher animals, Feinstein concluded.
"His opinion was so decisive and pivotal that the Orthodox Union cites it on its landing page for queries about milk. But what happens if the federal government overhauls or abandons its oversight of milk?
"Nothing, at least for now. That’s what Gordimer and his team have concluded after seeking to understand just what has changed at the FDA.
"This development has no impact whatsoever on the kosher status of ‘chalav stam’ (regular commercial milk) that Rabbi Feinstein permitted in the US, as the primary oversight of farms and dairy factories is performed by state governments; the FDA is a mere secondary body for this purpose,” he said by email.
"What’s more, Gordimer said, the testing that Kennedy suspended is meant only to detect certain contaminants and prohibited additives. Physical inspections, which he said are continuing uninterrupted, are different, and key to Feinstein’s ruling.
"'There has been no change in inspections, which are ongoing,' Gordimer said.
"Plus, the law prohibiting anything other than cow’s milk being sold as “milk” remains on the books."
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