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Food News


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.

Newer news

Fire 'Heimishe Matzos' matzah bakery, Kiryas Zanz, Netanya, Israel

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."

The previous item can be cited with the URL: https://www.kashrut.com/News/?alert=W1366

Kosher Holiday Inn Kitchen Opens in Albany for Local Community And Travelers

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."

The previous item can be cited with the URL: https://www.kashrut.com/News/?alert=W1368

NYC’s Bravo Kosher Pizza in Midtown is Moving to 5th Ave

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. "

The previous item can be cited with the URL: https://www.kashrut.com/News/?alert=W1367

Kids' BMIs Dropped After Federal School Lunch Overhaul

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."


New rules would limit sugar in school meals for first time

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.

The previous item can be cited with the URL: https://www.kashrut.com/News/?alert=W1365

Egg Prices For Wholesale Have Dropped 52% — Here's What That Could Mean For Your Grocery Bill

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."


Egg prices to remain high for as long as bird flu continues, experts say

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."

The previous item can be cited with the URL: https://www.kashrut.com/News/?alert=W1362

Colgate-Palmolive Recalls Fabuloso Multi-Purpose Cleaners Due to Risk of Exposure to Bacteria

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.

The previous item can be cited with the URL: https://www.kashrut.com/News/?alert=W1363

Major Israeli food manufacturer reports more milk shortages

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."

The previous item can be cited with the URL: https://www.kashrut.com/News/?alert=W1361

Israel: Religious Israeli eats non-kosher meal after misleading sign

January 31, 2023 - from YNetNews:

"An Israeli religious man filed a class action suit against Burger King Israel after he mistakenly ate an unkosher meal at the branch inside the Azrieli Hod HaSharon Mall.

"The man claimed that there was a sign inside the mall indicating the branch was kosher.

"He ate a cheeseburger he said he thought was made of vegan cheese and even asked the staff how they were able to create a taste so similar to ordinary cheese, but was then told that it was ordinary cheese.

"The religious man was shocked and was informed that the branch used to be Kosher but that it was no longer so.

"In response, Burger King Israel claimed that in 2021 it decided to turn the branch in question from a kosher to a non-kosher branch. The fast food company turned to the mall and asked to remove all signs stating the branch was kosher, including the sign hanging on the wall of the mall.

"According to the chain, the mall managers informed them that the signs were removed however after the class action suit was filed last May, Burger King Israel found out the Azrieli mall management left some of the misleading signs in place."

The previous item can be cited with the URL: https://www.kashrut.com/News/?alert=W1360

Vegan Diet Outranks Keto as America’s Most Popular Diet

January 127, 2023 - from Chef's Pencil:

"It’s January 2023 and the first month of the year is also the busiest month of the year for diet-seekers. So we turned, yet again, to Google Adwords and Google Trends for insights on the latest dieting patterns and trends.

"Last year alone, Americans made over 600 million diet-related searches on Google (including searches on supplements and vitamins), according to data from Google Adwords, with January being the busiest month of the year.

"Clearly, if you’ve ever thought about starting a new diet at the beginning of the year, you’re not alone. Much of the world sees New Year’s Day as a time to make lifestyle changes or commit to new habits, and the proportion of Google searches dedicated to diet and nutrition on New Year’s Day can be nearly double that during the last week of the preceding year.

"Overall, interest in dieting steadily drops as each year progresses, until the next New Year’s Day comes around.

"Our research is based on Google Trends data for the year 2022. We also got a glance of diet searches for the first few days of January 2023, and they largely confirm the 2022 trends.

"Searches related to a diet are grouped by Google into topics (i.e. Ketogenic Diet, Veganism, MIND Diet), which include all keywords related to that particular topic. For example, for the ketogenic diet topic, Google will report its popularity score by looking at all keto-related keywords such as keto recipes, keto meal plan, keto for beginners, etc.

"Since 2018, keto has been America’s most popular diet, holding the crown for four consecutive years, according to Google Trends data. But that has come to an end as veganism came to outrank keto, and it’s now the most popular diet in the United States.

"However, the most popular local diet depends on where you live. Veganism is most popular in coastal states and the District of Columbia. Oregon tops the state-specific veganism popularity chart, followed by Hawaii, New York, New Jersey, and California.

"In states such as Utah, Arizona, North Carolina, and New Hampshire, veganism is just slightly more popular than keto. But in Mississippi, West Virginia, the Dakotas, Alabama, and Wyoming, keto is the top diet by a wide margin."

The article lists the following order of diets people searched for on Google:

  1. Vegan Diet
  2. Ketogenic Diet WeightWatchers Diet
  3. Vegetarian Diet
  4. Intermittent Fasting
  5. Mediterranean Diet

The previous item can be cited with the URL: https://www.kashrut.com/News/?alert=W1359

Is lab-grown steak kosher? Religious leaders weigh the sensitive question

January 27, 2023 - from The Washington Post:

"Meat grown in a lab from cells is challenging religious leaders to ponder the nuances of dietary laws

"Is lab-grown meat truly meat?

"The question is increasingly being asked as consumers prepare for the proliferation of cultivated meat, which is grown from animal cells in a lab, no slaughter involved. But whether it qualifies as meat is being debated not just by vegetarians and vegans. Faith leaders are grappling with how to treat it under religious dietary guidelines.

"Last week, the leader of Israel’s Chief Rabbinate — a bellwether rabbinic council for religious certifications in Judaism — declared that an Israeli company’s lab-grown steak is “pareve.” That means, in his view, it is not milk or meat and that therefore the eating of the two together by those who follow a kosher diet is not forbidden.

"But the declaration was greeted with surprise by Rabbi Menachem Genack, the chief executive of the Orthodox Union Kosher Division in New York. Orthodox Union Kosher is an influential federation of Orthodox synagogues in the United States and Canada. Genack, in an interview with The Washington Post, suggested that his organization may take a different view.

"This debate is the latest example of how this novel form of meat, which is about to arrive on the U.S. market, is shaking up norms and raising vexing questions. Cultivated meat is being hailed as a humane and climate-friendly solution to traditional animal agriculture, which has increasingly come under fire for its contribution to the warming of the planet.

"As of now, Singapore is the only country in which these products are legally sold to consumers. But the U.S. Food and Drug Administration concluded late last year that cultivated chicken from a California company is safe to eat, likely to open the floodgates for lab-grown meat to be available for sale in the United States in the coming months.

"Many religions — including Islam, Hinduism, Seventh-day Adventism and Judaism — have practitioners who adhere to faith-based dietary restrictions.

"The spiritual question, at its most basic, is: If it looks like a duck, quacks like a duck, tastes like a duck, but you’re not supposed to eat a duck, does God consider this “cheating”? Some faith leaders suggest that if technology enables humans to eat foods that are more environmentally sustainable, reduce animal suffering and potentially improve human health, surely any divinity would applaud this development. Others focus more on faithfulness to original intent.

"Genack, of the Orthodox Union Kosher Division, said on the evening of the Chief Rabbinate’s decision, “The Orthodox Union is taking a different position. One opinion is it’s considered meat; they took the position that it’s completely pareve [and thus not meat]

"Fresh off a flight from Israel, Genack said of Israeli Chief Rabbi David Baruch Lau, “I have a high regard for him. He wrote four or five pages discussing his position. we are going to have to review his responses. Applying ancient law to brand new technology is fascinating.”

"At issue for Genack: Anything derived from something not kosher is also not kosher. Kosher certification confirms that a food product has been properly vetted and monitored for rigorous compliance with traditional Jewish dietary law. These are rules about which foods are allowed or forbidden, but also about how permitted foods must be produced, processed and prepared for eating.

"Kosher approval could mean a windfall to the Israeli cultivated-beef producer Aleph Farms. The size of the global kosher beef market is expected to attain a value of more than $100 billion by 2030. The growing preference for kosher beef in key countries such as the United States, France and Israel, which together account for more than 86 percent of the global Jewish population, is driving the market. About 10 percent of the United States’ 5.5 million Jews consider themselves Orthodox."

The previous item can be cited with the URL: https://www.kashrut.com/News/?alert=W1358
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