Message from the Guide to Chodosh

[Y. Herman]

THE FOLLOWING AS OF 24 DEC 00

Geffen and Unger, a Tale of Two Barleys

(Preliminary note: The Guide is divided into two sections, those items for
which a reliable mashgiach checks the facts are listed in the first section of
the Guide. The second section lists items that are Yoshon according to the
testimony of the company, without the supervision of a mashgiach. The facts
listed below about Geffen and Unger barley would belong in the second section,
based only on the information given by the Geffen and Unger companies
themselves about their own products.)

Both the Geffen and Unger companies made provisions before the Chodosh season
began to put away Yoshon barley in unprocessed form for processing and packing
till pesach. Each gave a contract to a different non-Jewish company to pack
their stored barley as needed. There is no mashgiach at either company to
confirm that the barley that is packed is Yoshon. Each company claims that
their product is Yoshon the entire season. Therefore, according to the
convention of the second section of the Guide, each company’s barley should be
listed as being Yoshon. Why is it that we feel more comfortable recommending
Geffen as being Yoshon and we hesitate to recommend Unger’s barley?

According to the Geffen company, they have contracted to have the barley packed
by a company that does not pack any other barley of any type at all. Therefore,
there is no chance to mix up the Chodosh and Yoshon barley by accident or on
purpose. On the other hand, Unger informed us that they have arranged for the
barley under their name to be packed by a different company, which produces it
own brand of Chodosh barley throughout the entire season. This provides the
opportunity for Chodosh and Yoshon barley to be mixed up, with no control to
prevent it, other than the non-Jewish help performing the work. 

Both companies are advertising that their barley is Yoshon. We suggest that you
consult your own posek about the arrangements made by each company. However, we
feel uncomfortable recommending the Unger arrangement. We have voiced our
reservations to the Unger company and  made repeated efforts to contact the
Unger company to discuss this matter. So far we have not been successful in
reaching the people of responsibility there, or in having them return our phone
calls. If anyone reading this is familiar with the proprietors of Ungers,
perhaps they can persuade the company that open communications is to their
benefit.


OTHER CHANGES AND CORRECTIONS

Bread Basket Bakery, 703 Kings Highway, Brooklyn is no longer under the
hashgocho of Rabbi Gornish. It is not recommended for Yoshon pending further
clarifications.

Unique Pastry Bakery, Enrico CA. Jelly donuts (sufganiyot) are no longer
Yoshon, as of  Dec 13. All other items baked on premises are still Yoshon,
under the hashgocho of Rabbi Simkin.

The Guide lists the phone number of the Chicago Rabbinical Council as
(773)588-1600. The new number is (773) 465-3900.




NEWS AS OF 10 DEC 00

The second issue of the Guide to  Chodosh for the year 5761 has been printed.
So far as we know, by now all the paid subscriptions have been mailed out. The
last batch was taken to the post office on Dec. 7. Those who wish to get an
unformatted e mail version of this new Guide will find instructions on how to
request it at the end of this note. The following are news and corrections that
came in since the publications of the second Guide.

BARLEY: Geffen Barley is expected to be Yoshon (without hashgocho for Yoshon)
until pesach. Ungers barley is not recommended as Yoshon at this time. If
purchased up to October 6, it is probably Yoshon.

QUAKER OATS Co. The Guide lists cereals where the date on the package is 12
months or 18 months after packing. Where the date is 12 months, it should be 12
times 30 days, not a full year of 365 days. Similarly, the date of 18 months
should be 18 times 30 days. Therefore, the oats in Quaker cereals is Chodosh
starting with the packing date of Aug 14. From this date, 12 months of 30 days
gives a package date of Aug 9, 2001. A delay of 18 months, for example for hot
Quaker oats,  gives a package date of Feb. 5, 2002. Similarly 12 months from
the wheat Chodosh packing date Aug 25 is Aug 20, 2001, and 18 months from Aug
25 is Feb 16, 2002. For all forms of Quaker barley the Chodosh packing date is
Nov 8. The barley package date is 18 months later, May 2, 2002. Some small,
single servings of Quaker ready to cook oats have a different code system. For
these, the oats Chodosh packing date of Aug 14 is coded on the package as
0M14H3 (0=year, M=not important, 14=date, H=Aug in alph. order.)

KORN BAKERY. The Guide states that Korn 2 pound size rye bread is only Yoshon
with a Yoshon label and that Korn whole wheat bread is not Yoshon. In fact, the
2 pound loaves of rye bread and whole wheat breads are both Yoshon without a
Yoshon label.

PASKESZ cookies. The Guide is contradictory. In fact all Paskesz cookies with
the hashogocho for kashrus of Rav Gruber, are guaranteed to be Yoshon only if
Yoshon is printed on the label.

KEMACH updates: WARNING: Kemach flat breads may be Chodosh starting a purchase
date of Dec 15, NOT Dec 31. The Chodosh packing date for malt in all Kemach
cereals is Jan. 8, 2001, package date is Jan 8, 2002 (1 year after packing.)
During the discussion in the Guide of Kemach bulk pasta, the same items were by
mistake listed twice with conflicting dates. The Guide stated on page 14 of the
second issue, “Pasta in bulk sizes: Egg bowties, egg barley Chodosh code
for Oct
1 is 2750 (275=day of year, 0=year). Packages in 10 pound sizes for noodles and
20 pound boxes of pasta, if the code begins "P9..." then the Chodosh date is
Dec 1, code P0336 (0=year, 336=day of year). Packages in 10 pound sizes for bow
ties, and egg barley Chodosh date Oct 30, code xxxx3040xxx (first 4 and last 3
characters not important, 304=day of the year, 0=year.) “ The correct date for
all items listed above as being Oct 1 should have been Oct 30. Furthermore, ten
pound sizes of noodles and egg barley without any code are Yoshon at all times.

NATURE VALLEY GRANOLA BARS have a revised Chodosh date of  Nov 6. The package
code is Nov 6, 2001 (1 year after packing.)

FLOUR USA sells high gluten flour is brown paper bags in kosher groceries in
Brooklyn. Apparently some groceries have been putting up signs that this flour
is Yoshon. According to the company, this flour is not Yoshon at this time.
They are looking into the possibility of packing Yoshon flour at some future
date.

LANDAU whole wheat pasta and TAANUG products. The company is trying to compile
reliable Yoshon information about these products. When the information becomes
available, we hope to notify people through future updates.

KING ARTHUR Special for Machine bread flour has the probable Chodosh packing
date of Aug 25. The code on the package may either be Aug 25, 2001 (1 year
after packing) or J1A25A (J=Aug in alph. order, 1=2001 1 year after packing,
A=not important, 25=day, A=not important.)

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