Bulletin from the Guide to Chodosh

[Y. Herman]

BULLETIN FROM THE GUIDE TO CHODOSH



18 Feb 04



The third and final issue of the Guide for the season was mailed out on 
Thursday, Feb. 12. Meanwhile you can receive via E mail a copy of this 
Guide free of charge using the addresses and methods described at the end 
of this message. We issued the notice that the newest Guide is available by 
E mail about a week ago. However, those who requested the plain text 
version only received the earlier, second issue. That item has now been 
updated to the latest issue. Please request that again for the updated 
version. We apologize for the trouble.



THE FOLLOWING ARE NEW ITEMS SINCE THE PRINTING OF THE 3RD ISSUE OF THE GUIDE





WARNING: We have received a warning from a mashgiach regarding soy sauce 
and teriyaki sauce. In the 3rd issue of the Guide we warned that soy sauce 
is used very frequently with Chinese foods. It appears that some 
restaurants which claim to be Yoshon are not aware of the fact that soy 
sauce may be Chodosh if it contains wheat flour. This mashgiach from a 
(non-Yoshon) non-Chinese restaurant pointed out that soy and teriyaki 
sauces are used by chefs in a great variety of foods as a standard 
condiment, even in non-Chinese foods. His restaurant even uses it in tuna 
fish salad! Many such sauces contain flour and may be Chodosh. We share his 
concern about how many Yoshonrestaurants and caterers are aware of this 
problem. Meanwhile let the consumer beware and ask before eating in 
restaurants. I would appreciate communications from those reading this. Do 
you know how widespread this problem may be? Please send me E mail (do not 
respond to this message. Rather, send me E mail at 
<mailto:yherman at earthlink.net>yherman at earthlink.net ) if you have any 
relevant information about either the frequency of use of these products or 
about the manufacturing processes of the sauces that may be relevant.



We have received many voice calls on the Hot Line about a product that 
sounded like Em Zee Fruit Flicks. If someone has a wrapper from this item, 
can they please E mail me the exact spelling of the company, the product 
and a sample code.



General Mills cereals that contain oats, the Chodosh packing date has 
changed from Oct 20 to Nov 11. All of the codes mentioned in the Guide for 
General Mills cereals with oats should be adjusted accordingly. Namely, for 
248 days, the oats date is changed from Jun 24 04 to Jul 15 04. For 279 the 
Jul 25 04 date is changed to Aug 16 04. For 310 days, the Aug 25 04 date is 
changed to Sept 15 04. For 372 days, the Oct 26 04 date is changed to Nov 
16 04.



Directly below is the first section of the Preface to the new Guide, 
summarizing the changes from the last issue.





SUMMARY OF CHANGES FROM THE PREVIOUS ISSUE OF THE GUIDE



NEW WARNINGS:
    * We have always stated that items made from spelt are always Yoshon. 
That was based on the fact that still holds that US-grown spelt is always 
Yoshon. However, with the increased imports of grain from Canada, some 
items made in the US are now from Canadian spelt that may be Chodosh. One 
example is Vita spelt (see below.) We are now in the process of reexamining 
the status of some domestic spelt products to see the source of their spelt 
flour.
    * Some items using flour made from winter wheat also list wheat starch 
in the ingredients. We used to state that the wheat starch is not a Chodosh 
problem. However, that may not always be accurate. An example of this is 
Duncan Hines products listed below.

·         We have been informed that many restaurants that serve Chinese 
food may not realize that almost all soy sauces contain wheat which may be 
Chodosh at this time. Apparently the soy sauce is a common ingredient in 
many of their dishes. As stated in the last Guide, we are only aware of two 
brands of soy sauce that are Yoshon, Gefen and LaChoy (La Choy does not 
contain wheat, check ingredients for oats and barley or malt.) We urge all 
those who want to order Chinese Yoshonfood, to check on the soy sauce.

·         Malt in Kellogs cereals. We have always been informed that the 
Chodosh malt is never shipped before Dec 15 of each year. The COR of 
Toronto informed us just before this Guide went to the printer that Kellogs 
in the  USA may have received Chodosh malt as early as Nov 21. We have not 
had the time to investigate this further. Meanwhile we have revised the 
Kellogs listing to recommend Nov 21 as the Chodosh packing date for malt. 
Thusfar we are not recommending any changes in the malt dates for other 
companies, pending further investigation.



OTHER NEWS AND CHANGES



Gefilte Fish. So far as we know, all gefilte fish are Yoshon. Most contain 
matzo meal. A&B Gefilte fish contains bread crumbs, but they use only 
Yoshon bread.



HADAR PRODUCTS-PLEASE Please DO NOT CALL the Chodosh Hot Line regarding 
Hadar products. The mashgiach for Hadar insists that we respond to all 
inquiries by stating that only items stating Yoshonon the label are to be 
accepted as Yoshon. All others may be Chodosh and no dating codes will be 
given.



Ð Liebers. The following products are Yoshon: all soups, soup mixes and 
soups in cups, all cookies and cereals without oats, (with oats they are 
probably Chodosh) bread crumbs, corn chips, ice cream cones, all cake 
mixes, licorice, candies, Coat & Bake baking spray, all under the hashgocho 
of Rav Weissmadl.

WARNING: × Liebers brownies are now Chodosh.



Ð Empire pizza, hot dog wraps are Yoshon under the hashgocho of the O-U.



Ð Glicks baking spray with flour is Yoshon, under the hashghocho of the KAJ.



Ð Kineret pizza, hot dog wraps are Yoshon under the hashgocho of the O-U. 
The following Yoshon under the hashgocho of Rav Weissmandl: Kineret frozen 
chalehs. Also Yoshon under the hashgocho of Rav Weissmandl are Kineret and 
Kosherrific fish products and onion rings.



Ð Mishpacha flours, all purpose and high gluten, are all Yoshon under the 
hashgocho of Rav Aron Teitelbaum, the Nirbator Rav. Also Yoshon are 
Mishpacha baking spray with flour, bread crumbs, matzo balls. All items 
that are Yoshon have a Yoshon label on the package.

  × NOT Yoshon is Mishpacha Chow Mein noodles.



Ð Old City Café pizza, hot dog wraps are Yoshon under the hashgocho of the 
O-U. Rav Weissmandl certifies the above as Yoshon plus also burritos and 
macaroni and cheese dinners.



Ð Old City pasta and pizza products are Yoshon. Under the hashgocho of Rav 
Weissmandl.



Ð Sabra Salads when displaing the B'Datz Mehadrin logo are Yoshon under the 
hashgocho of Rabbi Yehudah Shain.



Ð Setton International licorice is Yoshon. Under the hashgocho of Rav 
Weissmandl.



Ð Upscale Foods, St.Paul Minnesota. The following are Yoshon under the 
hashgocho of United Mehadrin Kosher, St. Paul MN: Pizzas, Tortillas, 
burritos, enchilada-Salsa. (Note the Upscale Foods produces Old City Café, 
Empire and Kineret products listed in this section.



Ñ Gefen barley packed in November through least the packing date of Dec 8, 
code 8 DE 05 (8=day, DE=December, 05=year+2), is Yoshon under the hashgocho 
of Rabbis Perez and Freedman. Gefen barley packed before November is Yoshon 
without hashgocho. Gefen chocolate wafers, Tam Tam crackers and Tariaki 
sauce are all Yoshon without hashgocho for Yoshon.



Ñ Kemach Minestrone soup mix is Chodosh starting with a code of 2685 
(268=day of the year, 5=year+2). Vegetable soup mix is Chodosh starting 
with a code of 3535. All other soup mixes may be Chodosh if purchased after 
Jan 26 04. The malt in Kemach cereals, and crackers may be Chodosh starting 
with a packing date of Jan 1 04. The code for cereals for Jan 1 is Jan 1 05 
(1 year after packing) as last year. For crackers the code is 4 001 
(4=year, 001 is day of the year.) For oats in cookies, the Chodosh date is 
Dec 1, code 3 335.



Ñ Larom products including frozen dough items are Yoshon as of Jan. 12, but 
may be Chodosh now. Under the hashgocho of Rav Weissmandl.



Ñ Smackin Good potato knishes are Chodosh now. Waffles were Yoshon as of 
the purchase date of Jan 12, but may be Chodosh at this time.  Under the 
hashgocho of Rav Weissmandl.



Ò Landau Whole wheat pretzels and whole wheat pasta from the Landlev Corp 
are Yoshon.



Ò Windmill Farms spelt breads without wheat are Yoshon. Organic wheat 
breads are also Yoshon since they use winter wheat flour.



Ó Barbaras Bakery.We have received a complete list of dating codes for the 
full line of Barbara cereals, and other products. If you have a question 
about a specific item call the Hot Line (845-356-5743) or send an E mail 
message with the exact name on the product wrapper.



Ó Barilla Pasta code given in the Guide is correct, with a slight 
modification: The probable Chodosh date of Sept 15 may have a code like 
436583. (Start from the last digit, 3=year. Take the next 3 digits before 
the last one, 658 and subtract 400 to yield 258, the day of the year for 
Sept 15. The first digits such as 43 are not important.)



ÒÓ ConAgra H&R (Hotel and Restaurant) flour from factory MC is always 
Yoshon. Malt may be Chodosh staring the packing date of Jan 15 code 
MC011504 (MC=factory, 01=Jan, 15=day, 04=year). However note in the 
discussion about malt that according to many poskim malt is botul in baking 
flour.



:Ó Duncan Hines cake and cookie mixes. The Guide has always stated that 
these are from winter wheat, inferring that they are always Yoshon. 
According to the O-U mashgiach, the flour used for the mixes is indeed 
winter wheat. HOWEVER, the wheat starch is mostly from spring wheat and is 
probably Chodosh starting with a packing date of Aug 15. The code for Aug 
15 is either 3227 (3=year, 227=day of the year) or 227M3 (227=day of the 
year, M=not important, 3=year).



Ó Goodmans Rice with Vermicelli has the Chodosh date of Sept 1, code 2445 
(244=day of the year, 5=year+2).



Ó Hodgson Mills spelt flour and wheat germ are both  Yoshon (without 
hashgocho). Hodgson Mills products have a code clarification: Whole wheat 
pasta and whole wheat organic pasta code is a date 2 years after packing. 
Probable Chodosh code Sept 15 05. All others 18 months, as listed in the 
previous Guide.



Ó Rice Dream contains a tiny amount of barley protein. We are unable to 
ascertain the halachic significance of this additive. Therefore, to avoid 
any questions of Chodosh, use the Chodosh cutoff packing date of Sept 15. 
For Rice Dream beverages that do not require refrigeration at the store the 
code is Sept 15 04 (1 year after packing.) For Rice Dream in the 
refrigerated cases at the store, the code is Oct 30 03 (45 days after packing.)



Ó Vita spelt flour from Purity Foods. The whole grain spelt flour is 
Yoshon. The white spelt flour may be Chodosh starting with the packing date 
of Sept 1, code March 1 04 (6 months after packing.)



× Liebers brownies are now Chodosh.



× Martisco barley can not be recommended as Yoshon until we receive further 
updates.

× Weinz potato chips may be Chodosh at this time according to the mashgiach.





NEW YOSHON-PRODUCING FACILITIES



Ò Gotta Getta Bagel shops 311 Central Ave, Lawrence, NY 11559 
(516-374-1131) and 1039 Broadway, Woodmere, NY (516) 569-6628. All items 
produced in the stores are Yoshon (without hashgocho for Yoshon).



Ò Lekach Tov Bakery, 4809 New Utrecht Ave, Brooklyn, 718-435-5650. All 
chalehs, cakes and cookies are Yoshon, without hashgocho for Yoshon.



Ò Weiss Wholesale Bakery, 143 Front St., Brooklyn, NY 11201. All items 
baked are Yoshon without hashgocho for Yoshon.



Ó Circa Restaurant, 1505 Ave J, Brooklyn. The following are Yoshon without 
hashogocho: pizza, wraps, pasta and pastries. The following are Chodosh: 
breads, bagels, French fries.



******************************



HOW TO ORDER THE GUIDE TO CHODOSH TO BE SENT TO YOU BY E MAIL



You can order that the Guide be sent to you by E mail free of charge. There 
are two versions available, the PDF version and a plain text version. The 
PDF version is recommended for those who are able to read PDF files on 
their computers. The PDF version is an exact copy of the Guide, including 
the Hebrew letters used this year to sort all products and services into 
one of 5 categories and the page numbers used in the indexes. For those who 
can not read PDF files, the only option is the plain text version that 
loses much formatting and symbols.



To order the PDF version by E mail

DO NOT send any message to me at  yherman at earthlink.net. Instead

DO send a plain blank message to: chodosh at moruda.com.

We have received several E mail messages from people who have tried to get 
the PDF version of the Guide (see below) by sending a message to 
chodosh at moruda.com and have not received any response. At least in some of 
those cases, it was due to the fact that the E mail service that they were 
using would block the return message which is supposed to contain an 
attachment that is as large than 500 Kbytes. If your mail service does not 
block large attachments and have trouble getting the PDF file, send me a 
message at yherman at earthlink.net. However, please try the automatic method 
first.

To receive the plain text version,

DO NOT send any message to me at  yherman at earthlink.net. Instead

DO send an E mail message to: chodosh-request at jif.org.il

In the body of the message type:

Get Guide.txt

Make sure you capitalize as shown. You can also order text versions of the 
following:


get Guidelines.txt

This gets a long report on Guidelines to Mashgichim on Chodosh. This has 
not been updated in the  last few years, but is still substantially valid.



get News.txt

This gives the latest news bulletin, such as this note.



To send an E mail message to the Guide, please address it to: 
yherman at earthlink.net.



Before you discontinue using an E-mail service, please unsubscribe from 
this list by sending a message to:

chodosh-unsubscribe at jif.org.il.

Then if you wish to resume receiving these messages from your new service, 
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