פרשת נשא
Brand
Beech-Nut
Product
All Beech-Nut Baby Food items
Company
Beech-Nut
Issue
The Orthodox Union is no longer certifying Beech-Nut baby foods. The products with an OU Symbol are certified, and the products without the OU Symbol are no longer certified. The marketplace may have both certified and non-certified products side by side. Consumers should look for the OU Symbol.
OU Kosher Advisory Kohana Espresso
Brand
Kohana
Product
Double Espresso – various flavors
Company
Westrock Coffee Co.
Issue
Missing OU D- Dairy designation The Orthodox Union certifies Kohana Double Espresso as an OU D – Dairy product. This product contains dairy, as indicated in the ingredients and allergens statements. Some labels bear an OU mark without the D – Dairy designation. Corrective actions are being implemented.
OK Kosher
Kosher Advisory – The Milky Way
Restaurant: The Milky Way (9108 W Pico Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90035)
Please be advised that as of May 22, 2025, The Milky Way (9108 W Pico Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90035) is no longer certified by OK Kosher Certification.
(note: it is now reliably certified by the Rabbinical Council of California the – RCC)
Dorot Carrots from Eretz Yisroel found at Shoprite and other locations are reliably certified. Trumos & Maasros have been taken.
Product: Cubix Edibles
Issue: Unauthorized Use of OK
Various products containing THC sold under the brand ‘Cubix’ bear an unauthorized OK trademark.
These products are not certified by OK Kosher Certification.
OK Kosher does not currently certify any recreational THC products.
Corrective actions are being taken.
SHAVUOS (eating meat after dairy)
There is a מנהג to eat a dairy meal on שבועות. Some follow the Minhag of the Steipler to eat a dairy meal at night. Others prefer to have an early dairy meal during the morning, Bentch,take a break to have הסך הדעת and then wash again and have a meat meal. This is due to concerns that ושמחת בחגך may require a meat meal. There are many reasons given for eating dairy on שבועות: Reb Moshe understood from the רמ”א that having a milk meal followed by a meat meal requires separate Challas. This reminds us of the שתי הלחם. Until מתן תורה milk was אסור as Eiver Min Hachai. The Steipler would eat the dairy meal at night. The גמרא in חולין says that we can eat meat after a dairy meal. In ירה דעה the need for קינוח והדחה after eating dairy is added, washing well one’s mouth in between.to clean it.
The רמב”ם Paskens that we must wait 6 hours between meat to milk.רש”י says that this is due to lingering taste of the meat. The רמב”ם says the wait is due to strings of meat that may be caught in ones teeth. Most Poskim agree (ש”ע ,(טור לחם משנה פרי מגדים בן איש חי ו. In YD 89 the רמה ומחבר agree that after hard or pungent cheese we need to wait for the same as we do between meat and milk. The שך says that cheese is considered hard after aging for about 6 months. Rav Aharon Kotler ztl defined hard cheese as having to be grated and not sliced. The יד יהודה (YYK 89:30) says that if the hard cheese was melted one no longer needs to wait before eating meat.
In most cases one must wait after eating hard cheese that was aged 6 months or more before eating meat the same amount of time that they wait after eating meat before eating dairy. For most of the world that is 6 hours. The following list compiled by the o/u shows which types of cheese are generally aged long enough to be called a hard cheese:
Note: the following are not hard cheese: American cheese, Brie, Caciocayallo(fresh), Camembert, Mild Chedder, Chevre/goat cheese, Colby, Edam, Emmental Classic, Feta (goat or cow) Golden jack, Gouda, Halloumi, Kashkaval, Montaggio, Monterey Jack (American market), Mozzarella, Muenster, Pepper Jack (American market) Queso Quesadilla, Swiss (American made).
Please be advised that as of May 22, 2025, the Milky Way Restaurant at 9108 W. Pico Blvd. in Los Angeles is no longer certified Kosher by the O/K supervision.
The restaurant’s new hashgacha, as of May 22, 2025,, is RCC (Rabbinical Council of California).
Kedem Lite Grape Juice has become indispensable for many seeking to lower sugar intake while partaking in such Mitzvos as Kiddush and the Arba Kosos. The secret to low-sugar grape juice is to use lower sugar grapes. Kedem Light Grape Juice uses early harvest Concord grapes which are picked at about 11-13 Brix (end harvest concord grapes will reach 18 Brix). Some have questioned whether these grapes are “boser” *unripe grapes).
The beracha on boser is “Ha’odama (not Ha’Eitz) and Sharei Teshuva writes that the beracha on juicwe made from boser grapes is Shehakol (not Ha’Gafen). However, the grapes in question are full sized and purple. They look the same as other ripened Concord grapes and taste less sweet and more tart than regular grapes. The MIshna Berurah writes that once grapes have the appearance of ripened grapes, they are no longer boser. Furthermore, the Levush writes that boser refers to grapes that cannot be made into wine. This does not apply to thee grapes, since they CAN be made into a wine, albeit with lower alcohol level (about a 506%. To lower the sugar more, Kedem Light Grape Juice is also diluted with about 33% water. Therefore, the beracha on Light Grape Juice is borei Pri Ha’Gafen. It is not recommended to add additional water to Lite Grape Juice.
Due to a packaging error, a limited amount of Sabra Hummus Classic (10 oz.), sold in Canada, (Exp 3/17/25 and 3/18/25) is missing the O/K symbol. This product is certified Kosher pareve by O/K and Rabbi Weissmandl.
I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter Salted Spread Sticks, a new version, contains Sweet Cream Buttermilk as stated on the label and bears an O/UD (dairy). I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter “Original” 45% Vegetable Oil Spread is also dairy and bears an O/UD. Other varieties, including Light, Vegan, Original 40% Vegetable Oil Spray and Garlic Spray are pareve and bear a plain O/U.
The following new sodas are Kosher/pareve and bear an O/U on the bottle cap or engraved into the can lid:
Coca Cola Orange Cream (regular and zero sugar)
Sprite Vanilla Frost Soda (limited edition)
The following new sodas and Kosher/pareve and require no symbol.
Pepsi Wild Cherry & Cream (regular and zero sugar)
Dr. Pepper Blackberry (regular and zero sugar)
Bake Station Bakery Rye Bread sold after January 27 2005 is not Yoshon until further notice.
Love, Corn Snacks, under KLBD supervision, has a new flavor – Sweet & Salty.
The following varieties of Ricola Throat Drops, when sold in bags or boxes, are recommended by the cRc (Chicago Rabbinical Council)…
Original (Natural) Herb
Honey Herb
Lemon Mint
Lemon Mint (Sugar Free)
These items are recommended only when sold in bags or boxes with no marking required. They are not recommended when sold in stick-packs.
Idahoan “Original mashed Potatoes” does not bear an O/U symbol on new boxes due to a printing error. This product continues to be certified O/U pareve.
The CRC has received inquiries about their Royo Bread as far as to what brachos should be made. They tell us that the bracha on the bread is Hamotzi (as it does include some grain requiring the bracha) and Netilas Yadayim & Birchas Hamazon as well.
One slice of bread includes roughly a K’zayis of flour. Therefore:
It is recommended for a person to eat at least 1.5 slices so that they can consume the required amount for washing and bentching.
If a person only eats a single slice, they should wash their hands and not make the bracha “Al Netilas Yadayim (as it is less a K’beitzah). However, they are halachically required to say Birchas Hamazon (as it is more than a K’zayis”.
Baskin-Robbins “Non-Dairy” Ice Cream & Sorbet Flavors, including Non-Dairy Cookies ‘n Creme, Non-Dairy Mint ChocoChunk, Daiquiri Ice and Lemon Sorbet, are certified Star-D Dairy. The Star-K has confirmed that these products should be considered Dairy and NOT only Dairy Equipment (DE).
The following new sodas are Kosher and pareve (no symbol required)…
Dr. Pepper Creamy Coconut (regular and Zero Sugar)
Mountain Dew Voo Dew 2024 Mystery Flavor (regular and Zero Sugar)
7-Up St. Pomegranate & Cherry (regular and Zero Sugar)
Smart Yid Co. in Lakewood, N.J. now manufactures Sabbath Mode products under Star-K supervision.
Kordas’ breads, rolls and buns from Metropolitan Baking Co. that bear the K-COR symbol are Pas Yisroel (Note: Kordas’s Greek Style Pita Bread and Kordas’ English Muffins are NOT K-COR certified).
Trader Joe’s Organic French Rolls and French Rolls and French Baguettes that bear MK certification (Montreal) are Pas Yisroel.
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