MANY PRODUCTS ARE MADE IN ASSORTED VARIETIES,and they may not all have the same Kosher status. Some may be Pareve, some Dairy, some Meat, and some non-Kosher. This can cause mistakes, and the consumer must be very vigilant in checking every label for its correct status. Following are some common examples:
TABATCHNICK SOUPS and BROTHS: Many are Star-K Pareve, some are Star-D Dairy (not Cholov Yisroel), and some are Star-K Meat. Note that New EnglandPotato Soupis dairy and bears Star-D Dairy, while Old FashionedPotato Soupis pareve. Note also that Frenchman’s Onion Soupand Wilderness Wild Rice Soupcontain meat and bear Star-K Meat, even though there is no hint of meat in their names.
IMAGINE ORGANIC SOUPS and BROTHS: Some are OU Pareve, some are OU Meat, and many are not Kosher. Note that “KosherFree Range Chicken Broth”is Kosher and bears OU Meat, while regular “Free Range Chicken Broth”is not Kosher.
NEAR EAST RICE MIXES and COUSCOUS MIXES: Most are plain OU (i.e. Pareve), some are OU-D (Dairy), and some are OU Meat or OU-M (= Meat). Note that Pearled Couscous Basil & Herbcontains dairy ingredients and bears OU-D.
LIPTON RECIPE SECRETS SOUP MIXES (in Onion, Vegetable and Ranch varieties) and LIPTON SOUP SECRETS NOODLE SOUP –CHICKEN FLAVORare produced in both Israel and the U.S. The Israel product says“Kosher”in large letters on the front and bears an OU symbol, and “OU Meat” on the Noodle variety. The U.S. product is notKosher and bears no Kosher marking. At some stores the Kosher and non-Kosher versions may both be found on the same shelves. Check every box carefully.
The MK SYMBOLon SEASON’S CHOICE frozen BROCCOLI FLORETS andCALIFORNIA MEDLEYsold at Aldi, and on TRADER JOE’S ORGANIC OLIVE OIL SPRAY,is an MK in a circle and the word Kosher in Hebrew and English inside the circle, to the right of the K. This is notthe MK symbol of Montreal or Manchester, but is from Monterrey, Mexico, and is not recommended.
HURST’S HAMBEENS BEAN SOUPmixes bear an OK symbol on the bag, and contain seasoning packets labeled as Beef Flavor, Ham Flavor, Bacon Flavor, etc. Similarly, OUR FAMILY 16 BEAN SOUP MIXbears an OU on the bag, and contains a Ham Seasoning packet.
Although the packets do not bear a Kosher symbol, they are nevertheless certified Kosher and Pareve, despite their non-Kosher sounding names.
CHAI TEA LATTE SIGNS AT 7-ELEVEN STORESon the hot beverage dispenser machine bear an unauthorized OK symbol. The OK does not certify any 7-Eleven retail locations or products prepared on premises. (We have covered up the OK symbol at the four local 7-Eleven stores that are K-COR certified for Kosher slurpees.)
- HIGGS brand CORNIES CHILI CHEESE FLAVORED CORN CHIPSsold at Save-A-Lot bears an unauthorized Kof-K symbol on some bags. This product is not Kof-K certified. J. Higgs brand Cornies in Originaland Dippin’varieties, however, arecertified Kosher Pareve when bearing the Kof-K symbol.
GREAT VALUE “LIGHT” CRANBERRY JUICE COCKTAILsold at Walmart bears an unauthorized OU symbol on some containers. This product contains grape juice and is not OU certified. Regularand DietGreat Value Cranberry Juice Cocktail drinks, however, areOU certified when bearing the OU symbol.
MIA PIZZA CRUSTS KITSare currently not certified as Kosher, due to a change in the production process, and no longer bear the MK [Montreal] symbol.
SAMUEL ADAMS CHOCOLATE BOCK BEERis now Star-D Dairy certified (not Cholov Yisroel) and will bear the Star-D symbol. Bottles bearing old labels that do not bear any symbol are also Kosher Dairy. This beer contains dairy ingredients and should not be consumed with meat or after eating meat. Chocolate Bock is currently included in a Samuel Adams Winter Classics Variety Pack, which contains other Star-K certified beers that are pareve.
MOCHA MIX ORIGINAL NON-DAIRY COFFEE CREAMERin the past was certified OK Pareve, and older containers that still state OK Pareve are pareve. This product is now under OU supervision, and new containers are labeled OU-D due to dairy equipment, because of the company’s desire to produce the product on a dairy production line. The OU-D labeled product may be eaten aftermeat, but may not be cooked or eaten with meat. The company may reconsider its decision, based on consumer response, and consumers who wish the product to remain pareve can contact the company at http://bayvalleyfoods.com/contact_us.phpor 800-236-1119.
BACHMAN TWIST PRETZELSare certified OU Pareve. However, some 10 oz. bags with UPC # 0-77817-10580-8 and expiration date code JUL2219 9 ED mistakenly contain Butter Twist Pretzels that are dairy, and have therefore been recalled. Details are available at http://www.fda.gov/Safety/Recalls/ucm632095.htmor 800-367-7629.
LIDL brand WHITE BEAN NACHO BEAN CHIPSwas mistakenly labeled as Kof-K Pareve on some bags. In fact, this product contains dairy ingredients and is certified as Kof-K Dairy.
THE FRESH MARKET brand PANCAKE & WAFFLE MIXin Buttermilk, Multigrain and Wild Blueberry flavors bears an unauthorized Star-K symbol. These products are actually Kosher Dairy, not Cholov Yisroel.
SHATNEZ ALERT– A number of UGG FOOTWEAR PRODUCTShave been found to contain shatnez. It is recommended that all Ugg footwear (shoe, slippers, boots) be tested for Shatnez at a qualified Shatnez laboratory.
PRODUCT RECALL– Three additional lots of INFANTS’ IBUPROFEN CONCENTRATED ORAL SUSPENSIONBerry Flavor/Dye-Freeunder the brand names CVS Health [CVS stores], Equate [Walmart] and Family Wellness [Family Dollar], have been added to the December recall, due to potential higher concentrations of ibuprofen that may cause injury to infants. Details are available at https://www.fda.gov/Safety/Recalls/ucm630112.htm or 732-940-0358.
