[Chodosh] Bulletin from the Guide to Chodosh
GUIDE TO CHODOSH-YOSEPH HERMAN, HOT LINE 718-305-5133, EMAIL yher...@earthlink.net CHODOSH BULLETIN AS OF 2 SEPT 17 THE NEW PROBLEM WITH FLOUR A few weeks ago a very large amount of Gold Medal flour was recalled because of salmonella contamination. As a result, the normal supply chain of wheat to mills has been upset, as mills are trying to get wheat to make up the shortfall. For the Yoshon consumer, this means that the rules that have helped us for the past many years may not be relied on, at least temporarily. This affects national brands such as Gold Medal flour from KC and Heckers and Ceresota flours. It may also affect some of the Jewish brands. Therefore, until further notice, any flour purchased in groceries for home baking can NOT be assumed to be Yoshon unless (1) they have a Yoshon label under hashgocho or (2) have a dating code to indicate that they were packed before Jul 29 ’16. Some sample codes are given below. WARNING ABOUT BARLEY: The O-U has warned that significant amount of worm contamination has been found recently in pearled barley. We have been warning in the Guide for years that barley must be checked for worms before use, all year around. PLEASE NOTE that this is not a Yoshon-related problem, since the worms have been reported even before the Chodosh season has started and no barley has yet been stored for Yoshon use. NOTE TO MASHGICHIM: The revised Chodosh packing date for the Bay State flour mill in Clifton, NJ is Aug 22, not Aug 28. SELECTED DATING CODES FOR *ALL PURPOSE* FLOUR Gold Medal (all mills) Feb 7 ’18. Heckers and Ceresota Jan 29 ‘18 Pillsbury Jan 29 ‘18 Shoprite July 29 ‘17 Stop and Shop Jul 29 ‘18 For other brands and other types of flour, modify the code in last year’s Guide as detailed below, or call the Hot Line. THE FOLLOWING AS OF AUG 28 ‘16 In general, if you have last year’s Guide, you can use the package cutoff code for any item given in last year’s Guide and modify the date to conform to the packing dates given here for each type of grain, spring wheat, oats or barley. Just change the date and the year. If you do not have last year’s Guide, you may get it by sending email to chod...@moruda.com. To change the date, change the year in last year’s Guide by adding 1. For oats (except those listed below) subtract 6 from the date, for wheat (not noodles and pasta) subtract 3 from the date, for pasta subtract 2 days, for barley, add 7 days. Note that any package with a Yoshon label is Yoshon, with the possible exception of some items where the hashgocho for kashrus in the Volover Rav. THE FOLLOWING IS A STARTING SET OF CUTOFF DATES OR CODES AS THEY APPEAR ON PACKAGES BY MANUFACTURER. THESE DATES ARE TENTATIVE AND ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE (MOST LIKELY CHANGE TO A LATER DATE) -Quaker oats (hot cereals) Chodosh PACKAGING date Aug 31. Date on the package Feb 22 18. -General Mills cereals, including all Cheerios. Oats Chodosh PACKAGING date Aug 31. Date on the package Sept 6 17. Wheat in all General Mills cereals is Yoshon. (Note that the OU is working to arrange that all Cheerios sold in Israel should be Yoshon till pesach. This is to be confirmed later.) -Nature Valley Granola Chodosh PACKING date of Aug 31. Date on the bars (the date on the individual bars, not on the outside box) Sept 6, ’17. -Post cereals. Chodosh PACKAGING date for oats Aug 31, date on the package for oats is Aug 31 17. -Shoprite oats Jan 20 ‘18 -Village Farms, Sturms oats Jul 20 ‘18 -Kemach, Taanug oats Jul 20 ‘17 THE FOLLOWING OF INTEREST TO BAKERIES AND THEIR MASHGICHIM (IT RELATES TO BAKERY FLOUR, NOT THE FLOUR YOU BUY FOR HOME USE). The mills listed here may continue to produce Yoshon after these dates by special arrangement. -General Mills flour from Buffalo, NY may be Chodosh starting from Aug 29. -Ardent Mills in Albany may be Chodosh starting Aug 12. -Bay State Milling Clifton may be Chodosh Aug 22. *** THE FOLLOWING AS OF AUG 2 ‘16 THE OFFICIAL START OF THE NEW CHODOSH SEASON The Chodosh season has begun this year somewhat earlier than usual due to the agricultural conditions in the growing areas. Our estimates of the start of Chodosh for each crop are based on the reports from the US Department of Agriculture. This year, this information is enhanced by reports sent to me by several mashgichim, for which I thank these mashgichim. PLEASE POST THIS BULLETIN IN SHULS AND OTHER LOCATIONS WHERE THOSE WHO ARE CAREFUL ABOUT CHODOSH WOULD SEE IT. 1) *Freshly baked items using spring wheat*, including breads, challahs, bagels, rolls, pizza and some cakes and cookies may be Chodosh in the Midwest after the PURCHASE DATE of Jul 29. Elsewhere in the US, this date would be Aug 12. 2) *Packaged foods from spring wheat* may be Chodosh after the PACKING date of Jul 29, or the PURCHASE date of Aug 12. 3) *Noodles and pasta* may be
[Chodosh] Bulletin from the Guide to Chodosh
CHODOSH BULLETIN-ADAR 5775 (Feb ’15) Y. Herman and C. Rosskamm. Phone: Chodosh Hot Line 718-305-5133. Email: yher...@earthlink.net Update of the Malt Problem The Guide to Chodosh has a full treatment of the malt problem. It mentioned that some poskim hold that malt added to baking flour, where it is used in tiny amount for its chemical action, is botul. The Guide gave date codes for some flours to serve those who want to be machmir on malt in baking flour. However, in many other applications malt is used for coloring and/or flavoring. In those cases there is more of a reason to be machmir and not to hold that it is botul. Such applications include beer, cereals, pretzels, candies and some baked products. When the ingredients list “malt”, almost always that refers to malt made from barley. In past years, all malt manufacturers agreed that the new, Chodosh barley crop is not used to make malt before Dec. 15. This year, one major manufacturer of malt told us that they are using new-crop barley as early as Oct. 15 to make malt. This malt is used in cereals and maybe other applications. Even though other manufacturers have still delayed the introduction of the new crop to their malt to Dec 15 or later, to be safe, we have urged consumers to avoid products containing malt if packed after Oct. 15, or purchased after Jan. 15. It is possible to make malt from other crops. Companies such as Great Western sometimes produce malt from other crops such as rice. We do not know how widespread is the use of non-barley malt. Nor do we know whether the production of those malts does or does not involve using barley malt during processing. We urge manufacturers and mashgichim of Yoshon products that use malt to start looking now into the possibility of substituting non-Chodosh ingredients next year for the barley malt now being used. It is also possible to avoid malt in applications when it is unusually used. One example of this are pretzels in which barley malt has been almost universally used for both coloring and flavoring. Liebers has been successful in having other non-Chodosh ingredients be substituted for barley malt (see below). THE OVEN PROBLEM For several years we have published a warning that some pizza shops and restaurants use frying oil for possibly Chodosh items such as spicy fries and then use the same oil for food that is supposed to be Yoshon. We have recently become aware of a similar potential problem. Pizza shops and some other establishments sometimes heat Yoshon items such as pizza in the oven at the same time as Chodosh items may be in the same oven. We have not yet had a chance to investigate how common this practice is. We urge mashgichim and consumers to look at this potential problem as it affects them. ADDITIONS AND CORRECTIONS TO THE GUIDE *4.1 Cakes, cookies and crackers* *Liebers* cookies and crackers without oats are basically Yoshon. However some items susch as crackers may have malt (check the ingredients). This malt may be Chodosh at this time. *4.2 Pretzels and Potato Chips* *א Leiber’s Pretzels all varieties *are Yoshon under the hashgocho of Rabbi Weissmandl. This includes the honey twists and multigrain products. All these pretzels are produced without any malt. *ד* *Herrs Pretzels* now have a code of November 24, 2014. This code is 14 weeks after packing. *4.3 Rice cakes * *ס Blooms Rice Cakes *that contain spelt are made in Belgium. We have no information as far as the Chodosh/Yoshon status of such products. *5.1 Regular noodles, pasta, mandlen and croutons* *ב Kemach Heimishe Egg Noodles *are Yoshon through a code of 01-26-2016, under the hashgocho of Rabbi Nussen N. Horowitz *5.2 Chow mein noodles* *ב Kemach Chow Mein Noodles *are Yoshon through a code of 1614I (16=day of the month, 14=year, I=September in alph.order). Exception: SPECIAL YOSHON PRODUCTION ONLY with code: 0915B 1015B. Only those 2 codes are Yoshon after the code of 1614I. Under the Hashgocho of Rabbi Nussen N. Horowitz. *6.2 Whole wheat flour * *ד Shoprite Whole Wheat Flour *has a Chodosh code of April 18, 2015 (8 months after packing) *6.3 High gluten or bread flour * *ד Gold Medal Bread Flour and Bread Wheat Blend Flour *have a code of Feb. 27, 2016 (558 days after packing). Check the bag. If the best if used by date is followed by a factory code of KC it is always Yoshon. All other factory codes use dates given above. The Better for Bread flour line has been discontinued; however it is still being sold out. Any flour still on the shelves is Yoshon. *ד General Mills Flour *All flour manufactured in the Buffalo Mill is Yoshon through a date code of August 31, 2014. It has a Chodosh code of 31 AUG 4 BF. Bakery flour only has a code of 1 SEP 4 BF. This only applies to flour with a factory code of BF after the date code. This has been verified by the OU. *7.2 Bread and corn flake crumbs and matzo meal* *ד Taanug Corn Flake Crumbs *has a code of 14288 (14-year
[Chodosh] Bulletin from the Guide to Chodosh
Today is January 15. The Guide had recommended that all items that contain malt, for which the dating code is not known, may be purchased assuming that the malt is Yoshon up to the purchase date of Jan. 15. Starting today, one should seek confirmation that the malt is Yoshon. (Note, as mentioned in the Guide, that malt in baking flour, is not a problem according to some poskim.) Liebers pretzels may contain Chodosh malt. We expect more details about this within the next few days. B'Gan/Eden breaded cauliflower is Yoshon. Kineret brownies are Yoshon. Pride of the Farm cookies and Cream ice cream is Yoshon. Items produced under the hashgocho of Chug Chasam Sofer of Bnei Brak are Yoshon, even if produced outside of Israel, for example, Turkey. (Note, this applies only to this hashgocho from Bnei Brak) The Guide incorrectly stated that items from wheat or oats produced in Canada are Yoshon at least up to Sept 22. This is not correct.
