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Friday, June 20, 2008
Kosher pizza, anyone? Those who keep the laws of kemach yashan must check whether their favorite pizza stores certify that the wheat used to bake the pizza is kemach yashan, the Torah law that states that only grains (barley, oats, rye, spelt and wheat) that took root prior to Passover may be consumed in the current year. Jewish law mandates its observance in Israel, while allowing for leniencies outside of Israel. Nonetheless, there are people who observe this law even outside of Israel, and they are facing problems.
The Orthodox Union’s Kashrut Department recently hosted a symposium on kemach yashan. Due to a wheat shortage in the United States this past year, the OU invited several distributors and companies, representatives from different kashrut agencies, and yashan experts to discuss the issues involved and to plan for the coming year.
Coordinated by Rabbi Yosef Herman, a rabbi well-versed in the laws of kemach yashan, the OU’s meeting was primarily to make the foodservice industry aware of the shortage. Several flour distribution companies, such as Dependable Food Corp., DUSO Foods, and Kemach Food Products Corp, sent representatives to the meeting. Manufacturing companies who sent representatives included Cargill and A. Zerega’s Sons, Inc.
The laws of kemach yashan are involved and complex, and this year in particular, have raised significant concern, thanks to the wheat shortage in the United States. Which leads us back to the pizza stores – assuming a store is a kemach yashan pizza store, proprietors need to ensure there is enough yashan wheat to last from the spring wheat crop of Pesach 2007 through Pesach 2009. While only a minority of kosher pizza stores are stringent about these laws, owing to the small number of Jews who keep them, larger Jewish communities usually have a few stores that do.
One suggestion to emerge from the meeting was to use winter wheat for items like pizza or challah and add vital wheat gluten for the desired, soft-baked consistency – because winter wheat is usually good for only crumbly or crispy types of food. Another suggestion was to stock up on the available yashan flour in bulk and store it in a cool area – a necessity as worms and bugs can result in flour that is kept in warm temperature.
Those who interested in inquiring about the laws, contact OU Rabbinic Coordinator Rabbi David Gorelik at , 212-613-8203.
Thursday, March 20, 2008
Once again this year, for the festive holiday of Passover, the Orthodox Union has made available a list of newly certified OU Kosher for Passover products.
The following products and companies have been certified for the first time as Kosher for Passover by the OU.
Frozen Products:
•Cuisine Innovations (Ratner label ) matzah balls, potato pancakes and blintzes.
Pastries:
•Reisman packaged cakes;
•Lily’s Bakeshop packaged cakes;
•Willmark products.
Parve:
•Shoprite tuna fish.
For more Kosher for Passover products, certified in previous years, refer to the OU Kosher for Passover Guide, available on http://www.oupassover.org.
Thursday, March 13, 2008
The close relationship between OU Kosher and Cincinnati-based Beam Global Spirits and Wine, which goes back to 1992, became even closer in March, 2008 when Beam’s 60-flavor array of DeKuyper® cordials and liqueurs, the best-selling line of those products in the United States, was certified OU Kosher. The 60-product certification was the largest liquor kosher certification ever in the United States.
In late 2006, the OU announced that it was certifying Beam’s Starbucks™ Coffee Liqueur and Starbucks™ Cream Liqueur products; it already was providing the famed OU symbol to Leroux® Liqueurs. All of these products are crafted at the Beam Global Cincinnati facility. According to the OU, that facility produces the largest number of kosher certified spirits in the country.
“Beam Global Spirits & Wine, Inc. has had a long standing association with the Orthodox Union” declared Plant Manager, Paul Houston. “It is an honor to partner with the OU and to work with them on our kosher product lines, DeKuyper, Leroux and Starbucks Liqueurs. We appreciate the OU’s expertise and professionalism in working together on the largest liquor OU certification to-date.”
Christine Mahoney, senior brand director of DeKuyper, shares Mr. Houston’s enthusiasm. “We are honored to receive OU certification for our portfolio of products. We appreciate the support of the OU in securing this important designation,” she declared. “Now, even more consumers can enjoy our products and add flavor to their cocktails. These products include our best-selling Pucker® Sour Apple, Peachtree® Schnapps and our newest flavors Red Apple, Pomegranate, Tropical Mango, Tropical Pineapple Coconut and Tropical Papaya.”
The feeling at the OU was mutual.
“We are pleased to recognize the largest liquor OU certification in the United States,” stated Rabbi Eliyahu Safran, OU Kosher Senior Rabbinic Coordinator and Vice President of Communications and Marketing, who has worked with Beam Global officials on the DeKuyper project since completing the Starbucks OU certification more than two years ago. “It is a testament to the quality and care that goes into crafting DeKuyper that these products will now carry the OU seal. Our ongoing partnership with Beam Global is a great example of how we can work together to make more products available to those who follow a kosher diet.”
He noted that for more than 80 years “the OU has maintained the highest standard of kosher supervision. The OU certification mark indicates that the product may be consumed by all those who observe kosher dietary laws, as well as by many others who have special dietary requirements.” Rabbi Safran noted Beam Global’s enthusiastic cooperation in assuring that the OU’s standards are well integrated into all facets of DeKuyper production, a position shared by OU rabbinic coordinator, Rabbi Jacob Mendelson, who praised the company’s “extraordinarily meticulous job of adhering to every aspect of kosher protocol and responsiveness to kosher concerns.”
Rabbi Moshe Elefant, COO of OU Kosher, hailed the latest developments. “The OU, in its goal of servicing the kosher consuming public, recognizes the importance of having DeKuyper products certified. We therefore welcome Beam Global Spirits & Wine’s commitment to helping us achieve this goal.”
DeKuyper was founded in Holland in 1695 by Johannes DeKuyper & Son and has been the brand to turn to for fresh and original liqueurs for more than 300 years. Now, in the 21st century, DeKuyper is the number one-selling line of domestic cordials, featuring nearly 60 mixable and versatile flavors of cordials, liqueurs, crèmes, brandies and schnapps. Some DeKuyper flavors have inspired the creation of cocktails and are now synonymous with those drinks. For example, in the mid-80s DeKuyper Peachtree® Schnapps inspired the creation of the Fuzzy Navel, and in the mid-90s DeKuyper Pucker® Sour Apple Schnapps inspired the creation of the Appletini.
Company research has indicated that consumers categorize cordials based on usage. As a result, DeKuyper has organized its nearly 60 products into flavor and usage-based families to make it easier for consumers to shop the category and retailers to stock their shelves. The new families, DeKuyper Luscious, DeKuyper Burst, DeKuyper Pucker®, DeKuyper Signature and DeKuyper Flavored Brandy, are based on flavor profile and whether the liqueur is used as a mixer, sipper, shot or after-dinner drink. New product packaging and merchandising that reflects each family will support the re-positioning of DeKuyper into the product families. And of course, each product now bears the OU symbol on the newly designed labels.
For more information on the DeKuyper portfolio, visit http://www.dekuyperusa.com
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