Kedem continues to bottle grape juice under its own name as well as under the Savion, Gefen and Lipschutz labels. All these items have always been and will continue to be Mevushal. Kedem has one not Mevushal grape juice. This is bottled in 1.5 liter glass bottles and clearly labeled Non-Mevushal. In addition, Rokeach will have its own OU-P grape juice. This will appear under the Rokeach label, as well as the Mishpacha labels. Manischewitz will once again have an OU-P grape juice under its own label. This grape juice is made from concentrate. Kedem will offer a variety of OU-P Sparkling Grape Juices. Manischewitz has also introduced Sparkling Concord and Niagara grape juice. All these grape juices are Mevushal. In addition, Rokeach will again produce a variety of OU-P cooking wines. Kedem and Rokeach will also produce a variety of OU-P cooking wines. Kedem has introduced Pomegranate and Sparkling Pomogrape Juices with the OU-P certification as new items this year.
The OU has certified the Manischewitz matzah bakery in the United States for the past years. For a long time this was the only OU matzah bakery in the world. It continues to be the only one in the United States. Other OU-P brands such as Horowitz Margareten and Goodman’s are all baked at Manischewitz. The bakery has relocated and is fully functioning after a slow start. All regular Manischewitz items will again be available. The OU has also agreed to place the OU-P on Aviv, Osem, Yehuda and Rishon matzah products coming from Israel. The items are supervised by local Rabbanim and are satisfactorily made with OU Pesach guidelines. They are certified by the OU when the OU-P appears on them. In addition, we have this year certified Yanovsky matzah baked in Argentina. This matzah is widely distributed in Latin America. This company manufactures various types of matzah. All matzah is always an eighteen minute product. Rabbi Feigelstock of Buenos Aires serves as the OU rav hamachshir at this factory.
Manischewitz has whole wheat matzah meal and whole wheat matzah farfel. These items are made from Manischewitz OU-P whole wheat matzah. Manischewitz will again have a type of matzah ashirah known as grape matzah, in addition to traditional egg matzah. The grape matzah is made from flour and grape juice and may only be used when egg matzah is permitted, i.e. for Sefardim or those Ashkenazim who cannot eat regular matzah. It is so marked on the box. Manischewitz will continue to sell OU-P machine shmurah matzah under both the Manischewitz and Goodman’s labels. In addition, OU-P hand shmurah matzah will be available from Gefen and Tiferes. Kedem will be selling Savion machine shmurah matzah. In addition they will be selling, as they did last year, Savion matzah sticks. This is matzah baked in stick form under the Savion label. Manischewitz makes a product known as matzah crackers. Both of these are ordinary matzah products and not matzah ashirah. The various Israeli OU matzah companies will all be selling machine shmurah matzah as well.
Coca Cola will again be available with an OU-P for Pesach. Aside from the New York metropolitan area, Coke will be available in Boston, Baltimore-Washington, Miami, Atlanta, Houston, Philadelphia, and Los Angeles. This year, in New York, Coca Cola items will be made with an OU-P in 2 liter bottles and in cans. Other locations will have more limited Coke items made in different sizes. All these items, of course, require the OU-P symbol. Most of the bottling plants servicing these markets will designate the Passover Coke items with a distinctive yellow cap in addition to the OU-P symbol on the cap or shoulder of the bottle.
This year the OU-P will appear on various Cholov Yisroel dairy products. These include milk from Ahava with the Best Moo label as well as a full line of Ahava dairy products. Dairy Delight will be selling Cholov Yisroel sour cream and yogurt under the Norman’s label. In addition, Norman’s will also sell Cholov Yisroel ready to eat puddings with the OU-P label. Norman’s has developed a new OU-P line of Cholov Yisroel low carb yogurt and yogurt drinks. Cholov Yisroel OU-P hard cheese will appear this year under both the Norman’s label and the Kirkeby label. The Kirkeby cheeses are imported from Europe and also carry the London Beth Din hechsher. Cabot Creamery will be introducing OU-P cheddar cheese. This item is not Cholov Yisroel. Mishpacha will also have a new Passover non-dairy OU-P topping.
Manischewitz will again be selling Passover noodles this year. These noodles are made from potato starch. Gefen and Flaum will again have potato starch OU-P noodles. Frankel’s has introduced a line of frozen foods including blintzes, waffles and pizza. All of these are made from potato starch. Macabee Pizza will be selling a frozen Passover pizza also made from potato starch. Dayenu will have frozen Passover pierogies, pizza, ravioli and pizzaroggies made with matzah meal. Kineret blintzes made from potato starch will also be available. This year Cuisine Innovations will be selling frozen OU-P items including matzah balls, potato pancakes and blintzes under the Ratner’s label. These items are matzah meal based. The Dr. Prager label will again appear with an OU-P on frozen potato and vegetable pancakes.
Manischewitz will continue with its traditional OU-P soup nuts. Gefen will be selling farfel and mini mandels not made from matzah meal. Manischewitz will also have a full line of potato mixes as well as a low sodium potato pancake mix and a low sodium matzah ball mix with the OU-P symbol.
Savion will again sell couscous and granola mix. Both of them contain matzah meal. Dayenu will also be selling OU-P granola. This year Manischewitz will have a line of Passover cereals not made from matzah meal. These will include Cocoa Crunch, Fruity Magic and Sunny O’s. Savion will have a similar line of OU-P cereals. Kineret will expand its line of Passover cakes and cookies. Bernie’s Foods will again offer potato starch cakes under the Frankel label and matzah meal rolls and burger rolls under the Dayenu label. Manischewitz will have OU-P sugar free biscotti and sugar free macaroons, as well as sugar free cookies. The biscotti and cookies contain matzah meal. Mishpacha will have OU-P macaroons also made without matzah meal. Gefen will have a line of cake mixes all made without matzah meal. Savion will have OU-P muffin mixes and a new microwave cake mix. Of course, Manischewitz will continue to have its traditional line of matzah meal based baking mixes. Manischewitz will be introducing a line of OU-P reduced sugar macaroons.
There will be two OU-P brands of packaged cakes available this year. These will be Reisman and Lily’s Bakeshop. Both are baked in a special Passover bakery and do not contain matzah meal. In addition the Willmark line of industrial bakery products has been purchased by VIP and many of these items are appearing with the OU-P label this year.
As in years past, OU-P potato chips will be made by Bloom’s, Herr’s, Utz, Pathmark and Manischewitz. Manischewitz will also have OU-P potato stix and sweet potato chips. Empress will again have a full line of chocolate items for Pesach, as will Manischewitz and Elite. Barton’s continues as an OU label and will have a full line of both dairy and pareve chocolate and candy items. Pareve Pesach chocolate chips will be available with the Manischewitz and Oneg labels. Mishpacha will also have OU-P chocolate chips. Elyon will be selling OU-P marshmallows as in past years. In addition, Manischewitz will be selling OU-P marshmallows this year, as will Savion. Oppenheimer Candy of Jerusalem will be selling a full line of OU-P chocolate items.
Manischewitz has kept the Season name on OU-P fish items which include tuna, sardines, salmon and anchovies. Season has introduced a number of new Moroccan sardine items in various sauces for Pesach. All of these items are made with Mashgiach Temidi and bishul yisrael. In addition, the Season label will continue to appear on OU-P bamboo shoots and water chestnuts as well as some sauces and oil. Tuna fish is available with an OU-P from Season, Gefen and Mishpacha. OU-P tuna will be also available this year with Shoprite label. Season and Gefen will have OU-P salmon in both regular and no salt versions. All these items are made with Mashgiach Temidi and Bishul Yisrael. Dr. Praeger’s continues to produce breaded fish fillets and fish sticks with an OU-P. These products contain no matzah meal.
The OU position remains that extra virgin olive oil can be used without special supervision for Pesach. In addition, Bartenura, Carmel, Gefen and Mishpacha olive oil will be available with an OU-P label. Mother’s olive oil pan coating spray, Mishpacha olive oil spray and Manischewitz buttery safflower cooking spray, olive oil spray and olive oil garlic cooking sprays will also be available. Prepared olives with an OU-P will be available from Gefen, Osem, Kvuzat Yavne, Gilboa and Mishpacha. Manischewitz is introducing two new flavored OU-P olive oil products for Pesach. Bartenura will be introducing an OU-P grapeseed oil this year.
Manischewitz, Mishapacha, Rokeach and Savion will continue to make OU-P sauces. These include different types of tomato sauce, dressings and marinades. Savion has introduced a new OU-P line of sauces known as Fireman’s Frenzy. These include spicy marinades, salsa and spicy ketchup. In addition, VIP and Kojel wil have OU-P ready to eat soup in a bowl items.
The OU position remains that regular tea bags, which are not flavored or decaffeinated, are acceptable for Pesach without special supervision. In addition we have clarified once again this year that all Lipton decaffeinated tea bags are acceptable without special supervision. This is not true of other decaffeinated tea bags. Pathmark, Shoprite and Lipton also have specially marked OU-P plain tea bags on the market. In addition Swee-Touch-Nee and Wissotsky will continue to have Pesach herbal teas. Nestea instant unflavored tea powder and instant unflavored decaffeinated tea powder are acceptable for Pesach without special supervision. Our position in former years in regard to coffee had been similar to tea. We maintained that all regular coffee, that is unflavored and not decaffeinated, is acceptable for Pesach without supervision. This is no longer true. Some coffee companies add maltodextrin, which is either chametz or kitniyos, to instant coffee. As a result this coffee is not kosher for Passover. Only coffee bearing an OU-P symbol or brands listed in the gray area of the Passover Directory should be used. Both Folger’s and Taster’s Choice instant coffee remain acceptable. Other brands should be checked in the Directory. Ground coffee remains acceptable from any source as long as it is unflavored and not decaffeinated.
This year a number of supermarket labels will have OU-P flavored seltzers for Pesach. These include Acme, America’s Choice, Foodtown, King Kullen, Pathmark, Shoprite and White Rose. Cornell will have flavored sodas with an OU-P. This year both Shoprite and Pathmark will once again be selling some sugared sodas with an OU-P symbol.
