By COLlive reporter
It was too good to be true…
A reader of COLlive.com recently saw an unfamiliar line of protein products with a reputable hechsher that seemed delicious.
The items were the Protein Chocolate Peanuts, Protein Chocolate Rainbow Drops, Protein Chocolate Crunch, and Protein Chocolate Pretzel Bites made by Stronger Snacks Inc, based in Brooklyn, NY.
Bearing the Star-K symbol, these snacks were sold at a gas station frequented by frum Jews spending the summer season in the Catskills. The station proudly carries kosher products.
But upon reviewing the ingredients, something seemed off. “It contained both milk chocolate and Whey Protein isolate” which typically isn’t available as Cholov Yisroel – even with protein bars sold in Israel,” he said.
Upon contacting the Baltimore-based Star-K agency, their Rabbinic Administrator, Rabbi Moshe Heinemann, replied: “Stronger Snacks bears an unauthorized Star-K and is NOT cholov yisroel.”
The agency then issued an alert: “Stronger Snacks products bear an unauthorized STAR-K symbol. Stronger Snacks is not certified by STAR-K. Their products are being sold in gas stations in the New York area. Corrective action is being taken.”
Rabbi Zvi Goldberg of the Star-K said: “We have been working on the issue, and New York State enforcement is on the case. The fact that it’s still on the market is a problem.”
On the website of Stronger Snacks, the products appear with the symbol of Star-D, a division of the Star-K, which solely certified dairy products that are cholov stam.Cholov Yisroel are dairy products that are produced under the direct supervision of a Jewish person throughout the entire milking and processing process, while cholov stam (or cholov nochri) does not
if it doesn’t grow directly from the earth, a tree, or come from a kosher animal
best not to eat it
coming from a kosher animal is a very broad description
there are many stuff that come from a kosher animal that’s not kosher (or example if it wasn’t shechted properly or if its certified by a fake hashgachah)
It’s a separate hechsher, belonging to the Young Israel movement, but the Star K administers it for them. So the mashgichim who go out to the factories are Star K employees, but the rabbonim who receive the mashgichim’s reports and decide whether to certify the products are not necessarily from the Star K, and the rabbonim who set the halachic standards for the hechsher are NOT from the Star K but from Young Israel. Star K does not certify products that are not cholov yisroel (according to its standards); Young Israel does.
https://www.star-k.org/star-d
https://youngisrael.org/services/ The link in the Star-D section is to the Star-K’s explanation page. I thought it linked to its own Young Israel explanation page.
Also sells stuff that are not kosher. Shopper beware and check every item
The company illegally printed a kosher symbol on their product. It had nothing to do with the Star-K or Young Israel, God-forbid. Perhaps you’re correct to advise kosher consumers to check brand new products they haven’t seen to make sure the ingredients seem to match the kosher symbol.