July 25, 2023 from the COR Detroit
ICE CREAM and FROZEN YOGURT STORES often claim that they are Kosher and may post Kosher certification letters, which leads consumers to believe that the store and its products are under supervision. In fact, in most cases, the letters refer only to specific products or ingredients which are factory produced under supervision, and are certified only when in their original sealed packaging bearing Kosher marking. Once the unsupervised store opens the packaging, the certification is no longer valid. Unless the consumer verifies that there is actual on-site reliable Rabbinical supervision of the entire individual retail store, no ice cream, yogurt, syrups or toppings should be considered Kosher except for those in their original sealed containers bearing a reliable Kosher certification.
The following are some stores in our area that are not under supervision: Clark’s Ice Cream and Yogurt, Haagen-Dazs, Menchie’s, Oberweis, and TCBY.
It is always preferable to buy at fully supervised stores. Locally, soft serve Cholov Yisroel ice cream is available at Jerusalem Pizza and Soul Cafe. Hard pack Cholov Yisroel ice cream is available at Spreads Bagels & Café. Hard pack non-Cholov Yisroel ice cream and yogurt is available at Baskin-Robbins/Dunkin’ Donuts at 10 Mile & Greenfield in Oak Park (which is K-COR certified for all products). Packaged Cholov Yisroel ice cream is available at The Grove Kosher Market and Lincoln Liquor.
If it is necessary to purchase hard pack ice cream or yogurt from an unsupervised store, the consumer should request and see a sealed container before it is opened, and check for the Kosher certification mark on the container. In addition, the scoop should be thoroughly washed.
Soft serve ice cream or yogurt should not be purchased from an unsupervised store, because of the inability to verify that Kosher mix was put into the machine.
RITA’S ITALIAN ICE & FROZEN CUSTARD OF FARMINGTON HILLS at 11 Mile & Middlebelt is under supervision of the Vaad Harabbonim / Council of Orthodox Rabbis of Greater Detroit, as Dairy non-Cholov Yisroel. Many flavors of the Italian Ices contain only pareve ingredients, but may contain traces of dairy; a list is posted at the store. Cream Ices are Dairy.
The following information is from Star-D dated January 1, 2023:
The Star-D is certifying Baskin Robbins. All products are dairy, Cholov Stam.
June, 2021 from the cRc
During the last several months there have been several new ice cream and frozen yogurt stores opening around Chicago and the country. Some are stand- alone stores while others are located in malls.
Many of these locations profess to sell kosher products under the certification of the cRc or other reliable agencies, and even have signs posted to indicate such. Unfortunately, while they may sell certain products that are kosher certified in their original factory sealed containers, most of the actual stores are not certified kosher. These letters only apply to the un-opened ice cream and yogurt that is listed on the letter of certification, and not necessarily to the store itself. Merely asking the store attendant if an item is kosher is not sufficient, as they may not be aware of specific requirements that may affect the kosher status of an item. One must see the actual product in its original sealed container and be able to ascertain that the product in the container or soft serve machine is the same that you saw in the original factory box and not a "token kosher box".
In some cases, the scoop must be first washed clean. Any other products purchased, such as cones, toppings, or any other additives must also be inspected to determine if they are kosher. Items such as cakes and novelty items may be coming in from another outside source, so special care must be taken when purchasing any of these items. Since one may not assume that there were no changes made since the last visit, this all must be done each time you go into the store to make a purchase! There are many kashrus issues that can pop-up at non-certified stores; these are just a few of the more common concerns.
As the average person may not be aware of all of the kosher regulations, it is always preferable and recommended to only frequent shops under a reliable kosher supervision. Check with the cRc in the Chicago area, or your local Orthodox Vaad in other areas for the stores under a reliable kosher certification.
The following kashrus alert is from the CRC on February 21, 2007.
Several cities around the United States have a TCBY yogurt store, selling soft serve yogurt and other products. None of these stores were ever under the certification of the cRc, but for a period of time, the yogurt base was under the supervision of the cRc.
However, while the stores are still in operation, the manufacturer of that product is no longer in business. Some stores are using a yogurt base under various other supervisions, but none are presently certified by the cRc. It is the responsibility of the individual consumer to inspect the kosher status of this and other products before each purchase.
The following kashrus alert is from the OV dated June 6, 2006.
The OV certifies as kosher the Dippin' Dots ice cream products (Dairy-Cholov Stam) and ice products (Pareve) which are produced in Paducah, KY. Our certification is limited to these products and does not cover the kosher status of any other products served at Dippin' Dots kiosks or stores.
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