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. Two new alcoholic OU-P items will be available. Jelinek will have OU-P pear brandy in addition to traditional slivovitz and Distillerie will have OU-P gin.

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 this year. 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 produces Passover Tams in two forms. The regular Tam Tams in different flavors are small egg matzah crackers coated with different flavorings. They are marked as Matzah Ashirah on the box. The Whole Grain Tams are regular matzah crackers coated with different flavorings. These are not Matzah Ashirah. 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 Kfar Chabad and Rokeach. Kedem 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. 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.

The Haddar line of products has now received the OU-P symbol. All the Haddar Passover items will now be available with the OU-P symbol. The traditional OU-P candy brands such as Oneg, Alprose, Elite and Empress will again be available. This year the Barton brand which was not available last year will be back again with the OU-P. In addition Barracini has now received the OU-P. A full line of Barricini candy items will be available with the OU-P symbol. Elyon, Manischewitz, Gefen and Granny’s will continue to have OU-P marshmallows.

This year the OU-P will appear on various Cholov Yisroel dairy products. These include milk with the Best Moo label as well as a full line of Kahal dairy products. Norman’s has introduced the OU-P Machmirim brand of Cholov Yisroel milk and yogurt. In addition there will be OU-P Cholov Yisroel goat cheese and sheep cheese from Barkanit and mozzarella, provolone and pecorino cheese from Yotvata. Cabot Creamery will be introducing OU-P cheddar cheese. This item is not Cholov Yisroel.

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. Gedilla cookies and Gefen cookies will be available with OU-P. These items are not made with matzah meal. Bernies Foods will have Frankels blintzes, waffles and pizza as well as LeTova Kichel and bread sticks. These are not made with matzah meal. Dayenu pizza, rolls and pierogies are made with matzah meal.

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. In addition Shoprite OU-P tuna fish in water will be available. 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. Shoprite also has 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 OU 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 America’s Choice, Shoprite and Price Chopper. Cornell will have flavored sodas with an OU-P.

It remains the position of the OU Poskim that aluminum pans do not require Passover supervision. Pro Pak will be producing a line of OU-P parchment paper and Plasti Made food storage bags.