Vent. Expiration dates on Haimish products

amother

Sunflower

Sun, Apr 24 2022, 9:32 am

amother [ Amethyst ] wrote:

If you work in the heimish food industry you know how to read the heimish label dates.
(Someone who works in the food industry once explained to me how it's read. Either by Jewish month or a few months off. I will double check exactly what the codes are.)

But if you work in the heimish food industry there is no way you don't know that.

Really? There's a standard unknown hidden code across all Jewish brands for an expiration date using Jewish months? I have a hard time believing you, sorry.

Perhaps one company uses this method to determine the lot number, but this image is definitely missing an expiration date

amother

Amethyst

Sun, Apr 24 2022, 9:36 am

amother [ Sunflower ] wrote:

Gefen and Kedem are one company and they own many off brands too.
So it isn't that many companies.
Additionally, this code has become the accepted way to date products in the Kosher industry.

Pick up a Kedem grapejuice bottle and ask the Jewish manager at the grocery how to read the date.

mfb

Sun, Apr 24 2022, 10:11 am

amother [ Amethyst ] wrote:

Kedem grape juice I believe has a regular expiration date. But lots of other kosher items dont

dak11

Sun, Apr 24 2022, 10:27 am

amother [ Oldlace ] wrote:

I’m with u on this. not for pesach stuff specifically but in general. I find the heimish stuff rarely has dates and it bothers me. there is usually one brand tht will put dates and I find myself always buying those brands. I can’t recall off hand which brand it is but if the canned mushrooms from one brand does not have a date and the other does I will always buy the can with the day cuz I like knowing my food is fresh. which I know is an oxymoron being tht it’s canned but you know what I mean. maybe if other companies put dates I’d consider buying their products faster.

Same here. If there's a few different brands I always buy the one with an expiration date.

amother

Sun, Apr 24 2022, 10:35 am

B”H it is not the Haimish industry in which I work!!!

I think it is so wrong that they keep their dates hidden. Why is it acceptable for Jewish companies to code their dates when the rest of the world makes it available to their consumers?

Is it so maybe people will but things that are close to expiration that otherwise they would not buy and/or throw out -replace things that wouldn’t need replacing. Either way is increasing their revenue at the expense of the consumer.

The 0035 may be the day of the year it was produced. That could be either Feb. 4 or 5 Cheshvan. Also the year. FYI definitely not 2022, as they are left over from last Pesach.

amother

Aqua

Sun, Apr 24 2022, 1:00 pm

amother [ OP ] wrote:

Really?
Maybe I am just an idiot?
Actually I am not and I work in the food industry.
The Gefen tuna definitely does not have a date nor do most of their products-baking powder, Vanilla sugar, imitation Vanilla, Crisp Flats or non-Gebrockts pasta. Their Ketchup and Tomato sauce does. (And regarding Tuna-Dagim does)
The Goodman’s Macaroons do not (Streit’s does)
The Glick’s Chocolate Chips do not yet my normal Hershey’s coco powder does.

Trust me, I can read a label.

*** I found an email and phone number online. I emailed them and if I don’t hear back in a timely fashion (yes, I know they are closed tomorrow) I will stalk them.

Kedem owns nearly all those brands. It’s not as though it’s 5 different companies using mysterious codes.

Bnei Berak 10

Sun, Apr 24 2022, 1:08 pm

amother [ OP ] wrote:

OP, how about emailing the companies and ask them what the codes stand for?
And complain they should start putting dates.
No need to guess. Just mail them.
And yes, it's cheeky not to print exp dates.

amother

Sun, Apr 24 2022, 1:17 pm

Bnei Berak 10 wrote:

I did email them (as indicated in the original OP).
If they don’t answer by Thursday, I will call.

My point is mostly that it is just so wrong on their part.

amother

Sun, Apr 24 2022, 1:35 pm

amother [ Buttercup ] wrote:

Op thanks for bringing this up. I also find this so frustrating! please can you update us all if you get a response.

Oh, I will get a response because I will stalk them as needed. I will eventually get a young (probably not Jewish) woman who is making $12/hour, who will not teach me the way to read it, but rather just tell me the manufacturing date of the item and then leave it to me to determine how long it is good.

Depends on my schedule/mood/disposition at the time, I may ask for a supervisor and tell them what I think of this. They likely make plenty of money, don’t care , and will tell me ok, they will take it under advisement. You know what they will do with my feedback.

I will most certainly update all of you.

Bnei Berak 10

Sun, Apr 24 2022, 2:09 pm

amother [ OP ] wrote:

I did email them (as indicated in the original OP).
If they don’t answer by Thursday, I will call.

My point is mostly that it is just so wrong on their part.

Good!
I don't have the problem with exp dates as I live in Israel but if I had I would most certainly complain. I encourage all imamothers to do the same. The power is in *your* hands! Raise your voice and vent to the manufacturers with your email!

mommyhood

Sun, Apr 24 2022, 2:28 pm

amother [ Amethyst ] wrote:

Kedem has a very clear expiration date. Probably because they sell to national stores who wouldn’t stand for this coded business.

amother

DarkMagenta

Sun, Apr 24 2022, 2:38 pm

Does the US not have laws about displaying expiry dates? The EU has strong laws about what has to be displayed on packaging. I always find the kosher brands so difficult as they don't have the expiry dates on.

Bnei Berak 10

Sun, Apr 24 2022, 2:43 pm

mommyhood wrote:

Kedem has a very clear expiration date. Probably because they sell to national stores who wouldn’t stand for this coded business.

Some countries have laws that you MUST print best before dates.
It's beyond me how this is not regulated on the US.

amother

Valerian

Sun, Apr 24 2022, 2:53 pm

amother [ Amethyst ] wrote:

This is not really true.
I work for heimish food company too and there’s no secret Jewish code. There are a few different ways that manufactures write the expiration/best by date but I’m pretty sure as long as there’s a lot number on the product (which the company can then use to track back) it doesn’t need to have an expiration date.
The picture OP posted looks nothing like any expiration/Best By date I ever came across. It looks like a lot number to me. If you give that number to the company they can tell you until when you can use it.
Yes, it’s annoying. I don’t know why they do it.

Librarian

Sun, Apr 24 2022, 3:54 pm

amother [ OP ] wrote:

Thank you! I had the exact same question myself this morning with the Gefen Tuna! I have 6 cans I would love to put away for next Pesach but could not figure out the "code". I googled but got nowhere. Was planning on calling tomorrow too!

amother

Thu, May 05 2022, 9:40 am

Still no response to the email and message I left.
Called customer service today and left another voicemail.
Called again and pressed the extension for the operation.
Spoke with someone who was clearly very inexperienced who all she said was that there is nobody else in the entire business other than the woman at customer service who knows how to read the coded expiration date and that She could transfer me and I could leave her a message. When I passed to speak with a manager or anyone higher up, all she tells me is that she can’t do it, but she will send an email to the person in customer service to call me but there is nobody she can transfer me to, report the situation…….

If I could never buy from their company again, I would.

amother

Buttercup

Thu, May 05 2022, 9:42 am

amother [ OP ] wrote:

Thanks for the update, I hope you get an answer soon!