We were asked to re-post this public Alert- Re: all Strawberries of Bodek & B'gan

by Yudel Shain

Regarding Bodek and B'gan Frozen Strawberries

 It has been noted that both Bodek and B'gan—two separate companies—market frozen strawberries produced in Peru. Under existing arrangements, the primary certifying authorities including Rabbi Shmuel Teitelbaum, Minchas Chinuch Hashgocha and the OU rely entirely on the insect-free certification of Rabbi Aharon Teitelbaum (the Nirbater Rav), who oversees the initial production for B’Gan etc. in Peru. Consequently, no independent, secondary reinspection of these products is conducted before they are marketed.

Recently, independent kashrus individuals not affiliated with Bodek or B’gan have reportedly discovered insect infestations in these imported frozen strawberries from Peru. These findings have called into serious question the reliability of the current certifications, particularly because the specific authorities being relied upon are widely known not to be specialized experts in insect infestation or entomological kashrus inspection protocols. This raises severe concerns within the community regarding whether the oversight is sufficient to guarantee that the strawberries are entirely insect-free.

The Halachic Context

From a halachic standpoint, strawberries are widely recognized as much’zak be’tolaim (substantiated and presumed to be infested). Due to the nature of their textured surface, many halachic authorities maintain that it is virtually impossible to ensure they are insect-free through standard commercial washing alone.

As a result, a growing consensus of halachic experts advises that consumers should not rely on pre-washed frozen strawberries—even those bearing multiple prominent certifications. Instead, strawberries should only be used if they are completely peeled, as this is the only definitive way to ensure they are free of insects.

Current Actions and Lack of Public Alerts

Reports indicate that the certifying Rabbonim have quietly directed companies to remove affected stocks from retail store shelves. However, no public alerts have been issued to warn families who may already have these products stored in their home freezers, or who may have already used them in prepared foods.

The Problem with Undated Notices

Notably, both the B'gan and Bodek consumer notices are undated. An undated notice is a significant irregularity in any consumer-protection context:

No Traceability: It cannot be tied to specific production lots, shipment dates, or timeframes.

Lack of Accountability: It allows the notice to be quietly circulated—or quietly withdrawn—without creating a fixed public record of when the problem was acknowledged.

Consumer Ambiguity: Neither notice identifies lot codes, production dates, or a date range of affected product, leaving consumers with no way to determine whether strawberries already in their freezers are NOT included.

The absence of dates and lot identification points to a broader systemic concern: that a system relying on a single initial inspection—conducted by an authority lacking specialized infestation expertise, with no independent secondary reinspection—cannot reliably distinguish clean lots from infested ones. If the certifiers were confident in identifying which specific lots were affected, standard practice would be to disclose them. The decision to instead pull all Peruvian-sourced product, without dates or lot numbers, speaks for itself, THE CURRENT SYSTEM DOES NOT WORK!

Conclusion

The lack of a transparent public statement or formal clarification from the certifying Rabbonim in the wake of these independent findings has created significant ambiguity for kosher consumers. This prolonged silence leaves the current safety and halachic status of these batches open to serious question, heightening the urgency for consumers to discard these items or consult their own competent halachic authorities before using them.