The Kosher Consumer Advocate

Lakewood Matzoh Bakery Machine Matzos

 

All machine matzos baked over 18 minutes

 

April 2014

The Kosher Consumer Advocate

 

Rabbi Shmuel Meir Katz is a senior posek (halachic authority) for Beth Medrash Govoha and a member of the Kashrus Council of Lakewood and of Kof-K Kosher Supervision.

 

Rabbi Shmuel Meir Katz of Lakewood, New Jersey, wrote a teshuva (halachic responsa) permitting the baking of all matzos over 18 minutes.

 

The Kosher Consumer Advocate has verified that The Lakewood Matzoh Bakery is selling all its machine matzos under the Hashgacha (supervision) of Rabbi Shmuel Meir Katz  and were baked over 18 minutes.

 

The wheat, whole wheat, and spelt  matzos were baked  in approximately 22 minutes. (See below regarding the oat matzos which wre baked even longer.)

 

The Lakewood Matzoh Bakery advertises the machine made wheat, whole wheat and spelt matzos on the box as 18 minutes matzos (see picture). Their rationale is that the 18 minutes may be counted from when the dough starts being worked on rather than the accepted worldwide standard of counting the 18 minutes from the moment the flour comes in contact with the water.

 

The Kosher Consumer Advocate believes that this is deceptive and misleading advertising.

 

In addition, the machine oat matzos were baked for an hour on the rationale that they can't become chometz. This was also based on Rabbi Katz's ruling. (The  oat machine matzos box does not say that it was baked within 18 minutes as seen in picture.)

 

The Kosher Consumer Advocate knows that consumers expect the Lakewood, New Jersey, standard of kashrus be at least in line with current standards nationwide. This is primarily due to the large concentration of Bnei Torah who reside in Lakewood. Selling goods from Lakewood below the national kashrus standard therefore is understandably misleading.

 

To view the Public Consumer Notice publicizing this issue CLICK HERE.

 

​The Kosher Consumer Advocate does not take a position on which standard consumers should abide by (see mission statement). Consumers should speak to their parents, family and Rabbi to see if these matzos are recommended to be eaten by oneself on Pesach.