A Quick Look at the 5 Grains
Oats: These products tend to sell out very quickly and quickly become hard to get. Therefore it is a must to stock up them. Oats generally start to become chodosh in early to mid-August. Once the season starts, they are very difficult to find yoshon as-is.
Products to Stock Up On: Cereals, granola bars, multi-grain breads or other multigrain items, oat flour, oatmeal, oatmeal cookies, oat milk, gluten-free products, rolled oats, and some ice cream cones can contain oat fiber.
Items with Possible Added Chodosh Ingredients: Some kosher vitamin supplements can have oat additives, as well as various vegan products such as milk or dairy alternatives, and even some meat alternatives that have multigrain breading.
Barley: Barley as-is becomes chodosh around early to mid-August, but can be found yoshon from some Jewish brands.
Barley Malt: Barley can also be hidden in a variety of other items in the form of “barley malt” or “malt”. When in beer, it becomes chodosh in mid-November. Barley malt in other items becomes chodosh in mid-December.
Products to Stock Up On: Barley items include multi-grain bread or cereals, pearled barley, cholent mix, soups and soup mixes. Barley Malt items include beer, malted milk balls (may include wheat as well), malted milkshakes, corn flakes, and crispy rice cereals.
Items Possibly Containing Malt: Alcoholic beverages, liquors, baby food, corn flakes, puffed rice cereals. Flour can have malt added, although some poskim hold that the amount may not be significant enough to worry about and is “batul” or nullified. (Ask your Rav how to hold.)
Wheat: This most common grain has two seasons- winter wheat (which is yoshon), and spring wheat (that is usually chodosh).
Wheat flour is the first item to become chodosh around late July to early August. It is imperative to stock up on it early. It may contain barley malt as well, and dates must be checked. Matzah and matzo meal are made with winter wheat and are yoshon, as is Bulgur Wheat.
Products to Stock Up On: Baby foods, bagels and bagel chips, bread, bread crumbs, buns, cakes, cereals, chow mein noodles, cookies, crackers, croutons, doughnuts, egg rolls, flour tortillas, doughs and crusts, pasta, pastries, pies, pita bread and pita chips, pizza, pretzels, rice & stuffing mixes, wheat flour, “meatless” vegan products (most contain wheat gluten), and wraps.
Spelt: This is not chodosh when it is from the USA or Canada. If it is imported from any other country (other than Israel), it has to be checked out.
Spelt is a type of Wheat often eaten by people who are somewhat intolerant to spring and winter wheat. It is said to be easier to digest, and is made into specialty products like spelt flake cereal, spelt bread, crackers and matzos. Due to other possible additives, one should check the ingredients, to see if it contains other grains.
Products to Stock Up On: Bread, cereals, and crackers from other countries. Due to the general yoshon status of spelt, there is not a lot to stock up on, unless a product is made with other grains as well.
Rye: This is not chodosh when from the USA and Canada. If it is imported from any other country (other than Israel), it has to be checked out.
The rye crops in the USA and Canada are always yoshon. However most rye products such as crackers and bread are usually made with other types of flour as well as the rye, making them susceptible to being chodosh. A good majority of wheat flour is used in these, so it is imperative that one checks the dates on them. Some crackers are made with pure rye, so always check the ingredients first.
Products to Stock Up On: Bagels and bagel chips, bread, buns, crackers, frozen rye bread doughs, pretzels.
What Products Are Yoshon?
Some products are inherently yoshon if they contain purely winter wheat, bulgur, spelt, and rye at least when from the USA and Canada. For items made with other grains, people must stock up on them to be able to keep yoshon.
Wheat flour can be particularly problematic since the “Winter Wheat Crisis of 2016”. This has led to many companies claiming that their products were made with 100% winter wheat, when in reality they could add up to 50% chodosh spring wheat and it is considered completely legal! (Much like fruit juices.) This is why it is so important to check Yoshon.com for confirmation that wheat flours supposedly made of winter wheat, really are yoshon.
Nowadays with so many people having gluten allergies, it is easy to see when wheat is used in a product due to the allergen statements.
Read the labels carefully when stocking up after Pesach. Unfortunately, there are some products that one might not think of that could contain chodosh. Even items made with the grains mentioned above, they can also contain other chodosh grains, rendering the whole product chodosh!
For a complete list of generally yoshon items, harmless, yet scary-sounding ingredients, and potentially problematic items, see “Product Ingredients“.
What Can Be Possible Chodosh?
- “Spring wheat” is the main culprit, and makes all wheat and commercial baked goods problematic from August on.
- Rye in itself is always yoshon, but rye products such as crackers and bread are generally made with other types of flour as well, making them susceptible to being chodosh.
- Malt, made from barley is a very common ingredient that becomes chodosh later in the season. It is often a nearly unnoticed ingredient in wheat flour. This having been said, some Poskim hold that the amount of malt in some products is so insignificant that it is “bitul” or nullified in items such as flour. If it is used as a flavoring, it may not be bitul in cases such as rice cereals. For those who hold the stricter opinion and do not hold it is bitul, we list the malt date.
- Soy Sauce can sometimes contain wheat, and some people are strict to make sure to stock up on it. Others hold it is bitul. Fortunately, since it is a fermented product, it becomes chodosh very late in the season.