Call to Action on Triangle K

Jewish consumers can help expand trustworthy kosher options by contacting Triangle K-certified companies such as Frito-Lay, Sun-Maid, and Del Monte with polite and personalized communications, such as this E-mail:

Dear Frito-Lay,

I am writing to express my concerns about your kosher status. I have kept kosher since 2004. Before that I enjoyed Fritos – especially the BBQ flavor. But I no longer buy them or any other products with a Triangle K symbol, because every rabbi I know says it is not a reliable certification.

I know little about industrial food preparation, but I do know that Triangle K could make changes in its supervision that would allow traditional rabbis to recommend Fritos and similar products from your company. Or, there are dozens of widely accepted kosher certifications, such as those found here: http://tinyurl.com/kosherone

Thank you for your consideration,

Eliezer Ross-Mendelson

And here’s a possible script for phoning a Triangle K-certified company:

“Hello, my name is Rivka Feintuch. Can I speak to whoever is responsible for kosher certification at Del Monte?” 

<Call is transferred>

“Hi, I understand you’re responsible for kosher certification at Del Monte. My name is Rivka Feintuch, and I’ve kept kosher all my life. But no rabbi in my community endorses products certified by Triangle K. That means I’ve never bought Del Monte canned fruits and vegetables, although I’d like to.

“Could you contact Triangle K and encourage them to align their practices with the standards of our leading Orthodox rabbis? Alternatively, could your company switch to a more trusted kosher agency? Personally, when I shop, I look for the O-U, the O-K, the Star-K, the Kof-K, and many others.

“Thank you for your time. If your certification becomes more reliable, count on me to be a loyal customer!”

Useful E-mail addresses, Web site contact forms, and phone numbers:

Frito-Lay: snackchat@fritolay.com (1-800-352-4477)

Sun-Maid: corporateaffairs@sunmaid.com (1-559-896-8000)

Del Monte: http://tinyurl.com/DelMonteFoods (1-800-543-3090)

Birds Eye: http://tinyurl.com/contactbirdseye (1-800-432-3102)

Ocean Spray: http://tinyurl.com/ContactOceanSpray (1-800-662-6263)

Little Debbie: Mike.Gloekler@mckee.com (1-800-522-4499)

Kraft Pudding: http://tinyurl.com/KraftPudding (1-877-535-5666)

El Pinto: elpinto@elpinto.com (505-898-1771)

Please share this Call to Action widely on the Internet (http://www.tinyurl.com/TriangleK) and in print. For questions and comments, contact DavidBenkof@gmail.com.

Follow David Benkof on Facebook or Twitter @DavidBenkof.