Updated December 25, 2025<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This page is dedicated in memory of Rav Yosef Herman \u05d4\u05e8\u05d1 \u05d9\u05d5\u05e1\u05e3 \u05d1\u05df \u05d4\u05e8\u05d1 \u05d9\u05d4\u05d5\u05e9\u05e2 \u05d6\u05e6”\u05dc<\/em>, who is credited with singlehandedly raising awareness about Yoshon<\/em> in America and throughout chutz la’aretz<\/em><\/strong><\/strong> and renewing the klal’s commitment to this precious mitzvah. He undertook the responsibility to conduct extensive research about Yoshon products and to publish Yoshon updates year after year without remuneration.<\/strong> May all of our work be an aliyah for his neshama<\/em>.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Our committee has been very busy these last few weeks getting in touch with our mills to see what the forecasts are for the Chodosh harvest for wheat, barley and oats. As we know, this has been a year of unusual weather. Very rainy in some (maybe most) places and very dry in others. This seems to be creating a difficult scenario for crop forecasts and large discrepancies amongst farmers and mills. Some crops in drier places will be earlier than usual. In places that have seen lots of rain, it will be later.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Here is the latest Yoshon season update \u2013 and the actual final season start info<\/span>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Pasta products, durum and semolina flours:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u25ba USA products – Sept 1<\/strong> is the production cutoff date. This means products lists should be updated to reflect Aug 1 as the last production day that one can assume they are Yoshon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u25ba Canadian pasta products \u2013 No Chodosh concerns yet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n All Other Flours <\/strong>\u2013 <\/strong>A number of mills received Chodosh already. The list online has been updated with all the info we have so far. We are working on updating the lists of all the other mills as well. <\/p>\n\n\n\n If we don\u2019t have a date listed, you can use Sept 2<\/strong> as the default cutoff date. Flours are typically dated 12-18 months and whole wheat 6-12 months. <\/p>\n\n\n\n DISCLAIMER<\/strong>: Sometimes we have found the same label with 12 months and sometimes with 18 months. It is often obvious from the package which one it is (i.e. if the date printed on the package is over 12 months away) but you may need to adjust the date.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Fresh Baked Goods <\/strong>\u2013 Should NOT be assumed Yoshon if purchased after Sept 15<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n All Other Packaged Wheat Products <\/strong>\u2013 Can be assumed Yoshon until Oct 1<\/strong>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Working on specific info. In the meantime, use Sept 15 <\/strong>as the packing date cutoff. If the package states it was packed on Sept 15 or earlier, it is Yoshon. For products made with barley or oats, use 10-1-25<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Always Yoshon in North America.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u25ba Online:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u25ba Text:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u25ba Hard copies:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Hard copies will be available from the following sources:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Baltimore:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Brooklyn:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Lakewood:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Spring Valley:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Every year, STAR-K publishes the Yoshon Quick Reference Guide and an up-to-date list of Baltimore establishments, which notes the Yoshon<\/em> and Pas Yisroel<\/em> status of their products. Both the Yoshon Quick Reference Guide and the local Baltimore establishment list are linked below. <\/p>\n\n\n\n To download the most current PDF of the Yoshon Quick Reference Guide<\/i>, click HERE<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n To view a video discussing the 5785 yoshon<\/i> season, click HERE<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n For a Pas Yisroel\/Yoshon<\/em> Listing of Local Establishments, click HERE<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n For Pas Yisroel<\/em> information, click HERE<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n For a printable guide to Pas Yisroel<\/em>, click HERE<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n The Torah states[1]<\/a> that chodosh<\/em> (new) crops of the five grains may not be eaten until after the second day of Pesach (outside of Israel, not until the third day).[2]<\/a> Thus, grain harvested in the summer of 2023 would not be allowed until Pesach 2024. On the other hand, yoshon<\/em> (old) crops, which were harvested in the summer of 2022, became permitted after Pesach 2023. Grain planted at least two weeks or more before Pesach are permitted upon harvest, since they took root before Pesach.[3]<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Outside of Israel, there are various customs based on numerous sources as to whether or not one needs to be stringent about using only yoshon<\/em> products (see Rabbi Mordechai Frankel\u2019s article in this issue). Each person should consult their rav<\/em> for guidance. In Israel, however, these leniencies do not apply. Therefore, any product from Israel bearing a reliable kosher certification is definitely yoshon<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Wheat in the U.S. has two planting seasons a year: winter and spring. Winter wheat<\/em> can be planted anytime between October and February. The wheat grows to a young plant stage and remains dormant until spring, at which time growth resumes. Once the wheat matures, it is harvested, usually in late spring\/early summer. Spring wheat<\/em> is planted between April and June and harvested as soon as it is ripe, typically 6-12 weeks after planting (usually at the end of July).<\/p>\n\n\n\n Since winter wheat is always planted at least two weeks before Pesach, it is always yoshon<\/em>. Spring wheat, however, is planted right around Pesach and (so far) never more than two weeks before, and thus is always a chodosh<\/em> concern. Unlike wheat, the remaining four grains are single-season crops: oats and barley are spring crops planted after Pesach and harvested in the summer and therefore a chodosh<\/em> concern; rye and spelt in the U.S. are primarily winter crops and are therefore not a chodosh<\/em> concern.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Between Pesach and the end of the summer (roughly mid-August), all grain products are considered yoshon<\/em> because they are either all from a winter crop or the previous year\u2019s spring crop. The new spring crop only enters the market around August, which signals the start of the \u201cyoshon<\/em> season.\u201d At that point, any products containing the new spring wheat, oats or barley may not be eaten by those who adhere to the stringency of yoshon<\/em> until after Pesach of the following year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The \u201cOlden\u201d Days<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n There was a time when \u201ckeeping yoshon<\/em>\u201d wasn\u2019t such an issue. Most grain was yoshon<\/em>, because for the most part, the U.S. stockpiled its grain. That changed in the 1970s, when America began to export its stockpiled grain, and chodosh<\/em> grain from that year\u2019s summer crop became more prevalent, entering the market shortly after harvest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Once that happened, Rabbi Yosef Herman zt\u201dl<\/em> recognized the need to conduct extensive research about yoshon<\/em> products, and he took upon himself the responsibility to publish the results of his research in his acclaimed Guide to Chodosh<\/em>. The Guide<\/em> provided dates for products that consumers could use to determine if an item was yoshon<\/em> or not. Rabbi Herman did this for decades without remuneration. After his petirah<\/em> in 2019, the Herman family continued his legacy and shouldered the responsibility to publish the printed guide themselves. Rabbi Herman and his family are credited with singlehandedly raising awareness about yoshon<\/em> in America and throughout chutz la\u2019aretz<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n During the course of the last decade, it became apparent that there was a need to have comprehensive yoshon<\/em> information available online and not just in a printed guide. In 2010, The Yoshon Network, Inc. (TYNI) launched the yoshon.com website and mobile app using information largely based on Rabbi Herman\u2019s Guide<\/em>. Meanwhile, in response to consumer requests to create an abridged version, about five years ago, STAR-K began publishing and posting the Yoshon Quick Reference Guide<\/em> on star-k.org, listing the most popular and commonly used yoshon<\/em> items.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cChadashot\u201d This Year<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n With the increasingly global nature of food productions, the ability of the Herman family to obtain and accurately track yoshon<\/em> data in a timely manner became much more challenging, causing them to reach out to the Association of Kashrus Organizations (AKO) and express their concerns. In response, the major kashrus agencies formed a committee together with yoshon.com to collaborate on gathering and disseminating yoshon<\/em> information.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The new committee of kashrus agencies has begun working directly with their mashgichim in each food plant to obtain precise data about specific products. The updated information is now posted on the yoshon.com site and mobile app. The site is also planning to soon provide a link which will allow consumers to download the full TYNI guide and print out a hard copy .<\/p>\n\n\n\n This new collaborative approach has resulted in some significant changes. Previously, one yoshon<\/em> date was used for all grain products based on the start of the grain harvest. So, if the harvesting of wheat began on August 1, the listed cutoff date was about two weeks later, on August 15. The new approach allows for dates to be both more precise and much later, thereby exponentially increasing yoshon<\/em> availability. There are now separate dates for flour mills (which are earlier) and for food products (which are naturally later). Additionally, as mashgichim monitor plant productions, they are better able to ascertain whether or not items are yoshon<\/em>. For more information about yoshon<\/em> products, visit yoshon.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Since Yoshon <\/em>availability can change at any time, consumers are urged to check with the mashgiach at each establishment (or look for posted signs) prior to eating or shopping to ascertain Yoshon <\/em>status. At catered events, the Hashgacha cards will always list the Yoshon <\/em>status for that event.<\/p>\n\n\n\n [1]<\/a> Vayikra<\/em> 23:14.<\/p>\n\n\n\n [2]<\/a> Outside of Israel, not until the third day.<\/p>\n\n\n\nLatest Updates from the Kashrus Agencies<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
WHEAT<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
BARLEY AND OATS (Raw)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
RYE AND SPELT <\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
How to Get Further Updates<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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STAR-K Resources<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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