IRMIMINPIIVINI1.11111411M NOM , ZIONIST ORGANIZATION OF AMERICA MICHIGAN REGION PRESENTS Ambassador (ret.) Yoram Ettinger Bursting the Demographic Bubble: Decoding Dates From Baseless Fatalism to Documented Demographic Optimism Just how long can you keep that Passover matzah? Monday, April 20, 2009 7:00pm Shelli Liebman Dorfman Senior Writer Congregation Shaarey Zedek 27375 Bell Road Southfield, Michigan NO CHARGE! RSVP is required by Friday, April 17, 2009 to sarah@mizoa.org or (248)282-0088 This program is co-sponsored by: Congregation Shaarey Zedek Harold & Barbara Berry Lawrence & Sharon Berry The Morris & Beverly Baker Foundation I Ambassador (ret.) Ettinger is a consultant to members of Israel's Cabinet and Knesset, and regularly briefs US legislators on Israel's contribution to vital US interests, on the root causes of international terrorism and on other issues of bilateral concern. 1 4994.60 ILLAGE ALACE WISHING OUR VALUED CUSTOMERS A HAPPY & HEALTY PASSOVER Johnny, Robert and Staff 4170 Orchard Lake Rd. (near Pontiac Trail) Orchard Lake, MI 48323 (248) 682-3400 1479730 B8 April 9 a 2009 Spirituality n the course of sorting through unopened food items from last Passover, some, no doubt, checked for expiration dates before deciding what to keep. But those who did may be unclear as to if and where that information is stamped. Most popular kosher-for- Passover products are embossed with the date, but not always in the typical way. Many brands now use the "Julian Date Code," a run of numbers that incorporates the expiration date with other numerical and alphabetical information. Most perishable foods, like meats, poultry, eggs and dairy products, still use "open dating;' which refers to a calendar date. But "coded dating" appears on many items packaged in cans and boxes. Julian Date Coding is used in the food industry mainly to allow for fewer characters to be printed on packaging when indicating several pieces of information. The Julian code assigns each day of the year a corresponding three-digit number. So, Jan. 1, is "001" because it is the first day of the year. Dec. 31 would be "365." Following the three- digit number is a single number indi- cating the year. The number "9" would be used to indicate the year "2009." Therefore, a product with numbers "3659" on its package would expire on Dec. 31, 2009. But sometimes, it's not that simple. Many companies also include letters that relate to the plant where the prod- ucts are manufactured and more let- ters to refer to the product's name. Manischewitz Premium Gold Gefilte Fish might have the Julian code: 2439AVGFG, with the 243 correspond- ing to the 243rd day of the year, the 9 indicating 2009, the "AV" referring to the plant where the product was made and the GFG signifying the product is Gefilte Fish Gold. Some manufacturers also include additional numbers to designate the shift or production line on which the item was produced. On some Manischewitz products — whose brands include Season, Rokeach, Goodman's, Tradition and Mother's — a UPC number may be listed at the end of the series of letters and numbers. Consumers shouldn't assume, though, that because they have prod- ucts left from last year they have expired. The shelf life of Manischewitz matzah is 2 to 21/2 years; gefilte fish is four years and canned soups are three years. Generally, products stay fresher if stored in a dry, temperature-con- trolled environment. Some companies, like Aron Streit — makers of a multitude of kosher year-round and Passover products — still use a simple date method on their packaging. "Our bag-in-a-box mixes have 'best if used by' dates on the bottom of the boxes:' said Alan M. Adler of Aron Streit in New York. He said the compa- ny will be using a new dating system on their year-round matzah but the type hasn't yet been determined. But Streits' Passover matzah packaging has perhaps the simplest marking. The year the product was manufactured is stamped in large numbers on front of the package. It is visible in the area where the prod- uct name and "kosher for Passover" wording is printed, giving no excuses for tossing what should be put back on the shelf.