To the Editor:
For those who are careful not to purchase chometz sold
on Pesach: the manufacturing code [indicating when the
product was made] after Pesach is 4104. (The first number is
the year, 4-- 2004, and the last three digits denote the
number of days since the beginning of the Gregorian calendar
year, i.e. 104 = 104 days since the beginning of 2004).
On products from certain factories another digit or two
sometimes appears (e.g. 410422), indicating the shift or the
factory, and they have no significance to us.
On pasta imported from Italy (such as the majority of Osem
pastas) a manufacturing code generally does not appear, and
only the latest date of sale is listed, which is exactly two
years from the day of packaging.
Note: 1. On some products the code indicates only the date of
packaging, but not the date of manufacture, which could be
earlier. 2. Even at the end of the summer products
manufactured before Pesach can appear on the shelves.
HaRav Moshe Vaye
Author of Bedikas Mozon Kehalochoh
