If you see a food establishment which claims to use only ingredients certified by reliable kashrus agencies and have kosher certificates posted attesting to the kashrus of the products being sold or used in producing the food sold in the store, beware. Unless
the store itself is under reliable kosher certification, it probably does not meet kosher standards.
Example: There is no guarantee that a soft ice cream store that posts a sign saying they use a kosher certified ice cream mix is indeed using that mix. There is no way to be sure that when they run out of a reliable kosher certified ingredient, they will not substitute
another ingredient which has an unacceptable hashgacha. In addition, employees may use store equipment such as tableware or microwave ovens, etc. for their own meals (which usually are not kosher).
The KOF-K and most other kashrus agencies certify companies that have retail stores in multiple locations. The main facility and individual stores are inspected on a regular basis to make sure that all the products meet our kosher standards. However, when a
store is not under certification but claims to be using “kosher” ingredients, one can not be certain that their product is indeed kosher.
Your only guarantee that what you are eating is reliable kosher is the hashgacha of a reliable kashrus agency. Read the letter of certification to be sure it applies to the entire store and not just a specific item. In addition, check the date to be sure the certification is current.
The Kof-K has also issued an alert regarding Mr. Softee trucks that have been displaying a Kof-K symbol. At the resent time, the Kof-K does not certify any ice cream trucks at all. The Kof-K has asked consumers who see trucks displaying a Kof-K symbol to get a picture of it so that legal action can be taken.
{Matzav.com Newscenter}
“There is no way to be sure that when they run out of a reliable kosher certified ingredient, they will not substitute another ingredient which has an unacceptable hashgacha.”
That isn’t really true, at least for stores that are franchises. They are under contractual obligations to use only products from a single supplier and the penalty for not doing so would be the immediate pulling of the franchise, putting them out of business instantly. For hard ice cream you can look at the actual ice cream tub and see the kashrut symbol; for soft ice cream they can show you the carton that was used for the mix.
That said, many such stores do mix kosher and non-kosher products; numerous rabbis have warned me that while the ice cream (soft or hard) may be ok the many toppings and other condiments can be from unknown sources. And I have also seen situations where one ice cream flavor in a store is kosher and another isn’t, even of the same brands.
Stores that belong to franchises are under contractual obligation to buy MOST of their products from a single supplier. They may, however, buy a limited number of ingredients from their local supermarket.