Welch's

Question

Rabbi Abadi, What is the story with Welch's Grape Juice (and any other Welch's products with grape for that matter)? I have heard various things, and I would like to know if you have looked into this issue yourself. I was told that all Welch's drinks containing grape are all machine-processed, and never touched by hand. Welch's has even produced a "kosher" (OU) run of grape juice in past years around Pesach time. I find it hard to beleive that they changed their whole process for the "kosher" run and then changed it back shortly afterward. Is Kedem (or whoever owns Kedem) that powerful as to keep the OU from giving Welch's a hechsher, even if Welch's were willing to pay for it? In general, are there any other issues involved, with respect to products with grape, other than the "human handling" issue. All the best to you and your family.