Hi,
Thanks for your very helpful annual list. I have a few questions about ingredients below. I posted these questions last year right at the Pesach crunch, and you suggested I ask again after (last) Pesach. I apologize for not doing so; hopefully, this is enough time before this Pesach. If not, I totally understand. The questions are based on the 2022 list, but I figure things like these wouldn’t change. Thanks.
1. corn starch: This is identified on the list both as standalone brands and as an ingredient as approved for sephardim only. However, in various questions on the message board about individual products containing corn starch, you identify the products as approved for all. Could you please explain the situation with corn starch? Is it a question of where it appears in the ingredient list? Separately, is corn starch distinguishable from corn flour in that corn starch is enough of a derivative that it would no longer count as kitniyot for ashkenazim, whereas corn flour remains kitniyot?
2. soy lecithin, soy protein isolate, soy protein concentrate, corn syrup, corn vinegar: Similar to #1, the list indicates that these are approved for sephardim only, but you have indicated in Q&A that products containing them are approved for all. I thought that corn syrup and corn vinegar are kitniyot derivatives that you would approve for all even as a first ingredient (and figure the same can apply to the listed soy-based items).
3. other kitniyot “proteins”: assuming the soy protein is indeed OK for all (see #2), is that true of all kitniyot “protein,” “protein isolate,” “protein concentrate,” etc., such as “pea protein” or “rice protein”?
4. distilled vinegar: I understand that you approve products for all, even without knowledge of the source of the vinegar, where it is the 3rd or later ingredient, based on the idea that no more than 5% of the vinegar is actual grain, and (1/3)(1/20)=1/60. Would this apply only to products purchased before Passover?
5. dextrose; malodextrin: These are indicated on the list as approved ingredients for all. How do we know they are from corn as opposed to wheat? Does it matter where they appear in the ingredient list?
6. ethyl alcohol, alcohol: “Ethyl alcohol” is indicated on the list as an approved ingredient for all. Wouldn’t we need to know that it is from corn or another non-chametz source? Or does it depend on where it is listed within an ingredients list? What about “alcohol” listed as an ingredient (which presumably is ethyl alcohol, as we don’t consume other alcohols)? I have in mind with these questions vanilla (and other) extracts, at least some of which contain “ethyl alcohol” or “alcohol” as a second ingredient. The question of gluten-free shouldn’t be of any help here because even alcohol distilled from wheat/barley is gluten-free.
7. mustard: I have seen some mustard products in Q&A approved for all. Why is there no kitniyot issue for “mustard” or “mustard seed” as an ingredient?
Thanks so much for the help!
Aaron Abadi 
michael aryeh 
Josh Wachtel
Thanks so much!
7. Mustard seed is less than 50% of the product. Water is the majority. Kitniyot are batel (rendered irrelevant) if less than 50%
Thanks again for the help here. One pedantic followup to this generally way of using the ingredient list. What if the ingredients are: water, kitniyot #1, kitniyot #2. Then it’s possible that the combined kitniyot is more than 50% (we can’t tell just from the ingredients. Is each of the kitniyot nullified separately or do you have to combine?
6. Both #5 and #4 apply here
5. While those ingredients can technically be made from wheat, they are not. If the ingredients panel says “contains wheat,” then you should double-check. It cannot be made from wheat without stating that.
4. You can buy on passover too
3. yes. all the Kitniyot protein are the same
2. same as #1
1. corn starch as an ingredient is ok for Ashkenazim that do not eat corn, if it is less than 50% of the product. All kitniyot are okay if less than 50%.