The Kosher Market
The Food Institute Works with OU Kosher to Help Consumers Get the Most Bang for the Buck on Food Purchases
For the first time since 1990, prices for food-at-home rose over four percent last year and could very likely do so again in 2008, with projections from the United States government suggesting an increase of as much as 4.5 percent. Many consumers, as well as many food manufacturers and retailers, are finding this to be unfamiliar turf and are looking for ways to deal with the higher prices.
The Power of Imagination Brings Inspirational and Healthy Eating to Passover
No question – food has always played an essential role in the celebration of Jewish holidays. But when it comes to Passover, it takes an extra dose of vigilance and knowledge to keep all the season’s meticulous kosher laws properly. Those companies involved in the production of kosher-for-Passover products have learned that, in order to keep the eight days of highly restrictive eating interesting, they’ve had to crank up their creativity. Thanks to modern-day food technology, the past decade of Passover offerings have been plentiful – and innovative.
Editor’s Letter (BTUS Spring 2008)
The Hebrew language name for the holiday of Passover – Pesach — conveys conversation, with “Pe” meaning mouth and “sach” connoting speaking or conversing.
The matzah referred to as lechem oni, poor man’s bread, is seen not simply as a food consumed when hastily leaving Egypt, but as a medium for discussion and elaboration on countless Passover themes. The Bible instructs that we verbally communicate to our children on Passover night and tell them about the most consequential event in the annals of Jewish history. An actual and active dialogue must be at the core of the Passover experience, with the children as the focus of that life experience. The Haggadah text was specifically created as the vehicle through which all can be told and explained. There is no genuine Passover experience without adequate and meaningful conversation, discussion, analysis and talking. On Passover night silence is not a virtue; as a matter of fact, the more prolonged the discussion and conversation is on this night, the greater the reward. In short, on Passover, we talk it up.
China Goes Kosher: Major Media Positions OU as Worldwide Leader
It’s the “largest certification organization in the world,” the “most widely accepted,” “the most respected,” and the “leader in the field.” It’s perceived to be “the standard,” and among key consumer groups, “the safest,” “the cleanest,” “most reliable” and “trustworthy.” It’s the symbol, by a wide margin, that is top-of-mind when the consumer thinks “kosher certification.”
The Kosher Consumer Speaks
The astronomical growth of kosher foods over the last decade has driven many marketers to study the behavior of kosher consumers. Who are they? What are their buying habits? How much do they spend? Where are they located?
Kosher: A Symbol Worth Having
The Dairy Foods staff recently agreed to stop using trade-mark (™) and registration symbols (®) in editorial. The primary reason is that often status changes from the non-legally enforce-able ™ to the U.S. trademark office-approved ®, and we cannot monitor these changes. Furthermore, it’s not our job to protect your brands. That’s your responsibility.
The Power Of Pareve
Pareve means that that the food is “neutral,” neither dairy nor meat, which makes it that much more desirable. Kosher law allows for pareve foods to be consumed with all foods, whether meat, dairy or fish. A pareve salad dressing, ice cream sorbet, chocolate mints or confectionary delicacy can be enjoyed with both a sumptuous steak dinner as well as with a refreshing dairy luncheon. Essentially,pareve is the universal kosher category. In an astute Bakingbuyer comment, Betsy Hater points to an ever-successful pareve bagel as an example of how bakeries can reach a wider clientele.“Bagels by nature are pareve, as they typically include no meat, or dairy, only pareve ingredients such as flour, water, yeast, sugar, malt and molasses. However, Reyna Paulker, co owner of Bagel Fair in Indianapolis, IN, notes that many bakeries use oils based on animal fats or whey instead of wheat gluten.”
Concession and Consumption: An Approach to Kashruth
It is no mere coincidence that men steeped in Torah law and learning chose to take up medicine as a profession. The Sages saw a clear connection between medicine and religion, between the body and the soul. Our bodies, they taught, belong to God and have been given to us on loan, as it were, during our stay on earth. Caring for the body by keeping it clean and healthy is a religious duty that honors God; neglecting and abusing the body is a sin that profanes Him. Thus, questions of nutrition or body care are approached halachically as earnestly and scrupulously as are questions of Jewish ritual. “The human figure,” says the Zohar, “unites all that is above and all that is below; therefore, the Ancient of Ancients has chosen it for His form.” “The body is the soul’s house. Shouldn’t we therefore take care of our house so that it doesn’t fall into ruin?” Philo inquired.
Market Intelligence: What You Don’t Know Can Hurt You
Over the ten years that I’ve been in kosher/Jewish marketing, I’ve received dozens of phone calls from brand mangers, manufacturers, importers and the like asking what the kosher consumer would think of this new product or that.
The New China: Booming Economy, Growing OU Presence
Approximately twenty-five years ago, the Chinese government decided to remake the country. China was up to that point a completely Stalinist-Maoist economy, wallowing in poverty, despite the fact that it is the world’s third largest country, blessed with various climates and abundant natural resources.
