OU, AMERICAN VEGETARIAN ASSOCIATION, ANNOUNCE PARTNERSHIP TO BENEFIT CLIENTS WHO PRODUCE BOTH KOSHER AND VEGETARIAN PRODUCTS
OU Kosher and the American Vegetarian Association (AVA) are pleased to announce that they have recently partnered to more easily provide their clients who produce both kosher and vegetarian products with the opportunity to obtain OU Kosher and AVA Vegetarian certifications for their products.
Research has shown that obtaining such certifications greatly enhances the perception of quality among consumers. Even those who do not keep strict kosher or vegetarian diets are often reassured as to the quality of food products when they see well known symbols on the labels. As the respective leaders in their markets, OU and AVA present food producers with the ability to differentiate their products from the competition, by adding both well-known emblems that signify quality to millions of consumers.
According to research from Mintel, the top three reasons why consumers intentionally purchase kosher food are quality (62 percent), healthfulness (51 percent) and food safety (34 percent). (http://www.thestar.com/living/food/article/785423—kosher-food-market-growing). Likewise, the Vegetarian Resource Group reports that health is the most common reason for consumers purchasing vegetarian products. (http://www.vrg.org/nutshell/market.htm#market)
“There is good reason to believe that kosher and vegetarian certifications complement each other very nicely,” said Rabbi Mordechai Merzel of OU Kosher. “Given our increasingly complex food supply chain, consumers look to symbols such as OU and AVA for reassurance as to the quality of the food they purchase.”
Rabbi Moshe Elefant, Chief Operating Officer of OU Kosher, declared, “We are pleased to team with AVA to provide a more comprehensive approach to clients’ certification needs.”
OU Kosher currently certifies around 700,000 products in 80 countries. The AVA Global Certification Program certifies thousands of food products globally, as well as vitamins, supplements, skincare, and health and beauty aids. The AVA also offers a ‘Recommended’ status for vegetarian-inspired restaurants, cookware, and kitchen products.
For more information, contact Rabbi Mordechai Merzel of OU Kosher at, or Len Torine of AVA at.