By Phyllis Koegel, Marketing Director, OU Kosher
At this year’s 65th annual Summer Fancy Food Show at the Javits center, hundreds of thousands of specialty food and beverage products from all over the world were on display. And amongst those products were over 300 OU Kosher certified companies representing almost all food categories and the latest trends.
As international buyers continue to look for new, specialty food products, Kosher continues to be an important category, propelling OU Kosher’s continued growth while increasing the accessibility of kosher food worldwide.
Head of sales for the boutique English Tea Company based in the UK, compares the popularity of Kosher food products over Organic foods.
“The growth of OU Kosher’s certification has been on par with the specialty food industry,” said Rabbi Menachem Genack, CEO of OU Kosher. “To reach consumers with diverse dietary lifestyles and increase sales, food producers continue to look for OU Kosher certification for their brands.”
There are thousands of new products debuting each year, and food manufacturers want to position themselves to attract the largest number of consumers. As Kosher consumers continuously search for new products that suit their families and daily life, OU Kosher provides opportunities for food and beverage companies to increase their market share.
Lisa Roland of 150 year old Jelly Belly Candy Company talks about the value of the OU Kosher symbol. Jelly Belly and the local Chabad celebrate Chunukah with a Jelly Belly menorah each year.
Food Trends seen at the Summer Fancy Food Show
Plant-based foods
Love Beets is defying all previous notions of healthy foods with upbeat, fun products like beet juice, beet salsa and beet powders.
Oatmilk
Oatly and Elmhurst are a few of the OU Kosher certified products that turn liquid oats into milk with maximum nutritional value.
Mushrooms
Shrooms jerky varieties are a functional superfood, packed with important nutrients.
Keto Craze
Keto is a low-carb, high fat food that forces the body into a state of ketosis – where the body burns fat, instead of carbohydrates for energy.
In the highly competitive food industry where profit margins are often very thin, manufacturers in search of a competitive edge seek out the OU symbol. And for many of those companies OU certification is a necessity because distributors and buyers often require it. With over 1,000,000 Kosher certified products, from over 100 countries, OU Kosher continues to support the global food sector while providing an ever-growing number of options for Kosher consumers.