There is good news for kosher consumers who want their Duncan Hines Moist Deluxe Cake Mixes, certified kosher by the Orthodox Union, to have pareve and non-dairy status. The company has reversed a decision made in 2005 to switch the product to dairy, therefore rendering it unusable for cakes that are served with meat meals at the Sabbath table. The product line includes Moist Deluxe Classic Yellow, the best selling cake mix in the country, and other consumer favorites such as Devil’s Food, Lemon Supreme and Butter Recipe Golden.
Pareve production began in September and Duncan Hines has begun shipping product to stores. It should be in most locations by November and December, the company says.
Pareve products are neither meat nor dairy and can be served with both meals. They are identified by OU or OU Pareve on the label.
“We are very excited to again offer Duncan Hines Moist Deluxe Cake Mixes as non-dairy pareve products,” declared Chief Executive Officer Jeff Ansell. “We are now able to ensure that our production facilities can produce dairy-free product with certainty. This is based on moving our dairy-based cakes to another production facility. We made this shift in production because we wanted to once again offer our long-time and valued pareve consumers non-dairy cake mixes.”
“It was a difficult decision last year to change away from pareve. We heard both from consumers and trade customers and that is why we worked hard to make the move back to pareve,” said Ansell.
Duncan Hines offers a wide variety of the pareve cake mixes, more than any other brand. Twelve of 18 Moist Deluxe flavors, representing more than 80 percent of sales, are being returned to pareve. These include, besides those noted above, Swiss Chocolate, Spice, Fudge Marble, Pineapple Supreme, Butter Recipe Fudge, German Chocolate, Red Velvet and Dark Chocolate Fudge.
“Successful companies make smart decisions, even if it means reversing a previous decision,” declared Rabbi Menachem Genack, CEO of OU Kosher. “Duncan Hines’switch of its Moist Deluxe Cake Mixes to dairy obviously disappointed part of its consumer base. The marketplace speaks. I commend the company for reversing its decision and restoring the mixes to OU pareve status, which means they are now restored to the Sabbath meat table.”
Rabbi Genack emphasized that there are distinct advantages to pareve products. “Besides the flexibility they give the consumer, being appropriate for both meat and dairy meals, they are also available to lactose intolerant individuals who cannot use dairy products. OU Kosher, in fact, emphasizes to its companies and prospective companies the advantages of pareve. The results, in many cases, can be found on the bottom line.”
Press inquiries should contact Joel White at Pinnacle Foods, 973-541-6683