What Is Kosher for Passover?
Every year, OU Kosher certifies thousands of products with a special OU-P (P for Passover). The OU-P symbol indicates that all the ingredients have been approved for their Passover status, the production equipment has been inspected and is Passover-compliant, and an OU inspector was present for a special Passover production.
The Expanding Kosher for Passover Market
According to Expert Market Research, the 2023 global kosher food market was valued at over $36 billion with projections to reach over $65 billion by 2032. This isn’t surprising considering the fact that Jeff Jacoby of The Boston Globe reported that “more than 40 percent of packaged foods and beverages now sold in the United States are kosher…” This speaks to the fact that the reach of kosher food is beyond the Jewish community.
In a Jewish News Syndicate (JNS) article, it was noted that Passover sales exceed $2 billion. The Passover market gives the chance for manufacturers to diversify their portfolio for the worldly consumer. OU’s websites see consumer traffic increase by over 300% during the Passover season.
From the Impact Group as seen on Medium:
“The increased demand for product differentiation has led grocers to expand their kosher for Passover product space while stocking shelves with a variety of new and interesting food options. Substitutes for pizza, bread and noodles that were once unheard of are now finding their way onto dinner tables next to more traditional dishes. Items like wheat-free lasagna noodles, banana flour and cauliflower rice are now accompanying thousands of other creative and delicious items in grocery stores across the country.”
Broader Appeal Beyond Religious Observance
As with standard OU Kosher certification, there are reasons beyond the religious for which consumers may prefer an OU-P product. Many of the millions of Americans who suffer from celiac disease, and those who generally prefer gluten-free foods, trust the OU-P symbol to guide them in their gluten-free shopping, where they can stock up on the OU-P products during Passover season for the rest of the year.
Passover shopping begins about six weeks in advance so initiating the process to obtain Passover certification will put you in a solid position to be prepared.
Over the years, companies have revolutionized kosher for Passover products with sophistication and creativity. Often, a product becomes so recognized during Passover, it is used year-round.
Built in Audience Through OU Kosher Publications and Web
OU Kosher is unique amongst other kosher certification agencies in that it speaks directly to kosher consumers through its many programs and websites. Information about OU Kosher certified kosher for Passover products is in very high demand during the weeks leading up to this important holiday. And in general, the kosher consumer is highly engaged particularly around new and novel Passover products.
Here are some of the statistics from the April 2022 Passover season:
830 Average daily calls the week before Passover.
10,943 Total Passover season phone calls.
3,389 Total Passover email information requests.
352,000 Unique visitors on OUKosher.org.
78,000 printed copies of OU Kosher’s Guide to Passover distributed
22,000 digital downloads of OU Kosher’s Guide to Passover.
Is Your Product Ready for Passover Certification?
The Passover diet excludes almost all products containing wheat, rye, spelt, oats, and barley. Additionally, some Passover diets have the custom of excluding such foods as corn, rice, and beans. Gluten-free products are already close to the requirements needed for Passover certification.
So if you’re interested in exploring kosher for Passover certification, the OU can help with marketing your new products through our various channels.
And OU Kosher has a Passover department that can review your ingredients and help evaluate whether your raw materials can qualify for OU-P certification. They can even sometimes help find substitutions for ingredients that lack the proper Passover status. To get more information, contact your Rabbinic Coordinator (RC) or you can email newapps@ou.org.