About Kosher
WHY GO KOSHER?
The Kosher Market
Nearly $200 billion of kosher certified products are consumed annually, and spending continues to rise dramatically.
In recent years the food industry has witnessed a tremendous growth in products that are kosher certified. Kosher food sales increased drastically, and the total number of consumers is growing at an annual rate of 15%.
This is attributed to the fact that "kosher" is identified with quality, health, and fine preparation. 55% of the people who purchase kosher foods believe the products to be safer and healthier. Clearly, kosher certification offers manufacturers a decisive edge in today’s highly competitive food and beverage industry.
There is clear evidence that a kosher symbol boosts market share, that a kosher product can win more favorable shelf space, and that positioned next to a competing non-kosher brand, a kosher product will do better by 20%.
What Is Kosher?
Kosher is a term originally used in Jewish tradition to describe foods deemed proper or acceptable. Most often, it is used to denote foods that are permitted to be eaten by people who observe dietary laws.
Aside from Jewish consumers, many Seventh Day Adventists, Fundamental Christians, Moslems, vegetarians, people with
lactose intolerance, and those prone to certain food allergies purchase kosher products for religious and/or health reasons.
Foods are considered kosher when prepared in accordance with the Jewish dietary laws. These laws are complex; supervision by a competent Rabbi is required. However, in a general sense, two issues must be considered:
1. Ingredients
2. Equipment
Foods may be rendered non-kosher for a variety of reasons:
Why do so many foods require kosher supervision? For example, shouldn’t cereals and potato chips be inherently kosher since they are not made from meat, fowl, fish or insects? The answer is that all units and subunits in a food item must be kosher as well. Thus, for example, a cereal may be non-kosher because it has raisins which are coated with a non-Kosher, animal-based glycerin. Potato chips can be non-kosher if the vegetable oil used in the fryer has been pasteurized and deodorized on equipment used for tallow production. In fact, equipment used for hot production of non-kosher products may not be used for
kosher production without kosherization (a hot purging procedure).
In recent years the food industry has witnessed a tremendous growth in products that are kosher certified. Kosher food sales increased drastically, and the total number of consumers is growing at an annual rate of 15%.
This is attributed to the fact that "kosher" is identified with quality, health, and fine preparation. 55% of the people who purchase kosher foods believe the products to be safer and healthier. Clearly, kosher certification offers manufacturers a decisive edge in today’s highly competitive food and beverage industry.
There is clear evidence that a kosher symbol boosts market share, that a kosher product can win more favorable shelf space, and that positioned next to a competing non-kosher brand, a kosher product will do better by 20%.
What Is Kosher?
Kosher is a term originally used in Jewish tradition to describe foods deemed proper or acceptable. Most often, it is used to denote foods that are permitted to be eaten by people who observe dietary laws.
Aside from Jewish consumers, many Seventh Day Adventists, Fundamental Christians, Moslems, vegetarians, people with
lactose intolerance, and those prone to certain food allergies purchase kosher products for religious and/or health reasons.
Foods are considered kosher when prepared in accordance with the Jewish dietary laws. These laws are complex; supervision by a competent Rabbi is required. However, in a general sense, two issues must be considered:
1. Ingredients
2. Equipment
Foods may be rendered non-kosher for a variety of reasons:
- Species of animals
- Improper slaughtering or processing procedures
- Mixing of meat and dairy ingredients
- Use of ingredients from non-kosher sources
- Preparation of food with non-kosher utensils or equipment
- Lack of proper supervision
Why do so many foods require kosher supervision? For example, shouldn’t cereals and potato chips be inherently kosher since they are not made from meat, fowl, fish or insects? The answer is that all units and subunits in a food item must be kosher as well. Thus, for example, a cereal may be non-kosher because it has raisins which are coated with a non-Kosher, animal-based glycerin. Potato chips can be non-kosher if the vegetable oil used in the fryer has been pasteurized and deodorized on equipment used for tallow production. In fact, equipment used for hot production of non-kosher products may not be used for
kosher production without kosherization (a hot purging procedure).
