Image provided by Kosher Fest

The primary consumer of kosher foods is the orthodox Jew who complies with Old Testament teachings regarding foods that are acceptable to eat, as well as how they must be prepared and how they are to be kept separate from certain other foods. Interestingly, "It's estimated that fewer than one third of consumers who buy kosher are Jewish," says Rabbi Eliyahu Safran, v.p. communications & marketing with the Orthodox Union (OU) certifying agency in New York City. "The kosher marketplace is consistently growing worldwide, attracting consumers among Muslims, Seventh Day Adventists, vegetarians, people with various types of allergies and consumers who recognize and understand the value and quality of kosher products."

It is this last type of consumer that is a major driver of the kosher certification of foods, since for many consumers, quality is perceived as being more healthful. There is truth to the quality factor. "When a finished product is certified kosher, the consumer can be assured that every ingredient going into that product is identified and sourced with the highest integrity," adds Safran.

The use of eggs in kosher food production historically began with cracking the egg into a glass, inspecting the egg for imperfections (if present, the egg would be rejected) and separating the whites and yolks, as necessary. Only the eggs of kosher species of birds are considered kosher pareve. In general, since eggs of non- kosher birds are not common, one may accept whole chicken eggs in the shell as being kosher pareve.

Kosher pareve foods are considered neutral foods. They do not contain any meat or dairy. All fruits, grains and vegetables in their natural state are kosher and pareve, as are shell eggs. A pareve item becomes Kosher Dairy or Kosher Meat when it is cooked together with a dairy or meat food, respectively.

The kosher status of any form of egg product relies on the processing environment. Processing of liquid eggs must be properly supervised in order to assure that they came from a kosher source. Furthermore, if non-kosher products are manufactured on the same assembly line, the equipment must be properly kosherized in order for the egg product to be labeled kosher pareve.

Kosherizing is the process of making vessels, utensils, fillers, etc. kosher. It requires very strict cleaning procedures, which focus on temperature. This prevents cross-contamination of foods that are not allowed to be eaten together, basically dairy and meat, and it prevents contamination from previous non-kosher products.

This is important because of the waiting period kosher law requires between consuming certain food items. For most orthodox Jews, one cannot consume dairy until six hours after eating meat; however, on the reverse, meat can be consumed about an hour after eating dairy. It all has to do with food residue and aftertaste in the palate.

The study mentioned earlier was a focal point at this winter's 18th Annual Kosherfest trade show held in New York City. According to Paul Crnkovich of Cannondale Associates, Evanston, IL, the firm that conducted the research, "surprisingly, kosher consumers were not driven by deep discounts."

The study's research objectives were "to better understand who the kosher consumer is and how they shop so we can better market to them." Key findings include:

• There are many faces of the kosher consumer, not just one.
• Consumers want broader selection of categories, not multiple brands.
• They purchase an entire solution of products during the holidays, not just core items.
• Kosher consumers spend about $1,000 more annually than the average buyer.
• 70% of kosher consumers are 18- to 35-years old.
• Kosher consumers are Jewish, use kosher and non-kosher products, purchase kosher products year-round and have changing taste preferences.
• Kosher consumers are also non-Jewish, feel kosher products are better for you, find a link to natural/organic and are an emerging and growing segment.
• Other non-Jewish consumers buy kosher products because many are vegetarian and lactose and gluten-free.
• The kosher section is where most consumers discover new products.
• All kosher consumers agreed that they want a greater variety of items with minimal duplication and more new products.
• Stores that offer deep discounts do not increase kosher holiday traffic more than stores with lesser discounts.
• More kosher holiday categories trigger greater holiday purchases.
• Kosher consumers want help from manufacturers and retailers on how to use kosher products (meal ideas, recipes, etc.).

"Retailers across the country are paying close attention to the Cannondale study, especially about the implication that kosher sales would be unaffected if there was no deep discounting, a common practice by many kosher retailers," says Menachem Lubinsky, founder of Kosherfest and CEO of Lubicom Marketing. According to an annual kosher food company survey conducted by Lubicom, kosher food companies are growing at a rate of 10% to 15%. "While last year's growth was due to an increase in wines, cheeses and sauces, snack foods and an increase in frozen food options are currently hot items in the kosher food industry," Lubinsky says.

Visit http://www.aeb.org/.