Why Go Kosher?
The Kosher symbol represents the highest standards of quality to the largest and most diverse consumer audience. The appeal of kosher foods is not limited to any one ethnic group. Among consumers who seek kosher foods are Jews, Muslims, Seventh Day Adventists; vegetarians, vegans and individuals with lactose intolerance or other dietary restrictions–along with millions of other consumers seeking healthier and safer food products.
North America’s ethnic food companies seeking Kosher certification are setting the trends. While the specialty foods market grows at an annual rate of only 5%, the Kosher food market has grown 15% during the past 10 years.
$200 billion in Kosher certified food products were sold annually with an active consumer base of 15 million. The consumer equates Kosher with quality.
“With the extra supervision required to be accepted as kosher, with oversight by rabbis for example, kosher food is perceived by many people — Jewish and non-Jewish alike — as being healthier and cleaner.
No wonder then that a kosher label on food attracts shoppers of all kinds. In fact, according to research in 2017 by Kosher Network International, the global market for kosher foods was worth $24 billion, with growth expected to hit 11.5 percent by 2025.”
“According the JIFA, the Jewish Initiative for Animals 74 percent of Americans choose kosher based on concerns for food safety. In fact, of the people who buy kosher products, the majority point to food safety as their key concern. And previous research has shown that American shoppers believe that kosher food is safer.”
– from foodsafetynews.com
American consumers spend an estimated $13 billion annually on kosher food, with sales growing by double digits each year. In her 2010 book “Kosher Nation,” a deep dive into kashrut in contemporary America, journalist Sue Fishkoff explained that the desire for food certified as kosher goes far beyond the relatively tiny demographic of observant Jews.
“More than 11.2 million Americans regularly buy kosher food, 13 percent of the adult consumer population,” Fishkoff writes. “These are people who buy the products because they are kosher, not shoppers who pick up Heinz ketchup, Miller beer, or Cheerios because they like the taste or the price.” But only about 1.5 million of those customers are Jews committed to keeping kosher, she points out, which means that “at least 86 percent of the nation’s 11.2 million kosher consumers are not religious Jews.” Eighty-six percent!
– from bostonglobe.com
Considering how few people keep kosher in the US—Jews make up less than 2% of the American population, and only a portion of them follow Jewish dietary laws—it’s fairly astounding that more than 40% of the country’s new packaged food and beverage products in 2014 are labeled as being kosher. That makes it the top label claim on food and beverages, according to market research firm Mintel, beating out the ever-present “gluten-free” label and even allergen claims.
Many consumers go for kosher foods for completely non-religious reasons. Some “gravitate toward kosher products for positive health or taste perceptions, or for vegetarian reasons,” says Topper. Others buy kosher to avoid certain allergens, like shellfish.
– from qz.com