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Kosher Today Update

May 23, 2023

A Holiday for Many Categories Boon for Supermarkets

Pomona, NY... Idi's basket at the huge Evergreen Kosher Supermarket was full of diverse products for the upcoming holiday of Shavous (May 26-27). She quipped that this was a holiday "where everything goes." She seemed to explain the packages of blintzes and several different flavored cheesecakes for her traditional Shavous dairy meal in addition to her regular meat meals for the holiday and Shabbos. Kosher supermarket executives say that shoppers have been buying cheesecake products in record numbers but as much as they are selling the ready-made cheesecakes, they are also selling a great deal of farmer cheese and other baking products for the many people who are baking cheesecakes at home. Kosher.com features 40 Shavous recipes in under 30 minutes and many other kosher sites offer a plethora of dairy recipes including many fish delicacies. Since Shavous falls on a Friday and Shabbos this year, Idi also purchased many traditional prepared foods for Shabbos. She particularly likes potato kugel and cholent. There is no respite for the supermarket managers as they are already preparing for the summer season.

Concern Mounts about Unauthorized Kosher Symbols Overseas

Teaneck, NJ... Unauthorized kosher symbols have plagued the kosher food industry for decades. Kosher sources say that the expansion of kosher manufacturing in countries like China and India are compounding the problem. The website Kashrut.com illustrated some of the fraudulent uses, particularly in India. Publisher Arlene Mathes-Scharf, showed images of eight symbols-many of which are generic logos, but upon a closer look resemble the Teaneck, N.J.-based kosher certifier, Kof-K. According to Kashrut.com, these 'bogus' kosher symbols are some of the ones offered by companies, many in Asia particularly India that sell 'certification' services. One rabbi told Kosher Today that he is concerned that these symbols will be accepted by some of the box scores "who really don't differentiate between kosher symbols." Kosher authorities have long urged kosher consumers to investigate kosher symbols that seem suspicious. Consumers often call kosher agencies about suspicious-looking symbols.

Wines for Shavuos a Refreshing Development

Bayonne NJ... It has been common to highlight special wines for Rosh Hashanah and Passover, particularly because the two holidays fall in different seasons. Gabriel Geller of Royal Wine/Kedem, says that while the common belief is that Passover is the holiday of Spring, "the truth is, spring weather is at its peak on Shavuos." He says that it is a great time to pop some great white, rosé, and lighter reds that make a better pairing with fish, cheesecake, pasta, etc. His favorite Shavous wines include Château Genlaire, White, Bordeaux, 2021, Yamas, Xynisteri, Cyprus, 2021, Ido Lewinsohn's, (the famous Master of Wine and Technical Director of Barkan and Segal wineries in Israel). Tabor Adama, Barbera Rosé, 2021(Israel):, the Tabor Adama Rosé is a perfect example of a rosé that has retained its vibrant fruit. Tura, Mountain Vista, Pinot Noir, 2021, Herzog, Lineage, Sauvignon Blanc, Lake County, 2022:

Israelis Fret at Higher Prices for Bread as Battle Against Inflation Intensifies

Tel Aviv... Israelis shopping for the holiday of Shavuos received the latest jolt from the steady dose of higher prices, a 5% increase for the price of bread. The Finance Ministry's prices committee approved the bakeries' request, even though Economy Minister Nir Barkat opposed the move. The bakeries say they have been hit by steadily rising prices for flour and other ingredients. While there have been increases of late on a whole host of products, the increase for bread hit Israelis hard. The price of standard loaf of dark bread went up from NIS 6.7 ($1.84) to NIS 8.3 ($2.27), and the price of white bread rose from NIS 5.2 ($1.42) to NIS 6.1 ($1.67). The government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been under attack for allowing food companies to increase prices without offering specific explanations. In fact, the government has now requested some of the large food manufacturers to explain the reasoning behind their price increases.

Several Kosher Food Shows for Consumers Planned

Secaucus NJ... The growing popularity of kosher foods has inspired two new consumer shows in June. The JFood Show will take place at the New Jersey Expo Center, June 13-14 while a show called Kosher Palooza 2023 will take place at the Meadowlands Exposition Center on June 28th. Unlike the 33-year-old Kosherfest trade show, these two new shows are billed as consumer shows. In recent years, the most successful kosher events were the Kosher Food and Wine Experience (KFWE) in several cities sponsored by the Royal Wine Corp./Kedem. One kosher food executive praised the heightened interest by consumers but added: "With several dozen huge kosher supermarkets in different parts of the country, consumers can simply walk into one of these stores and check out thousands of kosher food items." Most of these stores are more than 10,000 square feet and some as much as 50,000 square feet providing for huge space to display kosher items. The trade show, Kosherfest has been a driving force in the growth of kosher for more than three decades.

AKO Plans Convention and Provides Other Updates

Chicago... The Association of Kashrus Organizations (AKO) is planning its annual Vaadim Convention in Montreal, Canada on July 16-18. In its latest update AKO also posted an opportunity in Savannah, where Kosher Savannah provides kosher supervision for facilities in Northern Florida, Southeast Georgia, and much of South Carolina. They also serve as mashgichim for all the major kashrus agencies. Kosher Savannah is looking for a manager for the agency. AKO has also been in talks with the ) NYS Kosher Law Enforcement of the NYS Dept of Agriculture and Markets "who have always been very helpful in enforcing non-kosher and/or illegal kosher logos being sold in NY State." The agency recently issued a letter that read: "I am pleased to share that the Department has finalized an online tool to allow the acceptance of registrations from establishments that offer Kosher foods as well as certifiers of this food. This tool is linked below and will be posted publicly on the Department website shortly. https://arcg.is/1G8nDz0. Please feel free to re-register yourselves or organizations to ensure that your current registrations are up to date. To the extent that you can share with the establishments that you are certifying within NYS, or firms that distribute Kosher foods into New York, we would also be grateful for your assistance to ensure our registrations are updated.

New Product Showcase... by Eda Kram
New Confectionary Items from Nature's Garden

Totowa, NJ - Cibo Vita Inc., makers of the Nature's Garden brand of snack foods, introduces a new line of confectionery items . Two of its newest and innovative products, sold in recyclable packaging, include: Nature's Garden Oat Milk Chocolate Covered Strawberry Almonds (strawberry-dusted oat milk chocolate almonds featuring the finest Fino de Aroma cocoa from Colombia), wrapped around a premium almond with a delicate strawberry finish. 100% plant-based and vegan. Nature's Garden Probiotic Strawberry Yoggies a yogurt-coated, real fruit strawberry morsels are infused with Probiotics through a patented microencapsulation delivery system. Yoggies contain 3 grams of fiber per serving and 2 billion live Probiotic cultures. Cibo Vita's R&D team has created a unique item launching an untapped category in snacking. Kosher certified under the OK and Dairy. For more information visit: https://naturesgarden.net/

Kosher Today Update

Pesach 2023

From the Editor

Passover programs at destinations all over the world were highly successful despite a last minute canceled program in Atlantic City...Passover Program debacle: a lesson to pay by credit card and to take out travel insurance, experts say... Demographics and staying home contribute to record Passover sales...How a changed kosher landscape pivoted record sales for Passover in the US... Whole Foods to introduce permanent kosher sets, Kosher Today learns... Supermarket executive Rami Levy predicts falling grocery prices in Israel, particularly his private label items...In My Sixth Sense, I discuss how I had a Passover with mixed blessing...Eda Kram-Steinberg in her Hollywood Insider shares her experience on Passover at a PGA Golf Resort. In her New Product Showcase she covers new gourmet round cheese in assorted flavors. Menachem Lubinsky
Editor

Passover Programs Highly Successful Despite One High Profile Failure

London..."Passover program vacations were almost certainly back to pre-covid levels" said Raphi Bloom, co-founder of the popular kosher travel website www.totallyjewishtravel.com . "The overwhelming majority were completed and successful," he said. Despite the highly successful Passover season, the buzz was about the last-minute cancellation of a program at the Claridge Hotel in Atlantic City NJ run by Heshi Goldstein of the Aryeh Hospitality Group which left an undetermined number of would-be vacationers stranded. Mr. Goldstein claims that he was the victim of a scam that routed a wire payment he was to make to Claridge to an unknown account. But at the moment, Aryeh did not refund the money, nor has it indicated when the money would be returned.

Mr. Bloom noted that his site "carried advertising for 126 Passover programs which is only slightly down from our peak of 140 in 2018/19. "The majority of operators had sold 99% of their rooms by early March. "This welcome return to large-scale kosher travel is already translating into increased programs and demand for kosher Shavuot, Summer and Sukkot programs." Amongst the highly successful programs were VIP Tours in Playa del Carmen, Mexico with more than 1100 rooms, Al Kanfei Nesharim in Stamford Conn (with catering by Chop a Nosh), several in Morocco, Turkey, Vietnam, Las Vegas, Dubai, Kosherica in the Bahamas, Aussie Kosher and Kesher Tours - Israel in Thailand and several in many countries in Europe. More than 30,000 Passover vacationers spent Passover in Orlando, slightly less than in 2022. Israeli hotels reported near 90% capacity.

Doni Schwartz of www.MyJewishListings.com said that the addition of many new programs made it that much more difficult for established programs to fill up early. He also attributed slower bookings to the uncertainty in the economy. "Yet, there were many newbies who went to programs for the first time." He predicts that next Passover will see bookings at record proportions.

2023 Lesson: Pay by Credit Card and Include Cancel Anytime Travel Insurance

New York...For the many guests who were scheduled to spend Passover at the Claridge Hotel in Atlantic City , the major concern now is to retrieve the money they paid for the canceled program. Most are skeptical that the controversial operator Heshie Goldstein is either capable or willing to refund the funds. Mr. Goldstein has a history of leaving his creditors hanging and his recent past includes at least one personal bankruptcy. Travel experts say that the only secure protection is to pay by credit card since most banks will refund money paid for canceled programs, albeit some have maximum limits of $10,000, which in some cases would dictate using multiple credit cards.

Experts like Doni Schwartz (MyJewishListings.com) and Rafi Bloom (TotallyJewishTravel.com) even urge people to avoid making reservations with programs that do not accept credit cards. Said Mr. Bloom: "It is certainly worth paying the additional percentage points just to be secure." But Mr. Schwartz says many programs are reticent about accepting credit cards because customers can easily challenge the charge even unsatisfied with a mundane detail. Instead, Schwartz counsels taking out Cancel Anytime Travel Insurance which would cover the cancellation of a program. "It is certainly worth the extra cost to protect your money," he says. Schwartz is considering offering travel insurance next year in addition to including comparative pricing tables on his site. The experts say that scouring social media can often provide much information prior to booking.

Demographics and Staying Home Contribute to Record Passover Sales

Cedarhurst, NY...The traffic at the Gourmet Glatt store here and in Woodmere seemed to indicate that more people "stayed home" this Passover, according to Howie Klagsbrun who manages the Gourmet Glatt stores. The same pattern was seen at the chain's other stores in Boro Park and Lakewood NJ. This sentiment was shared by Malkie Levine, manager of the Evergreen stores in Monsey, Pomona, and Lakewood and by several other kosher independents around the country. The rapidly expanding Grove supermarkets in South Florida carried a large variety of Passover items as did independent stores in Baltimore, Cleveland, and Detroit. "It just so happens that most of the kosher independent supermarkets are in growth communities like Lakewood and Monsey," said Mr. Klagsbrun. The executives noted that there were few shortages of essential products as manufacturers planned better than in the past. There were slightly fewer new products as so many new items were already introduced in the past few years. Yet, Kayco introduced many new items including vegie croutons, and tortilla chips, "Many manufacturers are still gun shy about producing new products in the post-Covid era and sticking to their tried and proven items," said Charles Herzog of Kayco. Manischewitz, now owned by Kayco (Kedem) had many new products, a far cry from its traditional matzoh and macaroons.

A Changed Kosher Landscape Pivots Record Sales for Passover in the US

Detroit... Alan Gale, a frequent contributor to Kosher Today, noticed significant changes to the way supermarkets in suburban Detroit treat Passover. While supermarkets in the rest of the country saw strong sales on Passover, it was not so in suburban Detroit.. Gale reports that "nary a store is distributing Maxwell House haggadot," once a required booklet in every store in a Jewish community. Large retailers like Kroger and Meijer focused less on Passover but kosher experts say that it was due to a change in distributors. Supermarkets in major cities did extremely well on Passover, according to Harold Weiss of Kayco whose brands like Gefen, Manischewitz and Heaven and Earth dotted shelves in many of these stores.

Passover sales were also strong in the large Orthodox Jewish communities like Monsey and Lakewood. New large independent kosher stores are scheduled to open in both communities adding to the already large number of kosher supermarkets. There are more than 50 large kosher supermarkets of 15,000 square feet or more, mostly in New York City, Long Island, Monsey, Lakewood, NJ, Passaic NJ, Baltimore, Cleveland, Hollywood, Boca Raton, and Miami. Major supermarket chains still play an important role in many large communities like Los Angeles, Boston, Chicago, and elsewhere. Clearly, the kosher landscape today is a mix of the kosher independents and major supermarkets. Passover sales were also strong in many box stores such as Wal-Mart and Costco.

Whole Foods to Introduce Permanent Kosher Sets

Austin, TX...Kosher Today has learned that Whole Foods is preparing to launch a major kosher initiative. Sources told Kosher Today that Whole Foods will be introducing 4ft. sets of kosher food products in many of their stores. Whole Foods has already been working with such kosher distributors as Kayco to stock kosher foods. One source told Kosher Today that it "is a tribute to the industry that Whole Foods considers the kosher products wholesome and healthy." An average Whole Foods store carries many kosher certified products with a focus on health. In its new initiative, Whole Foods hopes to attract more kosher shoppers to its stores. In 1980, Whole Foods was born as a natural foods store. In 2017, Amazon acquired it for about 14 billion dollars. By 2017, Whole Foods already had over $16 billion in revenues.

Supermarket Executive Predicts Falling Grocery Prices in Israel

Modi 'in...One of Israel's most important supermarket owners predicts that prices of grocery will fall in 2023. Rami Levy and other owners of major supermarkets have been the targets of consumer complaints over the high cost of the kosher foods in Israeli supermarkets. But in an interview with Globes, the prestigious Israeli business publication, Levy explained his company's strong financial position, and downplayed the significance of the entry of foreign supermarkets, particularly the French chain Carrefour. "We believe that in 2023 we will see a rise in our sales, maybe even in the double-digits. People have less money, and we see them flocking to our chain. Our private label is also getting stronger." It is the private label category that Levy predicts will lead the lower prices in supermarkets.

"Our private label grew stronger when customers realized that its quality is as good as the 'leaders' (the leading products) and is tens of percent cheaper in price. We urge consumers to shop smart, and those who do so at my chain can save considerable amounts.." Today, the chain's private label makes up 25% of sales, and includes a range of more than 5,500 products (not including deli products), including pastas, rice, cereals, poultry and meat products, spreads, spices, oils, snacks and sweets, frozen foods, toiletries, and cleaning products. "{We had} more new customers {this Passover}. People have less money and want to buy at low cost. Our shopping basket has hardly increased in price, compared to last year."

My Sixth Sense...by Menachem Lubinsky
Making the Right Choices for Passover

Stamford Conn...I cannot say that all my choices in planning Passover 2023 turned out as planned but some did. I first booked rooms for my family in a program that was canceled just days before the holiday. We ultimately spent Passover with the Pesach Experience sponsored by Al Kanfei Nesharim at the Armon Hotel in Stamford, Conn. That certainly turned out to be the right choice. The management was superb and so was the cuisine by Chop a Nosh of Cedarhurst. I always knew that Moshe Plaut, the founder of Chop a Nosh, was a class act so much so that two of my daughters were married in Marina del Ray where he provided the kosher catering.

The Pesach Experience certainly made the right choice in choosing Chop a Nosh and they in turn made the right choice in selecting Avrumi Deutsch as their executive chef. Chef Deutsch is now the executive chef at the luxurious Brightstone Hall in Passaic NJ. The food was plentiful, scrumptious, and beautifully presented. Every meal was a culinary experience. My grandchildren had a blast with the exceptional entertainment. Even a fire in the parking lot which resulted in a 5 AM wakeup call on the last day did not dampen what was a true Passover Experience. Kudos to the management, Barry Wechsler, Avrumi Flam, and Chani Goldstein!

The Hollywood Insider...by Eda Kram-Steinberg
A Passover Experience Worth Sharing

West Palm Beach, Florida...Being the wife of a mashgiach (kosher supervisor) has its challenges. Your husband will be working late nights, weekends and sometimes holidays. However, there are times that his work pays off and the family reaps the benefits. When my husband asked if I wanted to give up cleaning and cooking for Passover this year to go on a program, my response was an unequivocal yes! My family got to enjoy Passover like no other we had ever experienced. The Kosherica program was in cooperation with Leisure Time Tours Passover Program at the PGA Golf Resort and Spa. The hotel was reserved entirely for their Passover program in West Palm Beach.

Kosherica and Leisure Tours delivered a program and 18-hole experience. Brothers Robert & Scott Seidman, managers of Foremost Caterers and his team worked in collaboration with the resort's award-winning culinary team to coordinate an outstanding gourmet cuisine under the Glatt Kosher supervision of International Kosher Mehadrin, Rabbi Berel Simpser Rav Hamchshir. Five-star meals were served at the seder and throughout the holiday with main dishes such as duck, veal, prime rib, lamb and a bbq in the afternoons.

The Willy Wonka themed candy room was designed with antiques purchased at auctions and every candy and snack imaginable that can be eaten during Passover. Included in this room was a sushi station using quinoa instead of rice. The program also offered a Tea Room with pastries, ice cream and desserts for all ages and fun activities for the children at the day camp. Our days were filled with fascinating lectures by scholars in residence during the holiday as well as star-studded entertainment including comedians, hypnotists, and live bands during chol hamoed. Whether it was in the dining room, tea rooms, or poolside barbecue, Kosherica and PGA delivered a memorable experience.

New Product Showcase...by Eda Kram-Steinberg
Gourmet Round Cheese in Assorted Flavors from Tnuva USA

New York...Tnuva USA introduced a brand-new series of fine-quality round cheeses in six exciting, gourmet flavors. Like all Tnuva products, the new cheeses are cholov Yisroel, under the strict supervision of the Vaadat Mehadrin. Each cheese has a different flavor adventure, and there are even some in light versions. The Kaas Cheery Cheese is a mild, semisoft Dutch-style cheese with pieces of real cherries, while the Muenster, also made with real cherries, is slightly more full-bodied. The Swiss cheese with Habanero is made with real pieces of Habanero peppers. It also comes to light for those who are interested in restricting their fat intake. Additional flavor sensations: Light Muenster cheese, made with real apple and cinnamon, and Hickory-smoked Edam cheese, which is prepared in a professional smoker with hickory wood. Use the new hard cheeses to dress up your cheese board, or to discover exciting new flavor combinations in your favorite cheese dishes. Eaten straight out of the package, melted on a bagel, or used as a topping on your pizza or pasta, each cheese flavor is sure to bring a new flavor adventure! The new round cheeses join Tnuva's long list of top-quality cheese and dairy products, all of which have become a part of daily Jewish family life. For more information visit: https://tnuvausa.com/