The sucess of perceived safety as seen in kosher foods
A recent survey by Mintel found that Americans choose to buy kosher foods because of perceptions of quality (62%), healthfulness (51%), and safety (34%) over religious reasons.
Similar trends have also been seen in the UK and Canada.
Krista Faron, a senior new product analyst at Mintel, was quoted by meatprocess.com as saying,
“Particularly in the recent past, Americans have been overwhelmed by food safety scares. People are very concerned and having some certification on the foods they buy can appease some of those fears.”
She also explained where many consumers find that comfort.
“The presence of the kosher mark itself suggests that there is [an inspection] process in place. It is all about consumer perception that there is some sort of formalized methodology...My sense is that consumers probably couldn’t tell us what kosher meant, but the kosher mark is reassuring,” she said.
While kosher processing meets certain religious standards, there is no scientific basis for the perception of heightened safety. Imagine, then, what the marketing of actual food safety measures within a company could do for business.
Since a Mintel report in December 2007, kosher has continued to be the number one individual claim for new American food products.
"Microbiologically safe" could blast it out of the water.
Still raving about kosher food: It's not safer, it's marketing
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The report said, "4,719 new kosher items were launched in the United States last year—nearly double the number of new "all natural" products, which placed second in the report."
Marcia Mogelonsky, a senior research analyst at Mintel, said,
"It's the belief among all consumers that kosher food is safer, a critical thing right now with worries about the integrity of the food supply."
I really dislike people who speak on behalf of all other people. It usually means they know shit.
Moshe Elefant, a rabbi and chief operating officer of the Orthodox Union KOSHER, a kosher certification organization based in New York, said,
"Jews aren't allowed to ingest bugs, so produce must go through a thorough washing and checking to ensure that no bugs are found within the leaves or on the surface of the fruit or vegetable."
Remarkably, the story notes that bacteria can remain even after this type of washing, so consumers can't assume they're less likely to get food poisoning with bagged spinach marked kosher than with a conventional bag.
I understand there are religious reasons for choosing kosher, halal or anything else. For me, I'll focus on microbiologically safe food.
Kosher certification is causing consumer confidence in processors
Doug begs to differ and wrote last week that "Fancy food does not mean safe food," even when the establishments are certified as kosher.
"The rabbi is more thorough than the guy from the Canadian Food Inspection Agency," insists a nut- and dairy-free snack producer in Victoria.
Another processor claims that the four annual surprise inspections by the rabbi to her facility have caused her to "be more careful about plant maintenance and cleanliness than any government [inspection]."
The Orthodox Union, North America's largest certifier of kosher foods, is now overseeing production at 6,000 facilities in 85 countries around the world. Real or imagined, consumer confidence created by producers' kosher certifications seem to be great for business.
Fancy food does not mean safe food -- Kosher edition
The rating ranges from no stars for the worst levels of compliance, through to five stars for the very best standards of food safety management. A two star rating is defined as largely compliant with national requirements.Kashrut representatives variously expressed surprise and disappointment at the findings, but maintained that hygiene standards were high within the kosher market.
Uh huh.
