Faith-based Initiative
From the Palm Beach Post...
Wary consumers of all kinds, worried about the safety of the food supply, are finding an extra layer of confidence in food that is certified kosher, whether at restaurants or grocery stores....
"Kosher," which means fit or proper, was the most frequently used claim on new products launched in the United States in 2007. With 3,984 new food products and 728 new beverages, kosher beat out "all-natural," which had 2,023 foods and 405 beverages, according to Mintel's Global New Products Database.
It's not coincidental that the surge in kosher labels came during a year of foodborne illness outbreaks linked to products such as chicken pot pies and peanut butter, including the second-largest beef recall in U.S. history....
Food manufacturers say kosher certification has become a must because some consumers will not buy anything that is not certified.
Kevin McElvaney, marketing manager at Domino Foods in Yonkers, N.Y., said almost all of Domino's products have been certified kosher for at least 20 years....
The story goes on to mention that Tropicana has had its orange juice certified as kosher for almost 30 year, having a yearly inspection by a rabbi to make sure they follow all the requirements. Lipton, Nabisco and Keebler also have kosher products.
This doesn't just appeal to Jews and some Christians. Moslems note that the requirements for kosher food is similar to the Islamic requirements for halal.
So why the success of a religious designation over a government designation ("all-natural", "USDA first class", etc.)? Because people are sick and tired of government designations becoming meaningless after bureaucrats redefine the terms. That expected when FDA decision makes ride a revolving door between jobs in the food industry and jobs in the government agency that oversees that same industry. The food bureaucrats know which side their bread is buttered (pun intended). So "all-natural" has now been defined as including quite a few chemicals few people really consider natural.
On the other hand the definition of kosher is not one that can easily be changed. And those seen as experts in deciding what is and isn't kosher have a much higher motivation than hefty, under-the-table bonuses by mega-food companies. This is an excellent example of how religion provides what the government has failed to. We need to apply the same solution to social programs, and strip out of the Federal budget all the money people would have been donating to charity if the IRS weren't robbing them blind.
Posted by Danny Carlton at February 11, 2008 7:01 AM