KLBD Kashrut Division London Beth Din

The Kosher Consumer

The strength of today's kosher retail market can be attributed to increased consumer demand and increased availability of kosher products. It is estimated that approximately 40 to 50 per cent of the products on grocery shelves in the USA are kosher. Manufacturers seek kosher certification to take advantage in marketing their product to another consumer base. Multinational brands such as Coca-Cola, Kraft, and Heinz have gained kosher certification. As more manufacturers enter the kosher market consumer choice has increased and at the same time retail prices for kosher products have fallen.

• - Over 25 million Kosher consumers worldwide.
• - Only a small part of these consumers are Jewish.

- A recent Mintel survey in 2008 showed the major reason for purchasing kosher food is for reasons of food quality (62%) or for general healthiness (51%). All told, 30% of those who buy kosher food do so for religious purposes; 14% follow kosher rules; 10% follow some other religious rules with eating restrictions similar to kosher; and 6% follow halal religious rules.

- Muslim, Buddhists, Seventh Day Adventists eat kosher food for religious reasons.

- Vegetarians & Vegans, Ecologically-minded groups and Allergy sufferers eat kosher food for food safety concerns as kosher certification is seen as an independent inspection on the standards in which the manufactured products are made.

- In a survey by the Mintel group in 2005- 55% of respondents who bought kosher foods said they thought these foods held a higher mark of health and safety than non-kosher items, 38% were vegetarians and 16% said they eat halal.

- A recent study conducted by WAC Survey and Strategic Consulting in late December 2006 and early January 2007 which questioned 1,730 randomly selected Jews and non-Jews found the kosher symbol was rated the most recognized symbol on food packaging before organic and vegetarian symbols.

- The number of kosher consumers has risen from 6 million in 1988 to more than 16 million in 2002. It is projected that by 2009 there will be 30 million Kosher food consumers worldwide. (High Beam Research 2007 and Mintel Group 2008)

The Kosher Market

Over the past twenty-five years, the demand for kosher certified products has increased dramatically. Specifically, the kosher market has been growing at an annual rate of 15% for the past several years. In order to meet this demand, companies throughout the world are seeking kosher certification in order to expand their existing market and enhance sales strategies. The kosher food market encompasses almost every segment of the food and drink industry, from raw ingredients (meat, poultry, and baking products, for example), food ingredients, including chemicals, food packaging to processed food and beverages. In addition some vitamins and over the counter (OTC) pharmaceuticals are kosher certified.

• - Almost all major manufacturers produce at least some food products that bear the kosher symbol, including Coca-Cola, Procter & Gamble, Frito Lay, Kraft, Nabisco, and General Mills.
• - According to Integrated Marketing Communications (IMC), a New York-based marketing firm serving the kosher market, in 2002 some 75,000 products in the U.S. were kosher certified, up from 60,000 in 2000.
• - According to ScientistLive in 2007, having kosher certification is seen as a pre-requisite for entry into the American market, plus the global trend to healthier lifestyles, seems as if the potential customer base is one that no ingredient manufacturer can afford to ignore.
• - A report released by the Department of Trade from the Philippines (July 2003) estimates the value of the retail Kosher food market at USD $150 billion.
• - Kosher market has an average growth rate of 15% per annum. This growth had been consistent since 1984.
• - A CBS Marketwatch report (2003) valued the entire Kosher food market at more than USD $650 billion (including both ingredients and consumer based products).

Key Kosher Financials

• - USD $150 billion of kosher certified products are consumed annually and with a growth of 15% per annum.
• - 40% of all products sold in the US are kosher certified. This major surge is rapidly driving the number of kosher products sold in the U.S. with kosher certification to a record 112,500 products with sales of over $12 billion.
• - 75% of all food ingredients manufactured world-wide are kosher certified.
• - There are currently more than 95,000 different kosher consumer food products with 4000 food products and over 750 kosher certified beverages added each year.
• - US supermarkets carry approximately 25,000 kosher products lines on their shelves. That is over 30% of all products sold in the supermarkets today.
• - Over 75,000 companies worldwide currently produce products for the kosher market.
• - Each year 7,500 new products are introduced into the kosher market globally.

(Data recorded from CBS Market Watch 2003 report, Kosher Today 2006-2008, Mintel International Group Ltd. Report 2003, 2007, 2008, 2009, High Beam Research 2007, Lubicom Marketing Consulting, Seafood Business 2007, Canada's AgriFood Trade, Australian Food News 2008, Mintel's Global New Products Database 2007)

Click Here to see more about the Kosher Market on the Mintel website