(Cherry Hill, NJ) A line of popular Orthodox Union (OU) certified cake mixes by Duncan Hines will soon switch to dairy ingredients, Kosher Today has learned. The decision will affect the large number of kosher consumers that have been using the cake mixes because they are pareve and can be eaten with meat as well as many of the 56 million Americans who are lactose intolerant. A similar decision by Stella Dora of Nabisco several years ago was greeted by a large outcry by consumers, which caused the company to reverse the decision. Duncan Hines was owned by Procter and Gamble for many years but when it experienced difficulty was sold to Pinnacle Foods, based in Cherry Hill, NJ, which also acquired such well-known kosher brands as Lender's Bagels. Industry sources say that Duncan Hines decided to add the dairy to improve the quality of the product. The decision by Duncan Hines comes at a time when there is growing demand for pareve products by kosher consumers and by many lactose intolerant people. The cake mixes allowed many consumers to bake their own pareve cakes for use on Shabbat and holidays. Some industry sources were privately hoping that the company would not go through with the change, but if it does, a “D” will be added to the OU indicating that dairy ingredients are being used.
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Kosher Anticipates Next Diet Fad
(New York) The bankruptcy filing by Atkins last week has prompted some in the kosher community to guess the next diet fad that will replace the now floundering low-carb craze. Some are betting that the low-fat diet may make a dramatic comeback and are already highlighting the low-fat feature on labels. A new line of Shibolim spelt and natural grain crackers is focusing on the food's glycemic index. The glycemic index, a rating of how quickly carbohydrates are digested and rush into the bloodstream as sugar, appears to be gaining on many food labels. And old-school calorie counting continues to have its followers. Dr. Atkins, the founder of the diet and author of "The Atkins Essentials," died in 2003. Atkins has been in decline since February 2004, said Harry Balzer, a food industry analyst at market researcher NPD Group. There is still somewhat of a following to low carbs. "The South Beach Diet" remains on the best seller list. Guessing the next diet fad is (and one is sure to emerge) important to kosher companies seeking to be one step ahead of the rest of the market. While the guessing goes on, it is fair to say that enjoy eating while we're in between diets.
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Detroit Jews to Benefit from New Law on Halal/Kosher
(Detroit, MI) Wayne County commissioners voted to make it a misdemeanor for restaurant owners, butchers and other food sellers to falsely claim their meat conforms to Islamic or Jewish religious laws. According to The Detroit News, the new ordinance was prompted by many complaints of fraudulent Halal claims by southeastern Michigan's Arab-American community of about 300,000. A food seller violating the new ordinance, which goes into effect next month, could face a $500 fine and up to 90 days in jail. A similar 1966 state law protects kosher products and a state law passed in 2002 allows police to enforce a similar hall rule. The county regulation means health inspectors can issue fines. In 2003, the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear a challenge to a lower court decision overturning New York laws that set standards for labeling meat as kosher. The 2nd U.S. Court of Appeals struck down the laws in 2002, saying they violated the First Amendment separation of religion and state. New York has since replaced those laws with a comprehensive statute requiring disclosure on the nature of the kosher certification.
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The First Kosher Club Med Opens in Eilat
(Eilat) Club Med in Eilat has reopened and is now operated in partnership with the Fattal hotel chain. The resort, which is targeting Israelis and French Jews as well as others, is the international chain's first kosher resort. The challenge for Chef Jabber, an Arab who grew up in Abu Ghosh outside of Jerusalem, is to maintain the high cuisine standards Club Med guests have come to expect. The new chef told Ynet news he is used to working with kashrut inspectors. He started out at the King Solomon Hotel in Eilat. He said guests want more than Middle East cuisine. “People want French, Italian, Chinese. We offer our guests a wide range of food. We have lots of substitutes: sweet soy based cream and kosher shrimps.”
Clubmarket Watching Continues as Company Speaks of Turnaround
(Tel Aviv) Court appointed trustees for the collapsed Clubmarket supermarket chain have proposed that the company's shares be registered and traded on the stock exchange by the end of the year, according to Haaretz. Clubmarket filed for court protection from its creditors last month after accruing debts of $313 million, owed mostly to its suppliers and four banks, the paper said. The court granted protection until August 17th, and the trustees have since offered the company for sale in the hope of a quick deal. Otherwise, the group faces closure, as Judge Varda Alshech made quite clear: If the owners were not prepared to dig deep into their own pockets to save the company, she would not be inclined to extend the court's protection. The plan for a quick conversion of the supermarket into a publicly traded company would require the approval of Clubmarket's creditors to convert some of their debts owed into shares in the chain, the managers explained. This assumed that some creditors - many of whom are small suppliers, doubtful about ever seeing their money back - may prefer to hold shares, traded publicly, that they could then sell. The plan also assumes that part of the sums owed to the creditors would be paid in cash from the proceeds of selling the chain. Meanwhile Super-Sol, Israel's largest retail chain, last week authorized management to make an offer to buy Clubmarket. Meanwhile Supersol's board also authorized management to sign contracts to rent 29 Clubmarket branches, provided that Clubmarket's current leases are cancelled.
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Dairy Restaurants Continue Rapid Expansion
(Brooklyn, NY) For every new glatt kosher meat restaurant that opens, two new dairy restaurants are launched. The new 3-story Alternative Restaurant on Coney Island Avenue was full to capacity this week as the “Nine Days” were being marked when no meat is eaten. The Nine Days end with the fast of Tisha B'Av next Sunday August 14th. Sources say that the rise of the dairy restaurant in communities like Flatbush is a reflection of a new emphasis on healthy eating. Upscale kosher dairy dining is the latest trend in kosher restaurants in may kosher markets, but particularly in the five boroughs of New York City. New additions in the past few years in Flatbush include Bertolini's and Aldente while in Boro Park Orchadia is the dairy restaurant of choice. The restaurants say that they have witnessed a dramatic demand in fish dishes. “Let's put it this way,” one owner told Kosher Today, “everyone is on a diet around here.” What is striking is that even the younger “meat and potato guys” are checking out the dairy options, or are being forced to join family members who prefer the dairy fare.
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Are Israeli Food Companies Giving Up on the Peace Dividends?
(Tel Aviv) Just after the Oslo agreement, at least one large food manufacturer in Israel predicted that the food industry would reap huge dividends from the peace process with the Palestinians. The thinking was that Israel would become the epicenter of the food industry for the entire Middle East. Today, it seems Israel's food sector is eyeing expansion anywhere but the Middle East. Companies like Elite have purchased small companies or opened plants in South America and Europe. Tnuva has made a major move on the US kosher market with plans to open a manufacturing plant in North America. ''Globes'' reports that Osem is in advanced negotiations to set up a vegetarian food factory in Europe at an investment of tens of million dollars. The sources added that the factory will probably be built in the Czech Republic, after Osem ruled out France and the Netherlands. Vegetarian food has been a key growth engine for Osem in recent years, reflected by its 58% holding in Kibbutz Lohamei Haghetta'ot-based Tivall, which exports over half its output. Tivall is the market leader in Germany for meat substitutes, with 70% of the market. It also has half of the Swedish market and 40% of the Dutch. It has also penetrated the British market, which is considered larger than other European markets, and has a 12% market share. For companies that do not have the capital to open new plants abroad, there is always the opportunity at export. Zeta Olive Oil Industries (1999) announced that it was entering the Chinese market, with an initial $500,000 contract. The company also announced an export contract to Spain. The export contracts are worth $2.5 million. Zeta has already delivered $2 million worth of olive oil to Spain. “The fact that Spain, the world's largest olive oil producer, has selected Zeta Olive Oil is very flattering. This is a source of pride for us and for Israel's olive oil industry in general,” said Zeta CEO Amir Gur-Lavi, an owner of the company.
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New Cookies from Sara's Sweets
Sara's Sweets introduces a new all natural chocolate chip cookie with no hydrogenated oils or trans fats. Certified OK kosher-pareve.Available at many health food stores and supermarkets. Package sold in 12.6 oz. container with 12 - 30 g. cookies to a box. Available in bulk for caterers and party planners. For more information, please call 973-777-5859.
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