Beth Kevles wrote:

> Hi -
>
> Usually Kosher symbols are found on the front of the package, often
> near the name of the product.  But they may be found anywhere.  ANd
> it's true, most products lack Kosher symbols.  Many products that are
> safe for the milk-allergic contain non-kosher ingredients such as pork
> or shellfish.

Kashrut pertains to religion, not nutrition.  The diary-avoiding crowd
may find it helpful because one of the rules forbids mixing meat and
diary, therefore kosher products are marked as diary, meat (sometimes
implicitly) or parve (contains neither so may be eaten with either).

> Also, meat that's killed in a kosher fashion is more
> expensive, usually, than meat that's killed in the "normal" way.  And
> you have to PAY for your kosher symbol, too.  It's very cost-effective
> if you're a manufacturer going after the Jewish market, but not otherwise.

Actually you don't.  While it is true that the manufacturer has to pay
for SUPERVISION (nobody works for free), the amounts for a large
manufacturer are very small.  The markups that you sometimes see on
kosher products are a marketing decision by the manufacturer.

Quote:

| Kosher items that reach the general market are generally not more
| expensive than non-kosher items. When a hechsher company successfully
| negotiates with a food manufacturer for a contract to supervise their
| production, the price of the product is almost never raised. The company
| hopes to experience increased sales of their product, because now many
| kosher-eating people will start to buy their product. This more than
| makes up for the cost of the Rabbinical supervision. The cost of the
| hechsher company is so slight, that it is negligible. A May 18, 1975 New
| York Times article reported that the cost to General Foods' "Bird's Eye"
| Unit, for example, is 6.5 millionths (.0000065) of a cent per item.
| Furthermore, a representative of the Heinz Company has said that the per
| item cost is "so small we can't even calculate it," and that such
| labeling actually makes products less costly by increasing the market
| for them.

On the other hand, you WILL pay more for kosher meat bought at a local
butcher.

Quote:

| In the separate case of kosher meat and poultry purchased at
| kosher butcher shops (as distinguished from the broad general
| range of mass-market consumer goods certified kosher), the
| consumer does pay a higher price. This cost is due to the more
| intensive, continuous rabbinical supervision required for the
| exacting technicalities of kosher slaughter and inspection,
| processing, storage and quality of kosher meat -- an
| inescapable necessity for this particular product, applicable
| only to its limited market, not the general consumer.


Best wishes,
Alex.

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