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66
FRIDAY, JUNE 24, 1988
Kosher Foods Come
Out Of The Closet
ED SILVERMAN
Special to The Jewish News
N
ew York — They came
to nosh. From Long
Island, Philadelphia
and suburbs far to the
north, nearly 50,000 people
streamed into New York Ci-
ty's largest convention center
last week to sample the
newest — and the oldest — in
kosher foods.
The occasion was the third
Kosher Foods and Jewish Life
Expo, which brings together
a wide array of manufac-
turers, supermarket buyers
and devoted afficionados of
kosher goods. The five-day
event, this year called "The
Big Jewish Experience" and
held at the Jacob Javits
Center, also featured
children's toys, artwork,
Israeli tourist info and a few
political messages reflecting
today's most talked-about
current events.
The show tries to under-
score what participants say is
a fast-growing pool of kosher
consumers, estimated to be as
many as six million, in-
cluding vegetarians, Moslims
and others who prefer kosher-
quality items. The biggest
segment, however, is the
religious Jewish community,
which turned out in great
numbers and dominated the
scene.
The promoter hopes that
gathering thousands of
kosher consumers will con-
vince mainstream food sup-
pliers to seek kosher certifica-
tion for their products. "I
want to widen the market
and establish that there is
such a thing as a kosher-foods
market," said Irving Silver-
man, a former trade
magazine publisher.
Some large manufacturers
appear to have caught on.
Joining the usual contingen-
cy of matzah makers and
chicken-soup purveyors was
newcomer Pepperidge Farm
Inc., the New England baker,
many of whose cookies were
recently certified kosher. And
there were some old stand-
bys, too, trying to reinforce
their kosher image. General
Foods, maker of Post cereals,
and Pepsi-Cola had promi-
nent displays and passed out
freebies.
Food industry experts esti-
mate the market, which in-
cludes airline and hotel serv-
ings, could reach $1.8 billion
this year. The opening day of
the expo was devoted exclu-
sively to the food industry
so that suppliers and sales
representatives could meet
with grocery buyers and
distributors.
"This is worth more than
five years of correspondence
and sales presentations," said
Bruce Baff, vice president
with Joseph Jacobs Organiza-
tion, a marketing firm that
specializes in placing ads for
kosher foods. "It gives a face
to the Jewish market. In fact,
it gives many faces to the
market?' -
"Because of this expo,
kosher foods have been
brought out of the closet.
Companies that never did
ethnic advertising (directed
The biggest hit
was imitation
kosher food.
at Jews) are now doing it,"
said Estelle Ashenberg,
associate director of advertis-
ing for the Orthodox Union,
the largest kosher certifier.
Mostly, though, the expo
was a feast for the consumer.
On Saturday night and Sun-
day, when the convention
center doors were finally
opened to the general public,
the scene was more akin to
New York's most festive out-
door food fairs, with a wide
variety of tempting aromas
floating in the air.
As one might expect, the ex-
hibitors offering samples of
such favorites as hot dogs,
knishes and sweet wines at-
tracted the biggest crowds.
Lines formed and aisles
swelled as bubbies, zaydes
and youngsters reached for
the treats.
But the biggest hit, and the
subject of much controversy,
was imitation kosher food,
which some are calling the
look-alike revolution. Kosher
Italian sausage and seafood,
particularly shrimp (actually
made of pollock fish) bathed
in cocktail sauce, drew raves.
But others had nothing but
rebukes for the new culinary
ideas.
Proponents say it's now
possible for observant Jews to
sample what they might have
been missing all these years.
"We're not playing on
peoples' emotions," insisted
Alan Kaplansky, president of
Mendel's Haymish, a Brook-
lyn concern that began
marketing its line of kosher
seafood four months ago.
"Why shouldn't they have an
opportunity to taste other
things?" Kosher "shrimp" is
Continued on Page 68
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