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For informa- tion or referral, call the Federation Resource Line, (248) 967-HELP (4357); (248) 967-0460 TT (Text Telephone for people who are deaf or have 1-) hearing impairments) •• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • A program of the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Detroit Next time you feed your face, think about your heart. Co easy on your heart and start cutting back on foods that are high in saturated fat and cholesterol. The change'II do you good. 112 °American Heart Association WERE FIGHTING FOR YOUR LIFE Federation Resource Line (248) ',967-HELP , .5' 7: 967-0460 Fax: 967-2967 A Jewish Information and Referral Service Kosher Bites Packaging of traditional kosher food lines could use a lift. JILL DAVIDSON SKLAR STAFF WRITER 1[11 ne word: packaging. It is perhaps the one thing about prepared kosher food that could make even the /rummest of the frum turn away. And it certainly can't be attractive to people contemplating kashrut. Traditional makers of prepared kosher food have for years been neglecting the one thing that can sway a purchase at the counter or cause an impulse buy on the spot. Relying heavily on the repeat cus- tomers they have had for years, they seem to stick to unappetizing pictures of food on gingham checked tablecloths. Even the type- face screams snooze. Two exceptions I have en- countered recently are the Empire Kosher Chicken Ex- press Meals and Best's Kosher Wrap Ups. The Express Meals are attractively photographed on ele- gant table settings while the bagel dog Wrap Ups have fun, bright colors and decorations, leading the buyer to believe the treats will dance off the table and into one's mouth. Some manufacturers have made an attempt at brightening their selections. For example, Manischewitz's Passover line her- alded a switch from the brown, or- ange and green colors to pastel colored scenes from the 1950s. But brands like Mehadrin, Macabee, Barney's and Cohen's have buried their collective heads in the sand, relying on the old stand-bys instead of taking lessons from the manufacturing giants like Pillsbury or General Foods who have attained supervision and are going after the kosher and - non-kosher consumer. The point was hammered home to me this week. Searching the frozen food sections of five area su- permarkets, I found two kosher and two non-kosher bagel pizzas. The two kosher brands featured bland backgrounds and bagels that one staffer compared with plastic dog toys. "They need a little marketing help, don't they?" she asked. The non-kosher varieties prac- tically leapt off the shelves with their festive boxes and yummy- looking decorations. As a consumer, I would love to see a change. Changing kosher from quaint to cool shouldn't take all that much marketing-wise but would take the concept far in oth- er areas. But somehow, I just can't see a change happening anytime soon. The Rating: In this case, the packaging is very representative of the prod- uct. White doughy bagels, sliced in half and topped with blood-red ooze and greasy cheese, grace the front of the unimaginative pack- aging. And that is exactly what they look like when they are fin- ished. These were among the worst taste tests I have ever done, my colleagues complained. They were right. Macabee Cheese Bagel Piz- zas "No flavor at an. What's the point?" — Gayle Baldi "Soft and bland. No Italian taste." — Karin Indig Mehadrin New York Bagel Pizza "Tastes kind of sweet. I don't find that appealing in a pizza." — Shari Cimino "Yuck. Tastes of freezer burn. Cheese is a little funky." — Nancy Cameron ❑ lit Kosher Bites is a nonscien- tific, consumer-oriented taste test. Since consumers general- ly do not engage in market re- search prior to picking products to purchase, we don't either. We test what grabs us and what is readily available on grocery market shelves. Please let us luiow if you have any suggestions for this column. We are willing to try almost any kosher product for the sake of our readers. To make any suggestions, call Jill Davidson Sklar at (810) 354- 6060, Ext. 263.