Kosher & Halal

A Big, Healthy Business

A recent New York Times article proposes that a majority of consumers choose kosher for overall health reasons: 62% are buying it for quality reasons, 51% for its “general healthfulness” and about one-third because they think food safety standards are better than traditional supermarket foods—only 15% said they buy kosher food due to religious rules.

One explanation for the perceived healthfulness of kosher foods is the extra set of eyes of the third party kosher supervisor who is present to oversee the preparation process. Whether guiding a kosher slaughter or making sure no wrong ingredients get into the mix, someone is observing and taking notes.

Ironically in the U.S., Muslims are greater consumers of kosher products than the Jewish community. The nine million Muslims living in the U.S. are a powerful consumer segment, spending $170 billion a year with a significant portion going towards food in a market where Halal is becoming more apparent. Halal also represents an important export opportunity to the Middle East and South East Asia.

Over the past few years, the number of mainstream supermarkets offering halal products has grown more than ten-fold, testifying to the increasing availability of a wide range of processed halal food products and to the increasing number of Muslim consumers seeking convenience to fulfill a religious requirement.