Kosher Food is IN

The $24 billion kosher food market is projected to grow by 11.5% by 2025, with much of the growth behind mainstream products that have adapted kosher certification, new research showed.

In a release, Jacksonville, Fla.-based Kosher Network International said kosher remains the most popular product claim on food, despite dramatic increases in organic and gluten free labeled merchandise.

“The average basket of a kosher consumer is $75 on bi-weekly trips or $200 on single weekly trips and only 10% of these baskets come from the specialty kosher sections,” Deborah Shapiro, VP of Kosher Network International, said in a statement. “The rest of the basket is filled with mainstream grocery items that have adapted kosher certifications. Having the right kosher items in your store can drive total store sales.”

Israeli and Jewish food are trending, the group added. Led by searches for couscous, ptitim, challah and Israeli salad, Internet searches for Israeli and Jewish food recipe searches are up by 45%.

“Kosher economy is witnessing expansion with significant acceptance of kosher food in food industry. Kosher food market is setting out to be global targeting Jewish as well as non-Jewish communities globally, owing to increasing awareness about its dietary quality and ethical reasons“ 

Growth of the global kosher food market is primarily attributed to concentration of Jewish population in specific regions, coupled with few members of various Christian community. Increasing adoption of kosher foods by vegetarian consumers, health conscious consumers, and patients with lactose intolerance and celiac disorders, is further expected to drive growth of the market. Growing number of kosher food manufacturers are focusing on gluten-free certification owing to high demand from kosher consumers suffering from lactose and gluten intolerance.

In addition, demand for kosher foods is coagulated by “Kosher Fest”- the most prominent and demanded kosher-certified products trade show in the world. Kosher fest promotes food industry manufacturers in certifying their products in accordance with kosher laws. These factors are estimated to fuel adoption of kosher foods across the globe. In contrast, factors such as absence of unified kosher standards, weak supply chain infrastructure as compared to non-kosher foods, and maintaining kosher integrity in supply chain are expected to restrain growth of the global kosher food market.

Middle East & Africa (MEA) will witness fastest growth in the global kosher food market, and is estimated to be the largest market for kosher food by 2025-end. Sales of kosher food in MEA is expected to reach revenue worth US$ 24,805 Mn by 2025. In addition, North America is expected to follow MEA in terms of market share, expanding at 11.3% CAGR through 2025. In contrast, Asia Pacific will hold lowest share of the market during the forecast period.