The rules for maintaining kosher, halal, and other religious diets can be dizzying but intermediary organizations are helping processors answer to that “higher authority”
Generating more than $12 billion in annual sales in the US, the kosher category continues to grow. Worldwide, research group Packaged Facts estimates that sales of certified kosher foods swelled from nearly $150 billion in 2003 to more than $300 billion today. Halal is also a rapidly growing category. According to various sources, the US halal market is estimated as nearly equaling the kosher market in annual sales.
Today, more than 12 million American consumers actively select kosher-certified food products for reasons unrelated to dietary laws. About as many more seek other, similar religious certifications. According to OU Kosher, the world’s most recognized kosher certification, this group purchases kosher food products for health, food safety, taste, vegetarianism, lactose intolerance, and dietary restrictions.