For anyone who has followed the Agriprocessors saga, it might seem ludicrous to believe that kosher meat adheres to higher standards of health or ethics than any other meat. But according to a study by a Chicago market research firm, cited in a post on the Daily Dish blog at the L.A. Times, the top two reasons consumers say they purchase kosher food are quality and health.
According to the firm, Mintel, 62 percent of kosher consumers — Jews, Christians and Muslims — cited quality as their reason for choosing kosher. More than half cited "general healthfulness," while 34 percent cited safety.
Perceptions aside, the kosher food market is soaring. According to Mintel, the market has grown by 64 percent since 2008. One wonders whether such a stratospheric rate of growth can be sustained as claims of malfeasance at Agriprocessors pile up. The former manager of the company’s Postville, Iowa plant, Sholom Rubashkin, is facing a range of allegations related to his stewardship of the company. A trial in federal court in Iowa is slated to begin in September.
