Your Kosher Horouscope

By Rabbi Avrohom Stone

What bigger advantage could a food producer have than being able to know the future? While there is no crystal ball that can tell us what tomorrow will bring, it is possible to get an inkling of what lies in store by reading the signs. As a service to our companies, BTUS is pleased to present Your Kosher Horouscope – a look into what to expect from your OU Kosher program.

Category:  Misc. 

Sandwiches – Symbol or Meal?

By Rabbi Dr. Eliyahu Safran

A young construction worker lies in bed, the shrill shriek of his alarm still echoing in his room. He groans. He doesn’t want to get up to confront the day. He’s comfortable under the blankets, with the early morning sun streaming in through the crack in the drapes and landing across his face. Another few minutes… that’s all. When the alarm’s “snooze control” wakes him from his renewed slumber, he reluctantly pushes aside his blankets and begins his daily routine of shaving, showering, brushing his teeth. Once dressed, he goes into his kitchen, ready to make his lunch. He opens the refrigerator and quickly decides on the various ingredients – a roll, lettuce, tomato, turkey, mustard – that he will need to make his sandwich.

Category:  Misc. 

About The Food Institute: A Brief History

A nonprofit organization founded in 1928, The Food Institute has a single purpose: providing information to the food industry in an unbiased, timely and relevant manner. The Food Institute was founded by Seattle food broker Gordon C. Corbaley, who decided to put out a semi-regular posting for his principals -- mainly canners -- and his customers, so they could keep better informed about what was going on in the marketplace. He called his postings The News from Oregon and Washington. The reports were welcomed by the trade; given the poor communications when Calvin Coolidge was President of the United States, a great deal of business was still being done by poorly informed (at times actually misinformed) buyers and sellers.

Category:  Misc. 

The Food Institute Works with OU Kosher to Help Consumers Get the Most Bang for the Buck on Food Pur

By Brian Todd

For the first time since 1990, prices for food-at-home rose over four percent last year and could very likely do so again in 2008, with projections from the United States government suggesting an increase of as much as 4.5 percent. Many consumers, as well as many food manufacturers and retailers, are finding this to be unfamiliar turf and are looking for ways to deal with the higher prices.

Category:  Misc. 

Passover 2008: A Blend of the Old and the New

By Menachem Lubinsky

When Jews sit down to the seder on April 19 and 20, chances are that the set table will have a very traditional look. There will be the seder plates, the cups for the wine, the elegant flatware and dishes and so forth. But when the meal begins, the foods that are served may be reflecting some of the new products that have been introduced in recent years. For example, even the Kedem grape juice could be a dietetic version that has far less sugar than the traditional grape juice. The matzos may be spelt or whole wheat, the gefilte fish without sugar, and, of course, Diet Coke.

Category:  Misc. 

The Power of Imagination Brings Inspirational and Healthy Eating To Passover

By Bayla Sheva Brenner

No question – food has always played an essential role in the celebration of Jewish holidays. But when it comes to Passover, it takes an extra dose of vigilance and knowledge to keep all the season’s meticulous kosher laws properly. Those companies involved in the production of kosher-for-Passover products have learned that, in order to keep the eight days of highly restrictive eating interesting, they’ve had to crank up their creativity. Thanks to modern-day food technology, the past decade of Passover offerings have been plentiful – and innovative.

Category:  Misc. 

Editor’s Letter

By Rabbi Dr. Eliyahu Safran

The Hebrew language name for the holiday of Passover – Pesach -- conveys conversation, with “Pe” meaning mouth and “sach” connoting speaking or conversing. The matzah referred to as lechem oni, poor man’s bread, is seen not simply as a food consumed when hastily leaving Egypt, but as a medium for discussion and elaboration on countless Passover themes. The Bible instructs that we verbally communicate to our children on Passover night and tell them about the most consequential event in the annals of Jewish history. An actual and active dialogue must be at the core of the Passover experience, with the children as the focus of that life experience. The Haggadah text was specifically created as the vehicle through which all can be told and explained. There is no genuine Passover experience without adequate and meaningful conversation, discussion, analysis and talking. On Passover night silence is not a virtue; as a matter of fact, the more prolonged the discussion and conversation is on this night, the greater the reward. In short, on Passover, we talk it up.

Category:  Misc.