(Malka Koplovich/Koshertoday.com) The Javits Center was filled to the brim with thousands of specialty food exhibitors, and surprisingly with many kosher symbols. The just-concluded 2019 Summer Fancy Food Show (June 23-25, Jacob K. Javits Center) was a place where distributors, manufacturers and foodies came together to network, learn and eat! There was truly something for every palate, and I was thrilled to meet and connect with representatives of various brands. I learned something new at every turn I made and admired the creativity of some of these booths.
More than 500 of the 2,576 exhibitors bore a kosher symbol, a growing trend in the American food industry. Some of my personal favorites were Mikes Organic Coconut Chips—Lemongrass flavor to be exact; Ammo Caffeine + Granola Bar, which has the amount of caffeine two-and-a-half cups of coffee have; and everyone’s favorite, Jelly Belly, where I got to play several (lucky) rounds of Bamboozled. When the representatives of the kosher companies saw my badge, they excitedly picked up their OU poster and waved it so that I could see.
Many companies shared with me how their numbers in sales shot up as soon as their packaging freshly displayed a kosher symbol, while several representatives told me they were eagerly awaiting their kosher certification. An endless number of plant-based and organic products were awaiting their certification as well. There were booths offering immunity juice shots, roasted and dried chickpeas as a snack and different flavors of peanut butter—which I thought there was only one of! To my delight, most companies already knew the groundbreaking statistics of bearing a kosher symbol, and they were well aware that having one would greatly benefit their sales. It was amazing to see such innovative products, such as edible birthday candles, cold brew soda and hemp seed products awaiting their certification.
While the Fancy Food Show is a great place for kosher manufacturers and distributors to discover new kosher products, Kosherfest is the ultimate spot to purchase and sell those products.
