Springfield, NJ—The ShopRite chain is considered to be one of the leading supermarket chains in the country when it comes to kosher. Its “Kosher Experience” was a trailblazer in the supermarket world. A neighboring store in Livingston includes plenty of kosher products on the shelves and in freezers and refrigerators. Yet according to the New Jersey Jewish News, observant Jews in Springfield are engaged in a letter-writing campaign urging ShopRite to expand its kosher offerings at a new store scheduled to open in Union next year.

The petitioners, led by a congregant at Springfield’s Orthodox Congregation Israel, are asking ShopRite to include a Kosher Experience, an expanded kosher aisle and butcher shop found at ShopRite stores in Livingston and West Orange. So far, says the NJJN, ShopRite has said that no kosher butcher shop is planned in the Union store, although it will feature “extended kosher offering[s].”

Organizers of the letter-writing drive say they are satisfied with the response, although they wouldn’t mind if the company reconsidered. Letter-writing has long been an effective weapon of choice in many communities. Supermarket officials say that they take such campaigns very seriously in every food category, but take particular notice when it is kosher.

The new ShopRite is scheduled to open on Route 22 at Springfield Road in Union, in a space formerly occupied by Pathmark, in late March or early April 2014.

High Quality Glatt Kosher Returns to PM

Mendom, MN—It has been 10 years since the PM Beef plant here produced glatt kosher beef, although it has produced products for Hebrew National under the certification of Rabbi Aryeh Ralbag of the Triangle K. The highly regarded slaughterhouse is known for its high feed standards and hence, quality beef, that some in the industry say is on par or superior to beef produced in Aurora, IL, mostly for Alle Processing. In an agreement reached with AD Rosenblatt of Dallas, the plant will open its special glatt kosher producing rooms to once again resume the production of the coveted beef.

The beef will be marketed under the Yaakov’s brand name. Yaakov is the great grandson of Avrohom Dovid Rosenblatt, a Hasidic Jew who founded the company in 1910 that now bears his name. It will feature the certifications of the Orthodox Union, the CRC and a still to be named Hasidic rabbi. AD Rosenblatt is a producer of quality meat products with slaughterhouses in Elkhorn Valley, Wichita and beef and veal in Wisconsin.

Mehadrin Enters Greek Yogurt Frey

Brooklyn—For the second year in a row, the Mehadrin booth at Kosherfest featured a huge banner announcing the company’s introduction of new Cholov Yisroel yogurt, only this time it really did launch the product. Last year, competitor Norman’s (Dairy Delight of Rutherford, NJ) did launch a line of Greek yogurt and seemed to instantly capture the Cholov Yisroel market for Greek yogurt. Their yogurt won the best new dairy item at Kosherfest 2012.

With the introduction of the Mehadrin Greek Yogurt, sources told Kosher Today that a “new war” has ensued for shelf space. While Norman’s dropped its retail price to $1.49 to celebrate its anniversary, Mehadrin matched the price with its newly launched yogurt. Mehadrin, the leader in Cholov Yisroel products, is hoping to become dominant in Greek yogurt as well, although Norman’s is said to continue to have strong sales. Norman’s is the only Cholov Yisroel manufacturer that has its own manufacturing plant, which the company says is easier to supervise from a kashrus point of view and that it can “strain the yogurt to its specifications.” To go one up on Mehadrin at Kosherfest, Norman’s launched a Greek Yogurt Lite product with only 100 calories.

From Kosher Today, with permission