Industry Insights: Kosher and Kosher for Passover are NOT the same thing. And it's super important to know this when pitching.

Good morning!

I was hoping to do an Industry Insights newsletter today that’s a little different but very important to anyone it impacts.

As happens every season, I’m working on a few stories this year related to food and wine/spirits that are kosher for Passover. (You might have caught some I’ve done in the past, such as, for Forbes: Shopping For Passover Wine And Spirits Requires Careful Preparation, for Wine Enthusiast: 10 Passover Wines to Make Your Seder Shine, and for Southern Living: Invited To Your First Passover Seder? Here's What You Should Bring.)

In this year’s call for pitches, as with previous years and previous stories, I always very specifically state in my call for sources that kosher and kosher for Passover are two very distinct certifications and the items I include need to be certified specifically for Passover.

…and EVERY day, I receive many pitches for products, telling me these items are kosher for Passover, when they are clearly not. In fact, sometimes I am argued with when I try to explain the distinction…(sometimes the items are not even kosher, let alone kosher for Passover…again, not the same thing!)

Now, this is by no means telling anyone at all how to observe or what the right way to observe is, but simply: What is kosher for Passover for those who are observant — who happens to be the audience reading an article about kosher for Passover foods. We owe it to them to give accurate information.

Jewish homes go through a lot each holiday to ready their home for Passover and introducing something into it that contains chametz (more on that soon) and is not marked for Passover will undo of their work and derail the holiday (and anyone eating with them or their home).

Now, note: I’m not religious. I don’t pretend to be. I had AWESOME broiled oysters at dinner a few nights ago and posted them on Instagram. We all know this. But I actually observe the holidays super authentically — but even if I didn’t, if I was going to write a story geared toward kosher products, I am going to make sure I write that story in a legit way and only include authentically kosher products — in the same way, that if I was writing a story about vegan items, or gluten-free items, I’d never put someone at risk by saying something adhered to those certifications if it didn’t.

It’s really important when pitching kosher foods to a kosher audience for a Passover story (or any dietary law of any religious group, to be armed with the right information before you set out and avoid inaccuracy or embarrassment for anyone.)

I’m going to try to explain this in a really simple, user-friendly way and see if it’s helpful.

To be kosher (or, kashrut) is the basic dietary laws for observant Jewish people. These laws are applicable 365 days a year.

…except the laws are different on Passover.

The difference between standard kosher and Kosher for Passover is that kosher rules are WAY more specific for Passover. During Passover, you are not allowed leavened foods (which we Jews refer to as chametz, but it’s not necessary to know that for this conversation).

Basically Kosher for Passover means nothing that contains wheat, rye, barley, oats, and spelt. (The reason matzo is OK though it contains flour from grains is that the dough must be completely baked within 18 minutes of the water mixing with the dough. This is to prevent the leavening process in the dough.)

But honestly, as people pitching food products for stories related to the holiday, and food/drink on the holiday, you totally don’t need to know all those details.

All you need to know is: These additional requirements mean that although kosher for Passover food can be eaten year round, food that is kosher year round isn't necessarily kosher for Passover. And NOTHING is Kosher for Passover that isn’t certified to be so. Everything from your wine to your bottle of horseradish needs to be marked. If it isn’t…it may be kosher every other week of the year, but it’s not kosher that week — and does not apply to stories about products for that week.

Now, there’s other aspects that impact some Jewish sects and not others. For example, my family is Ashkenazi, and we do not eat Kitniyot on Passover (these are foods believed to be too close in appearance to chametz or can be easily mixed with by chametz so they aren't eaten during Passover - rice, corn, legumes, and sesame seeds.) Many other observant Jewish people can not eat Gebrocht foods, which means broken foods, and and that’s anything made from adding water to matzo.

Now, again, I’d never tell ANYONE what to do or how to observe or what observations or beliefs are right or wrong. But if you are pitching for Passover, to people writing about Passover, it’ll be super helpful to you (and placing your client) to know the difference…no one wants to be the person in a story misrepresenting their product or their client.

I hope that helps. And if it doesn’t…I’m always here for you. Email me anytime!

<3

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