On Fri, 21 Mar 2008 10:13:03 +1100, "Rod Speed"
> wrote:

>Robert Klute > wrote
>> Sqwertz > wrote
>>> SMS <SMS >> wrote
>>>> Sqwertz wrote
>>>>> SMS <SMS >> wrote
>
>>> Happy now? This is getting boring. You will never convince me that
>>> you and any other person who follows religious dietary restrictions
>>> are of sane mind and body. And nothing short of a scientifically
>>> conducted poll would convince us that kosher products do/don't
>>> sell better among non-koshers because they're kosher.
>
>> To an extent you are right - in this newsgroup we are just speculating as
>> to why. We don't know for sure if it is people who keep kosher, believe
>> kosher is purer or tastes better, have food allergies, keep halal, etc.
>
>Or even whether they even consider whether its got a kosher label on it or not.
>
>> But, it doesn't matter.
>
>Corse it matters, particularly if they dont even check whether its got a kosher label or not.

What doesn't matter is if they do check, why the check. If they don't it
they don't contribute to the increased sales and thus not part of the
population the manufacturer is targeting.

>> What matters is that the manufacturers believe that
>> getting a kosher designation increases their sales
>
>You dont even know that. Campbells clearly doesnt believe
>that if they really do only have one item with a kosher label.

Well, yes, that is the point. Campbell's doesn't believe it is worth
the cost for most of their products. Apparently, just one had enough of
a audience, possibly strict vegetarians or vegans.

>
>> and that the resulting profits more than offset the cost of getting that designation.
>
>And that in spades.
>
>> If getting the designation didn't, companies other than those intentionally serving
>> the kosher market, like Hebrew National and Empire, would not bother with it.
>
>Or the cost of the kosher certification is a trivial part of their total costs,
>so they just take the easy way out and get it when it doesnt require any
>fundamental change in the way the product is produced etc.

Again, they do it when the increase in net revenue exceeds the costs of
implementing it. I would include the cost of setting up separate
production lines or changing the recipe as part of the costs of getting
the designation.

>> After all profit is profit.
>
>But it may not be feasible to work out just what value the kosher label has in terms of sales.

Maybe not the exact cost, but good enough to whether to do it. If you
are not that sure, then you do it for one product and see if there is
enough of an increase to justify doing for other products.