Following the news that KosherFest would be closing down, the kosher food industry and consumers flocked to the new kosher food show that took place this week at the NJ Expo center to see the latest innovations and food products on display.
There was a large representation of known kosher food brands and distriubters exhibiting as well as a handful of food service related companies ranging from transportation to insurance.
Many familiar faces in the industry were to be found on the expo floor during the first day of the show, which catered exclusively to B2B attendees. This gave vendors a chance to conduct business without consumers present and prepare for the second day of the show, which catered to the consumer market. This change was a first, as historically KosherFest had been closed to the general public. "It was worth the price of admission" said one attendee as he walked out of the show laden with bags filled to the brim with kosher food products. Vendors enjoyed the opportunity to showcase their products directly to the consumers and receive feedback directly from the end clients.
As some observers noted, it appeared that the majority of booths that were offering food samples were dairy, with only a few booths having fleishigs. That disparity was balanced out well as in the words of one of the show organizers, "No one should leave our show hungry." To that effect, as the show wound down, there was a large smorgasbord of leil shishi food available to eat. Another touch that was appreciated by the vendors were the packaged lunches that each booth received. "We are standing here by our booth all day watching people eat, but it was nice to have food [as] we can't leave our booth and roam to fres." said one vendor who was selling non-food items.
Through the first day, there were live demos and panels attended by party planners and buyers. On the second day, some well known names in the kosher industry presented live cooking demos to the public. There were a number of new product launches throughout the day. Cold drinks, coffee and snacks were available at two locations in the main exhibit hall the entire day.
Being that it was not strictly a B2B event, there was not a large number of international vendors, and it was also understandable that there was no representation from the major kashrus organizations. As such, there was no umbrella kashrus certification on the vendors at the show, with the exception of the food court which was under the CRC hashgacha. The event organizers put up signs by the buffet and coffee bar on the second day of the show reminding attendees that "...the kashrus certification of the products showcased by our exhibitors is not under direct supervision." and "...to exercise personal discretion and consult with individual vendors regarding their specific kashrus practices and certifications."
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