Kosher foods are worth $12.5 billion every year and only growing. But what exactly does “kosher” mean? Whether you’re new to hauling kosher or already a seasoned pro, consider this the tank driver’s guide to one of the hottest – and most lucrative — food trends out there.
The Basics
You already know that kosher is a Jewish tradition. For those who practice it, all food items must be grown, gathered, and prepared according to Biblical laws that can sometimes be complex. But the definition of kosher is simple: it means “pure.”
Americans are more and more invested in eating foods that are pure — clean, ethical, and high quality. That’s why much of the kosher market today is not Jewish. In fact, Muslims and vegetarians represent bigger segments of the kosher market than practicing Jews.
And the biggest portion of kosher consumers by far are Americans who are less concerned with the separate preparation of meat and dairy – one of the pillars of kosher eating – and more with knowing that care and attention has been taken in making their food. You can buy kosher chocolate Easter bunnies these days, to give you an idea of kosher’s wide popularity!
Keeping a food kosher extends to the way it is handled and transported – that’s where you come in. So, why do you have to go out of your way to have your tank washed at a kosher certified facility like KAW?
Kosher tank certification
There are a few different organizations that certify kosher tanks. KAW gets visited every year by a rabbi associated with the Orthodox Union, the largest kosher certifier in the US. (Fun fact: the last time our rabbi visited he was coming from an enormous pineapple plantation in Zimbabwe. Job jealousy!)
No matter whose seal of approval your tank receives, that certification means that it was washed to the highest standards of cleanliness. To be recertified each year, KAW must prove that our wash procedures are up to snuff – that our equipment is clean, that we wash kosher tanks for a certain amount of time at a certain temperature, among other high standards.
Unlike many facilities, we can even perform the kind of wash that allows a non-kosher tank to earn kosher status. We’ve got years of experience maintaining the integrity of kosher tanks, a business we take very seriously.
Now what?
With a kosher-certified wash by KAW, you’re ready to pick up your next load. As kosher’s share of the food market expands, so will the demand for certified tanks. There’s business ripe to be plucked for drivers who know it.
Here are some good resources on kosher food if you’re interested in learning even more:
Kosher food market set to grow, research shows
Global market study on kosher food