Global Kosher Salt Market: Is the Adoption Picking up Pace?
Kosher salt is becoming one of the most popular types of salt available in countries across the world. Over the past couple of decades, we have witnessed the entry of many varieties of salt into markets in order to cater to diverse customer needs. Refined salt (which is most commonly referred to as table salt) is a very popular type of salt which can be found in many kitchens worldwide. Table salt is rich in sodium content and addition of iodine to this salt is known to prevent many thyroid disorders among people. This means this type of salt is considered as a key ingredient in many cuisines, not only because of its taste, but also because of the good concentration of sodium and iodine in it. Table salt is witnessing continuous improvements on account of huge investments being pumped into research and development by many manufacturers. For instance, Tata Salt, a brand of Tata Consumer Products, has included Tata Salt Lite and Tata Salt Plus in its list of legacy offerings of Tata Salt.
These table salt offerings are meant to cater to diverse demands of people with varying nutritional requirements. Besides this, other types of salt like Maldon salt, Himalayan pink salt (which, as the name suggests, is extracted from Himalayas) and Celtic salt are also gaining popularity among people. The Kosher Salt Market growth is majorly being driven by continuous increase in Jewish population in many countries. The figure given below shows the trend:
Global Core Jewish Population, 2014 to 2017
Source: Berman Jewish Databank, A Project of the Jewish Federation of North America
Changing immigration laws in many countries across the globe is also contributing to this growth in population. As number of Jews continues to increase, and their adherence to kosher laws continues to remain intact, kosher foods are also witnessing a widespread popularity. Kosher foods need to comply with a good number of guidelines in order to be called Kosher. These guidelines have been put in place keeping in mind the Jewish laws which are associated with how and what Jews eat. These Jewish laws shed light on to the food items which are forbidden in Jewish culture, and on items which can be consumed. The laws go even further to outline practices which should be followed while preparing or processing kosher foods. According to one of these laws, meat, which is to become a part of a kosher meal, must not contain any trace of blood. Although many cooking practices promise thorough cleaning of meat, getting rid of every trace of blood is still difficult. Since grain size of kosher salt is bigger than normal table salt, and sodium content is lower than that in table salt, it can easily pull out and absorb every trace of blood from the meat without making it much salty. This is increasing the demand for kosher salt among households and even among many commercial kitchens. Fairly easy availability of kosher salt in many countries, on account of huge investments being made by market players into distribution channels which push kosher salts into shelves of stores and super markets, is increasing the adoption of kosher salt, thus boosting the market growth.
The market growth is being further boosted by investments by a large number of processed food and beverage manufacturers who seek to expand their customer base by adopting kosher salt for their products. Good returns on investments being anticipated by such food and beverage manufacturers on account of immense potential for growth held by kosher salt is also drifting them towards it. As lifestyle of people in many parts of the globe continues to be influenced by other cultures, their taste preferences are also changing. People are embracing products the adoption of which, for long, had remained confined to people of a particular religion or community. Since rivalry across the global food and beverage industry continues to get intense, primarily because of presence of a very large number players fighting for the same customer base and resources, any delay in changing or adapting to the evolving preferences of people can erode away the market share of a player and can even wipe the company out of the market. This threat has been pushing many companies to investment into research and development and into their distribution channels in order to ensure that their products reach customers within minimum time. Advertising spend by such companies is aimed at pushing the adoption of new products deeper into their customer base. According to a report from the FoodDrinkEurope, a confederation in the European Union which includes national federations, associations and companies associated with food and beverage industry, around 60 out of the leading 2500 companies, on the basis of R&D spending, operate in food and beverage industry. According to the data, total spend into research and development, in the year 2017-18, by these enterprises totalled to around €8 billion, and the European Union, Japan and the United States held a major share of this total investment. What is worth noticing is that a good share of investments was apportioned to aligning of enterprises with ethics and health of customers. The figure given below shows the trend:
Key Drivers of Innovation in Food & Beverage Manufacturing, European Union, %, 2017 and 2018
Source: Food Drink Europe
This trend is not confined to just one country or region. Food and beverage manufacturers in other regions like North America, South America, Middle East and Asia Pacific are also aligning themselves with this trend. Increasing focus of F&B manufacturers on expanding their customer base with addition of customers with diverse taste and religious beliefs to it is increasing the adoption of products like kosher salt among them, thus propelling the market growth.
About the Author:
Dhiraj Kumar Sharma is a Market Research Analyst at Knowledge Sourcing Intelligence. He combines his outright understanding of technologies with years of experience working in the industry to deliver actionable information to clients who span across industries and geographies. Dhiraj often works closely with clients in order to better understand their requirements and is known for the quality of market insights he delivers to them.
