Kosher Nexus

This story appeared in this week’s edition of Kosher Today:

Kosher Paris in decline as more Jews leave
Paris…One of Europe’s busiest kosher strips is slowly succumbing to decline. At one point, the rue des Rosiers was a kosher haven with many bakeries, restaurants, and food stores. But of late, some of the stores have shut and their owners have made aliya to Israel or have moved elsewhere. There are still a number of kosher eateries in the area and tourists still frequent some of the restaurants, but area residents who affectionately used to refer to the area as “the pletzel,” a name given when Ashkenazi Jews dominated the Jewish population. In fact, rue de Rosiers has become a mini-fashion strip as the food stores are replaced with clothing stores. While France still boasts Europe’s largest Jewish population, Israeli officials say that a growing number have made aliyah to Israel. One of the biggest hits for the neighborhood was the closure of Goldenberg’s, which was the target of a terrorist attack in 1982, and closed its doors in 2006. There are still several areas in Paris that boast large number of restaurants, namely in the rue Rue Richer area with its many synagogues and restaurants and even the Les Aisles Restaurants which offers Shabbat meals. One former Paris resident who moved to Miami a year ago said: “When Ilan Halimi (a 23-year old Jew who was bludgeoned to death by a mob) was murdered, it was a signal for me and my family that we were no longer welcome.”

A non kosher pasta sauce company has just announced pasta sauce in a microwavable bag. The product is being touted as saving time and energy. You just pop the bag in the microwave and poof! ninety seconds later you have hot sauce ready to pour over your pasta. Imagine the time savings!! No more dragging out a pot, turning on the stove, heating the sauce, stirring so that it does not boil, etc. No more pots to clean. No more stirring spoon to clean. No mess. No fuss.

The company says that this product will prove to be a boon for time starved parents. Or for impatient kids who just gotta eat right away!

Is this what it has come to? Are we so lazy?

The worst part? The bag is NOT biodegradable! While everyone else goes green, this company goes in the opposite direction!

This is one innovation we hope does not come to the kosher market any time soon!

From QSR Newsletter

Menu Labeling Could Help Adults Lose Weight
2008-08-14 — According to a paper released today by the University of California’s Center for Weight and Health, new research shows that California adults could avoid gaining 2.7 pounds a year if calories were posted on fast-food menu boards statewide.

The analysis combines findings from two key sources to understand how calories posted on fast-food menu boards could shape the health of California. A 2008 New York City study found that patrons of fast-food restaurants where calorie counts were shown consumed 52 fewer calories per visit. And a 2007 consumer survey shows that California adults who eat at fast-food chains do so an average of 3.4 times per week. Based on conservative math, the UC Berkeley Center for Weight and Health calculates that menu labeling of calories in California could reduce caloric intake by over 9,000 calories per person annually.

“Menu board labeling has the potential to dramatically alter the trajectory of the obesity epidemic in California,” UC Berkeley states in its report, Potential Impact on Menu Labeling of Fast Foods in California. The analysis suggests that by posting calories on fast-food menu boards California could shift from a net gain in weight each year to a net loss.

Given that more than 60 percent of California adults are either overweight or obese, the implications of this analysis could be enormous. Statewide, the Center for Weight and Health projects says that by making calorie information visible at the point of purchase, the state could drop a whopping 40 million pounds a year.

“Weight gain is a simple mathematical formula,” insists Dr. Harold Goldstein of the California Center for Public Health Advocacy, a cooperator on the report. “If you can skim 50 calories off your diet each time you eat out, you are going to reduce your weight gain and might even lose weight. This analysis suggests that a painless way to make that happen is to put calorie information on menu boards for everyone to see. It will be of great benefit to the 82 percent of California adults who regularly eat at fast-food chains.”

In just two decades, Americans have fallen in love with eating out, consuming nearly half their calories away from home. Fast-food outlets, according to the analysis, are the largest single source of those meals. Unfortunately, knowledge of the nutrition content of fast food is hard to come by. “Even nutrition professionals underestimate the calories contained in meals typically available at fast-food restaurants by 200 to 600 calories,” the analysis states.

The Center for Weight and Health conducts independent research on the prevention of obesity and related conditions, while developing science-based solutions to weight-related health problems for children and families. Their analysis was conducted in cooperation with the California Center for Public Health Advocacy, an independent, nonpartisan, nonprofit organization leading efforts in California to understand and address the state’s growing obesity crisis. The full paper is available online at http://www.publichealthadvocacy.org
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We have but one question: Does that work only in California, or all over????

Most Adults Say Starbucks is Overpriced
Monday, August 11, 2008

Seventy-three percent (73%) of adults say Starbucks Coffee is overpriced. The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that just 6% disagree.

In July, the coffee chain behemoth announced it will be closing 600 of its stores nationwide in 2009, 11 of which are located in New York City. Though there seems to be a store on nearly every street corner in major cities, 76% of adults say they visit rarely or never. While 14% of adults say they go occasionally, just 8% report going at least once a week.

In addition to the coffee, Starbucks stores are often known as places people go to socialize or surf the internet, as most stores offer free Wi-Fi service to customers. While one in five people (20%) who go to Starbucks say they usually stay for a while, most (66%) order their coffee and food to go. Men over 40 are more likely to spend some time in the shops than men under 40, while women over 40 are more likely to take their coffee to go than women under 40.

Not surprisingly, most adults (80%) go to Starbucks for the coffee, while 5% go for the food and 8% stay for the free wireless internet. While nearly all men over 40 (90%) say they go for the coffee, just half (51%) of men under 40 say the same. Meanwhile, 37% of men under 40 say they go primarily for the wireless internet. Most women of all ages say they go to Starbucks for the coffee.

Overall, 38% of adults have a favorable view of the chain, while 27% hold an unfavorable view. Another 35% of adults have no opinion. Younger adults have a slightly more favorable opinion of the chain, with nearly half (47%) of adults between the ages of 18 and 29 who view the chain favorably, while just 28% of senior citizens share that view. An income gap can be seen as well. While just 30% of adults who earn less than $20k a year say they have a favorable opinion of the company, 54% of adults who make over $100k a year say the same.

WARNING: WE DO NOT KNOW IF THIS IS A KOSHER PRODUCT OR EVEN IF IT NEEDS HASHGACHA

There is a new specialty drink in town. NEXCITE is a specialty drink for women. The sea blue colored drink comes in a cobalt blue bottle from Sweden. The drink contains guarana, ginseng, mate, schizandra, caffeine and damiana. The latter is supposedly a female libido enhancer. Many women who have used the stuff claim that it actually does work.

www.nexcite.com