OU, Kof-K haven’t heard from Mamdani about kosher food at city-run groceries, agencies tell JNS

Zohran Mamdani, mayor of New York City, and his staff haven’t contacted the Orthodox Union’s kosher division or the Kof-K Kosher certification about kosher food at the city-run grocery stores that the mayor has planned, the agencies told JNS.

A city request for proposals to operate five city groceries, one per borough, that the Mamdani administration released on Jul 27, states that operators “must consistently stock items across standard grocery departments, including but not limited to meat, dairy, seafood, frozen foods, shelf-stable goods, produce, prepared foods and household items.”

Operators must also offer a “product mix” that “must cater to diverse dietary needs,” including “kosher, halal, gluten free, dairy-free, vegan, diabetic options,” according to the proposal request.

The city says that the submission deadline for proposals is Oct. 16 at 4 p.m. It has allocated $70 million for the project, which it said will sell items at 30% less than typical retail rates.

OU Kosher told JNS that the certifier had not heard from City Hall about its plan for kosher food at the groceries.

Retailers do not typically need to consult a kosher certification agency when they resell packaged products that already bear kosher certification, according to the OU.

If the city-run stores plan to repackage products or operate kosher supervised departments, OU Kosher would have to be involved, it told JNS. It has not seen anything in the city’s request for proposals that suggests that the stores will do that, it said.

A Kof-K spokesman told JNS that the agency has yet to hear from the city.

The kosher certifier is “one of the most widely known kosher certification and supervision agencies in the world,” which partners “with food producers, manufacturers and processors around the globe to boost their brand image and expand their customer base through kosher certification,” according to its website.

“With a 50-year legacy in the making, our certification symbol has become synonymous with kosher itself—recognized, trusted and sought out by kosher consumers worldwide,” it adds.

It adds that it has 4,000 clients, that it certifies 300,000 products annually and that it employs 300 people worldwide.

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