Osem has meanwhile stopped providing mehadrin kosher for one of its most important flagship products – ketchup, as a result of the war in Ukraine and the huge shortage of tomato concentrate produced in this country, according to a report in Israel Today.
Bassem had to switch to using a tomato concentrate made in Israel, which is problematic in terms of the elegant kosher in the year of the shemita and in fact causes the elegant kosher to be removed from the product.
According to the report, due to the war in Ukraine, a lot of goods were stuck that were supposed to arrive in Israel, including the raw material intended for the production of ketchup. There is currently no clear forecast of when the goods will be released and the barn has chosen not to wait and continues to produce the ketchup with tomatoes from the sale permit.
The Osem company responded: “The war in Ukraine is affecting the supply of raw materials and production, including a tomato concentrate for ketchup production. We are working in a variety of ways to meet the demand of all consumers in Israel, including the ultra-Orthodox community.”