I have always been appalled by the prices of various Kosher for Passover foods (yet again, I urge you to go simple, and eat normal food) but I never realized there was actually a price-fixing lawsuit on the books when it comes to Passover foods. In the early nineties it was revealed that Manischewitz, Streits, and Horowitz were all in cahoots in a price fixing scandal. According to the New York Times:
Manischewitz faces a fine of $1 million, or two times either the losses inflicted on consumers or the gains won by the company, whichever is greatest. Those amounts have not been made public.
Justin Walder, a lawyer for Manischewitz, said the company was pleased with the judge’s decision.
A criminal price-fixing indictment, based on a two-year grand jury investigation, charged that between 1981 and at least April 1986, Manischewitz and unnamed competitors conspired to increase the wholesale price on about $25 million worth of Passover matzohs.
I wish I could say we had put this behind us, but if you’ve been to a kosher grocery store in the past few weeks you know that there has to be some more price fixing going on.
All I can say is that for lunch today I had a roasted sweet potato. Kosher for Passover, and free from the clutches of big corporations trying to gouge my pocketbook.
Chag sameach!
kosher
Pronounced: KOH-sher, Origin: Hebrew, adhering to kashrut, the traditional Jewish dietary laws.
