2008 Passover margarine shortage

During the 2008 Passover season, kosher-for-Passover margarine in the United States was short in supply due to several issues, leading to a scramble among kosher consumers to obtain the staple since it features prominently in many Passover recipes [ [http://online.wsj.com/article/SB120835576139919511.html?mod=googlenews_wsj What's Different This Passover? No Margarine - WSJ.com ] ] [ [http://eppylover.livejournal.com/362620.html eppylover: Shabbat Shmooze ~ Passover Kosher Shortages! Pesach Playlist! RECIPES! ] ] .

Causes

There were several causes of the margarine shortage.

One was the shortage of cottonseed oil, the main ingredient in the product. Cottonseed oil is used in lieu of corn or soybean oil, the traditional bases for margarine, which are not permitted to Ashkenazi Jews during Passover due to the laws of "kitniyot". Cottonseed oil is a byproduct of cotton; because of the demand for corn-based ethanol, many farmers dropped their cotton crops in favor of more lucrative corn [ [http://www.newser.com/story/24956.html Margarine Shortage Stymies Passover Bakers - Newser ] ] .

Additionally, some of the previous manufacturers of Passover margarine discontinued producing the product after deciding it was not economically feasible. The process of cleansing a margarine plant to make it suitable for producing kosher-for-Passover margarine is complicated, and involves dismantling much of the equipment. Some of the previous manufacturers felt it was no longer practical to undergo these procedures for a short-term project. Manischewitz and Mother's, two of the largest kosher margarine brands, were only able to provide limited amounts to the marketplace, which were often not in the popular stick form [ [http://www2.journalnow.com/content/2008/apr/20/shortage-of-kosher-margarine-causing-problems/?business Shortage of kosher margarine causing problems ] ] .

Impact

The margarine shortage has had a large impact particularly on home Passover baking. Many people who observe Passover's dietary regulations dislike the necessary culinary changes that must be made, and they attempt to imitate the taste of the food they are accustomed to eating the remainder of the year. Margarine is a key ingredient in many Passover recipes, and often, no substitute is available. Since kosher margarine is often "pareve" (neutral, neither dairy nor meat), it is necessary to use the product in recipes that are served with meat meals. Some of the recipes that require large amounts of margarine include Passover desserts, such as cookies.

Many stores rationed the sales of margarine to customers by limited the number of cases of margarine that could be purchased, and some stores required a minimum number of other items to be purchased [ [http://www.koshertoday.com/portal/news.asp Kosher News -KosherToday ] ] .

Haolam, a large manufacturer of kosher cheeses, was able to produce margarine for Passover to meet some of the demands [ [http://www.clevelandjewishnews.com/articles/2008/04/03/news/local/kosher0404.txt Archives: Story ] ] .

Other scarce items

In addition to margarine, Tam Tam crackers have also been short in supply for the 2008 Passover season [ [http://www.democratandchronicle.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080423/NEWS01/804230332/1002/NEWS Two staples for Passover scarce | democratandchronicle.com | Democrat and Chronicle ] ] .

References