Bendicks, the mint with a hole where hechsher used to be
Announcement by the KLBD (Kosher London Beth Din) could herald the end of Friday night dinner as we know it
The maker of the luxury dark mint chocolates synonymous with Friday night dinner has announced their products will no longer be kosher certified.
The decision by Bendicks, founded in 1930, is likely to cause consternation to Shabbat tables across the Jewish community. The company announced the move was due to “necessary changes made at their production facility”.
Whilst Bendicks have started removing the KLBD (Kosher London Beth Din) logo from their products, the products still remain Kosher Parev (even without KLBD logo) when produced before March 2024. KLBD has been certifying Bendicks for over 30 years and the company has acknowledged that kosher certification “has been an integral part of the Bendicks brand and its success”.
Rabbi Jeremy Conway, director of KLBD, said: “We are continuing to try to work with Bendicks to enable their mint chocolates to remain kosher. We know how popular their mints are, and disappointing this will be to the Jewish community. For many, Friday night dinners have become synonymous with enjoying Bendicks and they are a go-to gift. We encourage people to write to Bendicks to share their disappointment. As Bendicks have said, kosher certification “has been an integral part of the Bendicks brand and its success”. We believe we can find a solution to enable kosher production to continue and are working hard to make this happen.”
KLBD is hopeful a way forward can be found to retain kosher production, if Bendicks are willing.
The community is encouraged to contact Bendicks by clicking here.
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