We already brought the bad tidings last week that prices will be sharply higher come Passover. Now we break the news that the price for hand-made Matzoh will be as much as 20% higher than last year...Our exclusive story this week features some strange bedfellows, PETA and Agri, and news that sales of kosher meats are soaring due to a big meat recall of non-kosher meats...Kosher certifying agencies will not certify restaurants that do not use glatt kosher meats and are open on the Shabbat, a story that came out of the publicity of the reopening of a popular New York restaurant...OU rabbis go on the road to promote kosher...The new definitive guide on kosher restaurants around the world is out and a must...I may be a bit early but in My Sixth Sense column I'm already concerned about the kosher style Kosher for Passover foods...January 2008 turns out to be an 'on month' for kosher restaurants in Israel...Gaydamak continues to grow his food empire...Why is kosher different? It's a matter of trust, says a leading professor...The Star-K launches a new Institute of Halacha to help rabbis and others...Eda Kram in her New Product Showcase this week looks at new unsweetened cocoa that is Kosher for Passover.

Menachem Lubinsky
Editor-in-Chief