Passover Food Is Weird This Year – How Cost & Availability Is Changing In The TCs

Many people feel that kosher for Passover food is more expensive and harder to find this year. TC Jewfolk set out to figure out: Is that really true? The short answer is yes. The long answer is, yes-ish…sort of no…it’s complicated. And things are probably going to be more expensive next year thanks to tariffs and economic uncertainty. 

Here’s the story on how we found these answers, and some advice for what you can do about it. We also include data from a small community survey — click here to skip directly to those results and see what you folks told us! 

How this story happened

Stewart Mednick, the department commander of the Jewish War Veterans of Minnesota, was stumped.

As he shopped for Passover food this year, it felt like availability was down – especially after the closing of Cooper’s Foods, a St. Paul grocery store that was a lifeline for kosher food in the area.

Cooper’s “usually had a very robust selection of Passover goods and many imported food stuff from Israel, like Israeli pickles and kosher ketchup,” Mednick told me. “These things were uniquely available at the store, and the store had closed, so those items are no longer available – and where do you get them?”

On top of trying to find kosher for Passover food, Mednick also felt like everything he saw was more expensive.

So on April 2, in the hope of crowdsourcing a list of best shopping options for the Twin Cities Jewish community, he sent out an email to the JWVMN list, along with local Jewish leaders and organizations.

“There are many people in our Jewish community who can not afford as much this year as years past due to cost increases and may not know about places to shop,” Mednick wrote in the email. “I would also encourage TC Jewfolk to consider running an article on Passover shopping.”

Lonny Goldsmith, TC Jewfolk’s editor-in-chief, got the message and forwarded it to me. After all, who better to write about Passover economics right before the holiday than a jetlagged, post-food poisoning, congested-with-cold Jewish journalist fresh back from world travel?

Trying to answer Mednick’s call, I first thought of visiting grocery stores and supermarkets around the Twin Cities to track prices and product availability.

Admittedly, an awesome idea. But very impractical, especially for a guy sneezing every 10 minutes.

Instead, I figured it would be best to hear from folks with a real sense of availability and pricing issues.

Sticker shock & price ramp

First, I reached out to a few Chabad rabbis, and they hadn’t noticed any differences with Passover food. (We’ll come back to this.)

Then, I messaged Carli Shapiro, development associate at Minnesota Hillel and friend (and former Jewfolk-er!), to see if Hillel was seeing rising costs. She put me in touch with David Raskas, a kosher food caterer in the Twin Cities who also caters for the Hillel students.

Raskas pointed to several factors that make the price of kosher for Passover food seem more expensive. For one, many Jews don’t buy kosher food year-round, and only jump in for Passover supplies.

“Regular kosher products are more expensive to start with, so a little more for Passover is not as shocking to somebody who buys kosher year round – but if you don’t buy kosher year round, [the prices are] really shocking,” Raskas said.

He lamented the high cost of kosher food in general, a longstanding issue which can be a financial burden for many Jews and families. (Last century, the cost of kosher meat even provoked boycotts and riots.)

“Why is kosher for Passover so much more expensive when people are trying to fulfill a religious commandment?” he said. “It should be cheaper…it’s a struggle for many people. I don’t know how young people do it, to be honest.”

It doesn’t help that food prices in general, including for kosher products, have dramatically increased the past few years. Raskas said the cost hike comes from a mix of economic factors, from supply chain costs to increased wages for food workers and, of course, widespread inflation.

As a caterer, Raskas has had to increase his prices by 10-15% this year to stay even with rising costs. And he’s concerned tariffs could raise prices even more for next year’s Pesach, because much of the food available in the U.S. comes from other countries.

“I’m really vegetable focused…and all my vegetables – I don’t have specifics in front of me – but everything has gone up over the year: broccoli, cauliflower, bean salad, just in general,” he said.

More…but also the same expensive

Raskas did look over some old receipts to compare this year’s Passover food costs with 2024 costs.

Some of his supplies come from plain old Costco, including matzah (an extra 20 cents per pound more expensive this year) and macaroons ($1.70 more expensive).

Brisket, meanwhile, is up almost a dollar per pound compared to 2024.

“It doesn’t sound like much, but when you buy 200 pounds, it’s 200 more dollars, and it gets passed on to the client, to be very honest,” Raskas said.

The catch: Raskas’ brisket comes from wholesale providers, which serve businesses with lower prices because the food comes in bulk. Consumer prices, meanwhile, are typically higher.

Another notable example of that is the price of eggs. While still at record highs for consumers, wholesale egg prices have drastically come down over the past few months.

That’s something Avrum Kaufmann, manager for The Kosher Spot’s wholesale business, mentioned when I emailed him.

While Kaufmann didn’t have time for a call interview, I did ask him over email if he was seeing any changes in Passover food pricing or availability this year.

“No, we are not seeing any cost increases or availability issues on Pesach food,” he wrote back. “Yes, things are relatively the same as previous years.”

The Kosher Spot wholesale business also supplies food for at least several Chabad communities around the Midwest, which may explain why the few Chabad rabbis I spoke with did not feel a change in this year’s Passover food supply. That, or they’re used to the cost from regularly buying kosher food.

So there you have it: Kosher for Passover food is more expensive because all food has gotten more expensive the past few years. But it also isn’t necessarily more expensive than previous years, depending on where and how people are able to shop, and if they regularly shop for kosher food or not.

For some more wrinkles, and advice for how to deal with rising costs, let’s get to what some of you told me about your lived experience.

Here’s what you said

As the cherry on top of this story, I put together a quick Google survey for us to email blast to TC Jewfolk subscribers and to post on social media.

This isn’t a super scientific or representative survey – just 36 people responded. But the data, I think, still says something about the Minnesota Jewish experience of figuring out Passover in 2025.

Almost 60% of respondents said they think Passover food is more expensive this year, with the rest saying food is the same cost as previous years.

One comment showed how cost doesn’t exist in isolation. Increased prices, whether perceived or actual, can add extra stress in the scramble to prepare for Passover.

“Everything is far more expensive than I remember it being in the past,” the comment said. “I lost my mother two weeks ago and will be hosting a Seder for my family for the first time and I am completely overwhelmed. The fact that so much of this food is expensive is a huge burden.”

Price and expensiveness can be hard to quantify, and can change over time and by store.

Take Amazon, for example. A three-pound set of Manischewitz matzah used to be $10 in early 2023, but as of April 8 was selling at $18.

That’s a price increase. But a comparable three-pound set of Yehuda matzah used to be almost $30 in early 2023 – and is now also selling at $18 on Amazon. A price decrease.

So are things more, or less, expensive? Depends on if you think $6 per pound of matzah is costly. (Honestly, I think it is, as you could make matzah at home for a fraction of the cost. Though you may pay for it with your sanity in 18-minute increments.)

Another factor for Passover food: location, location, location.

Roughly half of survey respondents said Passover food is less available near them, while the other half said availability was the same.

In comments, several people lamented the closing of Cooper’s Foods in St. Paul, while others described the frustration of feeling like they have to go to St. Louis Park stores to get the Passover supplies they want.

So even if there isn’t some kind of industry-wide shortage of Passover foods, availability can be as simple as what grocer is nearby and whether they do or don’t have the goods.

Or, in the case of St. Paul Jews with Cooper’s Foods, suddenly having to search for a new shopping place when a longtime provider disappears.

One comment also zeroed in on a different kind of availability: “Variety of certain products (ex. pickles) is much less,” it said. “One brand/one kind etc.”

Meanwhile, a respondent from Rochester wrote about needing to travel to the Twin Cities to find Passover supplies.

“We can’t do decent seder shopping in Rochester. Period,” they said. “What’s more, we’ve not infrequently encountered our grocery stores reselling year-old product. (This IS the bread of our affliction.)”

Another respondent wondered how newly announced U.S. tariffs on Israel will affect Passover food prices. (Like so much else right now, still unclear, but higher costs should probably be expected.)

Notably, the top five stores where respondents are shopping for Passover food are (in order from most to least popular): Lunds & Byerlys, Cub, The Kosher Spot, Target, and Aldi.

So what can you do?

At the end of the survey I asked respondents what advice they have for people struggling to find affordable Passover food near them.

I was hoping — in line with what Stewart Mednick tried to do with his emailed crowdsourcing — that folks would say specific stores that might be best for shopping in the Twin Cities.

Notably, that didn’t happen.

Instead, a different theme emerged from the comments.

“Don’t buy packaged stuff,” said one respondent. “Keep your meals fresh and light – salads and stir fry are a great way to celebrate Pesach and springtime without all the eggs, sugar, and white flour. (I use organic beans & Lundberg brown rice – Sephardic style for Pesach).”

Said another: “Having a Seder is a mitzvah. The details of the food are less important than the story and symbolism. The diaspora have always had to be creative. You are in an economic ‘narrow place’ right now…do what works for your family!”

I think this speaks to a larger, historical story, about how traditional Eastern European Passover food brought over by immigrants over a century ago became codified and mass-produced, set and ready for store shelves across the U.S.

Many of us grew up with these foods as a staple of the seder. They are part of our tradition (insert “Fiddler On The Roof” tevye_dancing.gif meme here).

But now, some of that tradition may be getting left behind – priced out of the seder for Jews trying to get by in weird economic times.

Comments also talked about the role the broader community has in helping people with the burden of kosher food costs.

Several pointed to the Jewish Family Service of St. Paul (JFS) and the Jewish Family and Children’s Service of Minneapolis (JFCS) as a place to ask for help, or synagogues and rabbis, or even gathering with other people and families to batch cook and potluck seder food together.

Jewish organizations are aware of their role. Out of curiosity, I reached out to Beth Jacob Congregation to see if they had anything to say about Passover food costs and availability.

In a statement, the synagogue, which serves many St. Paul-side Jews, spoke about the cost of Passover food and the closing of Cooper’s Foods, as well as ways it’s helping to support congregants.

“We really appreciate the ongoing partnership with JFS and the annual care packages they provide with Passover items for those in need,” the statement said. “Beth Jacob is also grateful to have some additional resources to help our members acquire essential Passover products. We are committed to supporting Pesach joy and observance in our community.”

As much as possible, though, it seems like the answer is to simply do what you can with rising prices, and let go of seder expectations.

“Don’t stress over it,” said one comment. “Do what you can afford to do based on your budget. The main thing is to eat healthy.”

Meanwhile, I learned another important lesson: Trying to categorize geographic areas in a survey of Jews in the Twin Cities is a foolhardy endeavor. Separating “St. Paul proper” from “Highland Park/Mendota Heights/Eagan” was an oopsie.

One respondent felt compelled to pitch in with a correction: “Technically, Highland Park is in the city of St. Paul. It’s not a suburb like Eagan & Mendota Heights.”

Never change, TC Jewfolk.