IT'S ALL KOSHER AT ONE-OF-A-KIND EXPO.

Byline: Brent Hopkins Staff Writer

WESTLAKE VILLAGE - Rose Kemps wants to bring matzo to the masses.

She's the show director of the upcoming Kosher World Conference & Expo, billed as the first West Coast exposition of the kosher food industry. For three days, beginning Jan. 27 at the Los Angeles Convention Center, she aims to unite purveyors of the food - strictly regulated by Jewish law - with markets and consumers. On Thursday, the expo announced a program to give vendors face time with buyers from major supermarkets, including Ralphs, Gelson's and Costco.

The show's organizers are touting a potential customer base of more than 10 million in California - Jews and health-food enthusiasts who pay close attention to their meals' ingredients.

``If a kosher certification tells you it doesn't have something, it doesn't have it,'' Kemps said. ``There's a higher authority.''

Certified by rabbis trained to look for signs of uncleanliness, the products have enjoyed growing popularity in recent years. While administered under Jewish standards, such as prohibitions on eating scavengers and on mixing meat and dairy products, the guidelines also appeal to Muslims, Seventh-day Adventists and the lactose-intolerant.

``Before, it was just a few things for Passover,'' Kemps said. ``Now, not anymore. There's a plethora of new products coming into the market constantly. Even Krispy Kreme doughnuts are kosher.''

The trend should continue, according to Rabbi Eliezer Eidlitz, who heads the Kosher Information Bureau in North Hollywood. He says 10 million consumers already eat kosher food nationally, but only a million of them are Jews. The market reportedly brings in more than $100 billion annually, and Eidlitz says it's growing at 15 percent each year. He thinks that the list of certified products, from Coors beer to Quaker Oats, will keep growing out of the small section they now reside in.

``I expect there won't be a kosher aisle,'' he said. ``Even today it's pretty useless. It used to be just matzo and borscht. Today, it's approximately 60 percent of the store. The last place to look for kosher is in the kosher aisle.''

Brent Hopkins, [phone]

brent.hopkins(at)dailynews.com