In America: 'Tasty corn puffs'
Why is Bamba hiding?
Osem markets Bamba, Bisli snacks in United States under surprising brand name ‘Zetov.’ Osem trademark only shows up in tiny Hebrew letters on back of packaging
The Osem company’s pride in its flagship products Bisli and Bamba is no secret. So it was with great surprise that we discovered the Osem snacks on American supermarket shelves disguised under the brand name “Zetov” in English.
At first we were convinced that the peanut butter corn puffs and onion-flavored rings were imitations of Israel’s favorite snack food, a phenomenon not uncommon in today’s competitive market. But a closer look revealed the Osem logo, printed in tiny lettering only in Hebrew, on the back of the packaging.
Bamba is sold under the name “Bamba Snacks” and described as “tasty corn puffs” and Bisli shed its name in exchange for “Super Snacks Onion Rings.”
All an American consumer can determine from the packaging is that the food was manufactured in Israel, but the name of the manufacturer does not show up in English at all.
We asked Osem why the company name was so hidden on the packaging. Only after we insisted that we had the snack bags to prove it did Osem consent to issue a response: “The Osem Company has worked with the marketer Zetov for decades in the snack market in the Orthodox sector. In the framework of this cooperation, Osem makes Bisli and Bamba snacks in 25 gram packages for Zetov.”
We remained confused. Especially because the packages we had were larger than 25 grams. The Bamba was sold in 100 gram bags, and the Bisli in bags of 142 grams. It should also be noted that next to the “shy” Osem products, bags of the regular Bisli and Bamba, in the packaging familiar in Israel, were being sold at supermarkets. The only difference was the more detailed Nutritional Information list, as required by United States law.
