Organic Kosher Meat Information

Jewish law is rather strict in regards to what a Jew can and cannot eat. For nearly 3,000 years, people have been eating food they raised and slaughtered themselves, so living in accordance with these laws was not as difficult as it is today. Now, people rarely know what state the meat they eat for dinner came from, let alone if the animal was treated humanely. Due to public interest, programs to certify meat as kosher grew in popularity and now kosher meat is available in many major grocery retailers as well as in smaller specialty shops. The organic movement, very much in line with Biblical values, has also grown in popularity. Organic kosher meat is now a popular choice for observant Jews.

Kosher

• Jewish law dictates that certain foods are "unclean" or not fit for consumption by Jews. Animals with split hooves or that do not chew cud are considered not kosher as are aquatic animals that have both fins and scales. Another part of the law dictates that even kashrus or kosher foods must be prepared in a certain way as to not be tainted by non-kosher foods through mutual use of equipment or non-kosher ingredients.

Misconceptions

• While kosher certification requires rabbinical supervision of the manufacturing of the food to be kosher, it is not only so a rabbi can pray over the food. The supervision usually comes in the manufacturer's certification process that requires a rabbi to inspect every aspect of the food preparation process, confirming the proper separation from potential non-kosher contaminants and kosher preparation. A rabbi praying over a food does not make it kosher; it is the ingredients and preparation of the food that determines its status as kosher.

Organic

• Certified organic products must meet the United States Department of Agriculture's National Organic Program's standards: "Organic crops are raised without using most conventional pesticides, petroleum-based fertilizers, or sewage sludge-based fertilizers. Animals raised on an organic operation must be fed organic feed and have access to the outdoors. They are given no antibiotics or growth hormones." As a clarification, the use of antibiotics described is the conventional industry standard of feeding animals antibiotics constantly to prevent infection resulting from crowded conditions and promoting quick maturation. This prohibition does not extend to the use of antibiotics to treat sick animals: this exclusion only covers the use of constant low-level doses of fed antibiotics.

Labeling

• A certified kosher product displays a seal from the certification organization, typically on the front lower left of the packaging. For organic products, two descriptions are possible: "organic" and "100 percent organic." According to the USDA Organic standards, products labeled "organic" must "contain at least 95 percent organic ingredients." The remaining maximum 5 percent of ingredients must be on a USDA approved list. The "100 percent organic" label is self-explanatory. Organic kosher meat will bear both a kosher certification symbol and either of the organic descriptions.

Benefits

• Kosher meat producers are required by strict Jewish laws to treat animals with respect and kill them humanely, with as little pain as possible. Organic certification requires meat producers to give the animals outdoor access, better living conditions, healthy organic feed, and to not inject growth hormones or feed them antibiotics. The practices eliminate many consumers' concerns with conventional meat, specifically the possibility that hormone- and antibiotic-laden meat alters human hormone levels and creates antibiotic-resistant strains of illness-causing bacteria. In addition, these regulations and their labeling programs give Jews a chance at living in accordance with their religious beliefs with some convenience due to its widespread availability and rabbinical oversight.