With the incredible rise in healthy, sustainable, compassionate food, the choices in buying meat can be daunting. For Jews who keep kosher, a challenging divide exists between eating strictly organic and eating strictly kosher--it is immensely difficult to do both. More and more kosher butchers are offering organic kosher meat to meet the demand from consumers who want to keep kosher without sacrificing their other health and ethical concerns.
Kosher Animals
The laws of kashrut forbid Jews to eat many things, and prescribe certain ways that allowable meat must be prepared. The animals that can be kosher include those that have cloven hooves and chew their cud. Cattle, sheep, goats, deer and bison are kosher. Judaism 101 states, "The mammals and birds that may be eaten must be slaughtered in accordance with Jewish law. We may not eat animals that died of natural causes or that were killed by other animals." Kosher law prohibits eating certain birds, largely scavengers, while chicken, geese, ducks and turkeys are allowed.
Kosher Meat
According to Judaism 101, "Some authorities require a post-mortem examination of the lungs of cattle, to determine whether the lungs are free from adhesions. In addition, the animal must have no disease or flaws in the organs at the time of slaughter." Highly skilled butchers conduct kosher animal slaughter. The butcher kills the animal with one quick deep stroke across the throat with a perfectly sharp blade with no nicks or unevenness. "This method is painless, causes unconsciousness within two seconds, and is widely recognized as the most humane method of slaughter possible." Kosher laws dictate that blood and certain very specific parts of the animal are not to be eaten, and kosher butchers remove these parts, and drain the animal of all blood.
Organic Meat
Many regulations, aimed at environmental and health consciousness, govern organic meat production. Organic animals can not be fed any animal products while they are being raised. Likewise, they must not be given any antibiotics or growth hormones. If organically raised calves must have milk-replacer, it must be organic and contain no non-milk products. The other organic meat regulations essentially ensure the above rules, and govern record-keeping and inspection of facilities. Debate exists whether organic meat is necessarily more humanely raised. It seems that while this is sometimes the case, no regulations ensure this.
Considerations
Clearly, those who keep kosher do so for religious reasons. However for many who keep kosher, this is not the only consideration in selecting what to eat and to feed their families. Some believe that avoiding antibiotics, growth hormones and the pesticides in non-organic feed offers health benefits. Cynthia Perkins, M.Ed, claims, "Hormones in our food supply [are] linked to numerous health problems, like hormonal imbalances, PMS, severe menopause, teenagers maturing faster than they should, reproduction [problems], feminization and cancer, while antibiotics are responsible for resistant strains of bacteria, gastrointestinal disorders and Candida overgrowth, and pesticides are destructive to the endocrine system, reproductive system, immune system and central nervous system."
Kosher and Organic
Formal regulations do not yet exist for organic kosher meat per se. It is the combination of the laws of kosher meat and the organic meat regulations that make meat organic kosher. Many stores and kosher butchers now sell organic kosher meat, and the demand seems likely to continue to rise.
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