|
A:
|
To address your specific question about feedlots we must first ask: Where does the livestock used in Kosher meat come from?
The animals used for kosher meat come from the same ‘feed lots’ that non-Kosher meat comes from. As far as we know today, at this time there are no cows or sheep being raised by a Kosher Meat processor.
As such, we have no choice but to rely on federal guidelines pertaining to what may or may not be fed to animals. Currently, according to government law, animal remains are not permitted to be part of feed. A considerable number of cattle companies adhere to these rules. Especially now, when there is fear of the mad cow disease, companies that produce animal feed are much more concerned. While the FDA admits that there is not as yet 100% compliance, the numbers are constantly improving.
The most recent case of mad cow disease was discovered in an animal “that had been born before August of 1997. Prior to August of 1997, it was permitted to include cow parts in cattle feed, which is the main way that mad cow disease is though to spread through livestock.” (AP, January 2, 2004)
Is it theoretically possible for a Kosher slaughtered cow to be carrying mad cow disease?
Not having seen the innards of such a diseased cow, we can’t tell you. As you know that according to Jewish Law, every slaughtered animal must undergo a visual inspection covering major life threatening illness, but will a cow in early stages of such a disease show clear visible problems? Our unprofessional guess is NO.
Is it a problem? Very definitely. Unfortunately, financial constraints force Kosher Meat producers to cope with this problem in the same fashion as all other meat processors in this country.
If you are concerned about the Mad Cow disease infecting Kosher Meat, you would be concerned in the same degree as every person living in the US should be.
If it is of any consolation, let us state the following. After slaughtering, Kosher meat is promptly treated to assure cleanliness (washing, rinsing and salting) and it seems to work well to help prevent salmonella problems.
Would there be a Kosher concern of animals being fed non-Kosher (animal) feed?
The Halachic answer is: In most instances, what animals eat have no effect on their Kosher status.
The news about Kosher poultry is somewhat more heartening. The largest provider of Kosher poultry, Empire Poultry Co. makes the claim on their website they their poultry is ‘free-range, and their care does not allow hormone or antibiotics and certainly no animal wastes. A number of other small companies raising chickens serving the Kosher market make the same claim.
On December 29, 2003 the OU issued the following statement about BSE.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONSUMER MAY HAVE ADVANTAGE IN PURCHASE OF KOSHER BEEF, ORTHODOX UNION EXPERTS ANNOUNCE, AS KOSHER SLAUGHTERED CATTLE HAVE BEEN FREE OF MAD COW DISEASE
“To this date, no kosher slaughtered cattle anywhere in the world have ever been found to have had mad cow disease,” Rabbi Menachem Genack, Rabbinic Administrator of the Kashrut (Kosher) Division of the Orthodox Union, and Rabbi Yehuda Kravitz, the Division’s specialist in meat slaughter, announced today.
“The consumer may be at an advantage by purchasing kosher slaughtered meat, since the likelihood is much less that meat from a cow slaughtered according to kosher laws will be tainted with mad cow disease,” the rabbis declared.
The Orthodox Union, with its familiar OU symbol, is the world’s largest kosher certification agency, certifying over 275,000 products produced in nearly 6,000 plants located in 68 countries around the world. Included in these plants are facilities where animals are slaughtered.
Among the reasons for the increased safety of kosher beef, Rabbis Genack and Kravitz declared, are the following:
· Kosher slaughter prohibits the use of “downers,” i.e., animals that cannot walk; the animal with mad cow disease in the current crisis was a downer cow;
· Kosher slaughter prohibits shooting or stunning the animal in the head, which may cause brain matter (where the disease resides) to be scattered to other parts of the body; whereas kosher slaughter is only done by slitting the animal’s throat, which causes blood to be drained away, thereby enhancing the chances that the disease will not be transmitted through the bloodstream.
“Until now, there has not been a single case of mad cow disease in a kosher slaughtered animal. The laws of kosher may mitigate against the possibility of the disease,” Rabbi Genack declared.
****
The Orthodox Union, now in its second century of service to the Jewish community of North America and beyond, is a world leader in community and synagogue services, adult education, youth work through NCSY, political action through the IPA, and advocacy for persons with disabilities through Yachad and Our Way. Its kosher supervision label, the OU, is the world’s most recognized kosher symbol and can be found on over 275,000 products manufactured in 68 countries around the globe.
|
Acids & Acidulants