Kosher shmosher halal

by YankeeJim | February 3, 2010 at 04:30 pm

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Someone on a blog site said, “Doesn’t Goodburger realize that a veggie burger cooked in the same kitchen that makes cheeseburgers and milkshakes cannot possibly be Kosher?” Well, there are many aspects about being kosher. Interesting that Jewish faith and Islamic law both address standards for how food is prepared. They have the same roots and the basis was probably to keep people as healthy as people knew how.

So, perhaps both groups should get together and factor in the meaning of organic, “simple and healthful and close to nature.”

“Cleanliness and Godliness

Are kosher and halal meats better for your health or for the planet than regular meat?

By Nina Shen RastogiPosted Tuesday, Feb. 2, 2010, at 10:23 AM ET

I usually buy organic, sustainably raised meats, but sometimes when I can't find them, I get kosher meat instead. Does that make environmental sense, or is the stuff approved by rabbis just as bad as anything else?

You're not the only one who's going kosher for reasons that have nothing to do with Judaism: In a recent survey by the industry research firm Mintel, the top reasons consumers gave for buying kosher products were "food quality," "general healthfulness," and "food safety." ("I follow kosher religious rules" came in sixth.) The idea that these foods are cleaner and better for you seems to be fueling a recent surge in popularity—with sales of kosher products up 64 percent between 2003 and 2008. It makes sense that people would link the idea of spiritual purity with such notions as ecological virtue and public health. Unfortunately, those connections are little more than leaps of faith.

First of all, the rules for producing kosher meat don't specify how to raise the animals or what to feed them. So unless the label says otherwise, you're not likely to be getting the flesh of an animal reared on organic grasses. (Same goes for halal meat, though the Muslim method does include a preference for giving animals "clean" food—i.e., nothing of animal origin—in the final days of their lives.)"