Kosher guidelines prohibit the eating of certain animals, like pigs. Kosher meat comes from only certain parts of the animal. Using soaking and salting procedures, the meat is drained of as much blood as possible. Injured or unhealthy animals are prohibited. A rabbi supervises the entire process of slaughter and cleaning, doing a postmortem on every animal to check its lungs and intestines for health. But just as organic meat can rely on industrial techniques, such as feed lots and tightly confined conditions, kosher guidelines no longer represent the healthiest meat around, critics in Los Angeles say. Hormones, antibiotics and other staples of modern meat production in Los Angeles Jewish restaurants were inconceivable thousands of years ago, and thus slip through the kosher guidelines. Jewish sustainable food advocates in Los Angeles also say the kosher certification by various organizations is outdated because it gauges an animal’s health after death – and not during the course of its entire life. There are many restaurants accross the globe serving authentic Jewish cuisine.
April 20, 2009
