Question from Reader - Is Kosher Meat Raised More Humanely?

Question:
Maybe you have the answer to this... I've kept kosher my whole life, and was always told that the slaughter/care process of animals for kosher meat was a lot more humane. There was one case a few years ago that a meat producer that was kosher lost their kosher license because of unfair labor practices. Anyways, do you know if the animals they slaughter are kept more humanely - I know they're not being slaughtered/packed by the major manufacturers (because of the extra expense of making things kosher) but don't know if its really as humane as people like to think.

Answer:
I’m finding some vegan websites that say that kosher meat comes from the same slaughterhouses with the same abuses as non-kosher. Others say that of course slaughterhouses are nasty brutish places, but that schechita (kosher slaughter) is one of the most painless killing methods, as it uses a very sharp knife to sever the trachea and esophagus, which almost always results in an animal losing consciousness in about five seconds. By contrast, the captive bolt method in most non-kosher killings sometimes has to be repeated up to five times.

Unfortunately it appears that most of the sources are in agreement that no matter how the animals are killed, their lives are played out in much the same way: crowded, unsanitary and fed the same crap. This is not true at smaller farms that supply specialized markets, which would probably mean pretty high prices.

As I’m coming to expect, our government fails us over and over again. The USDA is supposed to act under a Humane Slaughter Act, but doesn’t enforce it.

To wrap it up, it appears that the answer is SOMETIMES YES SOMETIMES NO.

Cheese Bombs

Yes boy food! These stuffed peppers were parboiled first like the other stuffed peppers, and as you can see, one of them is the traditional chile relleno pepper, the pasilla. Then they were baked with a combination of goat feta and Oaxacan white cheese and Italian seasonings. The final product was quite heavy, but reminiscent of pizza. I'm going to experiment with a little less cheese and some of my favorite pizza toppings.

How are You Planning to Live the Next Few Days?

I plan to live lean and happy! Pic of my fridge after market day:

pea shoots
peppers
cucumbers
rosemary
farm fresh eggs
Chinese broccoli
Greek style yogurt
organic chicken drums
garlic
onions
Brazil nuts
red and green cabbage
broccoli
cauliflower
goat cheese
cilantro
bison steak
green beans
spicy salad mix
mizuna
arugula
tatsoi
homemade sauerkraut
zucchini

For a man who needs to hold his weight:
real chocolate
Ezekiel sprouted wraps
dates

We also got a couple of Spicely packs, sesame seeds, and my favorite whole milk Voskos yogurt, spent about $120 for two people.

Locally Caught Tuna with Red Chard

Are you surprised? If you want to be lean, it is fish and greens. I am a lucky girl because Nandor's friend and client Eddie again supplied us with some locally caught tuna. Shallots and chopped garlic in olive oil with cumin and turmeric, then put in the fish, added pepper and cayenne and squeezed lemon. Cooked red chard with garlic and pasture butter.

Stuffed Peppers

All of the sudden, stuffed peppers are all the rage at my house because we went to Sabina's European Restaurant in Hollywood and I can't have the stuffed peppers with white rice. First we boiled the pepper "cups" for about five minutes. Then we filled them with mostly-cooked bison and onions. Baked for about 40 minutes at 350, they were delicious and a perfect serving size.

Mommas Don't Feed Your Kids Candy

Researchers think that kids who get candy become violent later.

Awesome Breakfast

Caramelized red and white onions, broccoli, onions, eggs, and lots and lots of cheese. Don't forget the avocado.