Kosher Questions

Chinese exporters are turning to rabbis to quell consumers' uneasiness about the country's food products. After last year's uproar over contaminated seafood, toothpaste, and pet food, the Chinese food industry is trying to clean up its act--or at least have rabbis convince people that they are.

According to the Orthodox Union, a New York-based organization that does kosher inspections, kosher certifications by rabbis have doubled to more than 300 in China in the past two years, and the number is expected to go up dramatically.

And China's not just doing this to ease the minds of consumers who still may not be over Fluffy's untimely death. Kosher is the new black, and China wants a piece.  

But while rabbis make sure that pork products aren't used in food production and that meat and milk stay far, far away from one another, they don't perform scientific food-safety tests. Still, at a time of intense international scrutiny, an extra seal of approval may boost consumers' confidence in products from China. If contaminated food does get through, blame the rabbis!

To Modify: or not to modify?Though the genetic engineering of food is a new field, the GMO debate feels as old as dirt. The same damn argument sprouts up over and over again: Advocates argue that GMO crops could eradicate hunger in a world predicted to reach a population of 9 billion by 2050; Opponents cite the threat posed to the natural diversity of the planet, in addition to a long list of other health and environmental concerns.

And the Jews? (Heated) conversations have played out on The Jew and the Carrot and Swords and Ploughshares, and in his piece last April for the Jewish Chronicle, Michael Green described the impasse faced by the Orthodox Union and other Jewish groups:

The leading American kashrut authority, the Orthodox Union, has ruled that genetic engineering “does not affect kosher status” because genetic material is “microscopic”. However, other Jewish groups such as the Teva Learning Centre (an environmental institute in the USA) dispute this and consider that GM violates the biblical prohibition against kilayim, the mixed breeding of crops and livestock.

The Future is Now The fact is, none of these theoretical considerations make a lick of difference. Case in point: Last month's cover story for Business Week was titled "Future Seed: Despite the noise about organic food, Monsanto is quietly winning the battle over genetically modified crops." Monsanto is winning because the company is not interested in the theoretical, religious, philosophical, ethical, or moral implications of GMOs. They are winning because they are the big guys, with the big guns, and they are focused on one simple goal: profit.

Here are some stats from the Business Week article:

More than half the crops grown in the U.S., including nearly all the soybeans and 70% of the corn, are genetically modified. Just five years ago, China, India, and Brazil planted virtually no genetically engineered crops. Now Brazil can barely build roads fast enough to get all of its biotech soybeans from the fertile interior Mato Grosso state out to ports. Farmers in China and India, meanwhile, planted more than 17 million acres of biotech crops last year. These three countries are now three of the six largest GMO-planting nations in the world, as measured by area planted. At a time when organic food is more popular than ever, about 7% of the world's entire farmland acreage is now planted with genetically modified crops—the ultimate anti-organic food.

As Hugh Grant, the Chairman, President, and CEO at Monsanto put it, "When you're more than 1 billion acres planted, I think the conversation moves from 'what if' to 'what is.'"

All too true, and now even Europe, notoriously opposed to GMOs, may be slipping from "what if" to "what is." The Daily Telegraph has a recent article about how high grain prices are forcing Europe to rethink its opposition to genetically modified crops.

Neil Parish, Conservative MEP for the South West and chairman of the European Parliament's agriculture committee, had this to say:

"It won't be long before Europe will change its stance. The livestock sector is under huge pressure. We will price ourselves out of business very quickly," he added.

"A year ago, your couldn't discuss GM in the European Parliament without being shot down in flames. Now you can at least discuss it."

Mr Parish said that Europe took two years longer to approve any new GM crop than was the case in America, whether or not it was subsequently taken up by the market.

"At the moment," he said, "we are dragging our feet." The doubling of grain prices over the past year, he said, would put pressure on both the European Commission and the Council of Ministers.

And so it seems that the question is steadily shifting from whether or not to modify, to what the modified world will bring. Only time will tell if we'll enjoy a transgenic garden of eden, or a world of devastating cross-pollination, allergic reactions, and species loss.

The Global New Products Database, which "monitors worldwide product innovation in consumer packaged goods markets," has reported that "Kosher" was the most popular food label in the U.S. in 2007, beating out "All Natural" and "No Additives or Preservatives."

This past year, 3,984 new kosher food products and 728 kosher beverages were launched, the company reported.

The kosher marketplace has been growing 10-15 percent over the last 15-20 years, according to Rabbi Eliyahu Safran, senior rabbinic coordinator at the Orthodox Union.

Americans spend $10.5 billion annually on kosher products, the Jerusalem Post reported.

The growing demand for meat and dairy-free products has greatly contributed to the market growth for kosher products in America. Also influential has been the fact that food certified as kosher is considered Halal, or Islamically permissible. More practical than the niche kosher products that I've recently posted about, such as Exit energy drink and Simcha beer, kosher brands like Tofutti have been hugely successful in crossing over into vegetarian, vegan, and mainstream markets. Tofutti offers products ranging from dairy-free "ice cream" and "cream cheese" to vegan pizza and blintzes.

Second to "Kosher," "All Natural" appeared on 2,023 food products launched in the United States this year.

Cloning: kosher or treyf?Over the past decade, meat-eaters have had to face issues ranging from hormones and antibiotics to E. coli and mad cow disease. Now a new concern is about to land smack-dab in the middle of their dinner plates, right between their mashed potatoes and peas. The FDA--that bastion of consumer safety, always striving to honor science over politics--is poised to begin allowing meat producers to use cloning to breed "genetically superior" cows, pigs and goats for food. Yum, yum! Specials tonight include Hello, Dolly lamb chops with a side of Monsanto Creamed Corn.

If the idea of eating a cloned animal makes you lose your appetite, no worries: You'll just check the label to make sure that your brisket is "traditional," right? Wrong.

The FDA says labels are not needed because the meat and milk pose no special risks.

Oh! Well, if the FDA says so, it must be true! What a relief. I'm starving, pass the...wait, what? You want to know whether you're eating the original or the carbon copy? Gosh, picky, picky. Well, chances are that neither cloned animals nor their offspring will be marketed as organic, so there's that.

They may be considered safe to eat, but meat and milk products from cloned animals and their offspring are unlikely to be marketed as organic.

The National Organic Standards Board, an expert advisory panel to the U.S. Agriculture Department's National Organic Program, has made it clear that organic agriculture should not allow the use of cloned animals or their offspring in the production of organic food.

The board voted in April to exclude cloned animals, their offspring, and any food products from cloned animals from the organic sector.

So at least you can head over to your local natural food store for some organic animal protein. And while the frankenfood may not be labeled, a registry of cloned animals will be kept to track them as they move into the food processing chain.

The two largest cloning companies in the United States said Wednesday that they will keep a registry of all their animals that will allow food companies to identify cloned animals when they move into the food processing chain.

Trans Ova Genetics of Sioux Center, Iowa and ViaGen Inc. of Austin, Texas announced the new supply chain management system in response to concerns from lawmakers, the food industry and consumers who are uneasy about eating cloned animals.

Bon appetit!

Hamas, he said Hamas!: Hummus, he said hummus!I was reminded of last year's Oscar-winning short West Bank Story when I stumbled upon this article today. Amidst the tense discussions at Tuesday's Middle East peace conference in Annapolis, Maryland, the Israeli diplomat noticed - and relished - the fact that "one member of the Egyptian delegation grabbed a sandwich from the kosher table set up especially for the Israeli side."

What is it about food that can, even in the middle of the world's most difficult peace negotiations, shift our attention from the serious to the comical? Perhaps it's the simple, usually subconscious fact that in the end - after all of the conflicts, accusations, and wars - we're all just people who need to eat.

For those who somehow missed Ari Sandel's hysterical film, it's "a musical comedy about David, an Israeli soldier, and Fatima, a Palestinian fast food cashier - an unlikely couple who fall in love amidst the animosity of their families' dueling falafel stands in the West Bank."

Do yourself a favor and Netflix it.

Kosher Chicken Tikka Masala: Welcome innovation or threat to Jewish food?It's not just matzah, gefilte fish, and borsht in the kosher aisle of the supermarket anymore. These days you can find kosher chutney, tandoori paste, teriyaki sauce...even pre-made frozen saag paneer and chicken tikka masala. Yes folks, kosher is going global. We all saw it happen to some Chinese restaurants and a few Italian joints, but now it's really blowing up. This year's Kosherfest, the annual trade show for the kosher food industry, featured hundreds of new ethnic products, with the "Best New Product" award going to Mikee's shiitake teriyaki sauce. According to The Jewish Week,

More than 100,000 products now carry one of the 900 kosher symbols used throughout the world. Menachem Lubinsky, who founded Kosherfest 19 years ago, said that the kosher market nowadays is driven by an increasingly younger and more affluent consumer, whose basic mantra is “If it can be made kosher, I’ll eat it.”

So what does it mean when the most observant Jews can eat almost anything they want, including the foods of other cultures?

Adam Kaufman, vice president of sales for Mikee (pronounced "Mikey")...said that Jews are traditionally "supposed to think about God when they eat kosher food. It was supposed to separate them spiritually from other peoples. But now Jews don't want to feel left out just because they're eating kosher."

In this age of increasing globalization, it makes sense that kosher ethnic products are surfacing, and it's not only observant Jews who want more kosher choices, but also Kabbalists, Seventh Day Adventists, and Muslims. Kosher food manufacturers are simply adjusting their products to satisfy a range of cultures.

I'm just worried that with all the new kosher ethnic products, traditionally Jewish food will become extinct. I mean, really, picture yourself in the kosher supermarket aisle debating whether to buy bottled borscht or chicken tikka masala: it's a no-brainer!

I admit that I'm kind of at a loss here. I just don't know what to make of a Methodist-born billionaire publishing a "lifestyle" book full of kosher recipes.

Stacy Cohen is the wife of Israeli-born entrepreneur Mouli Cohen, whose "businesses have created thousands of jobs in the United States and generated more than $3 billion in stockholder value."

Born and raised in Texas, Stacy converted to Judaism when she married Mouli. Apparently, marrying rich and converting to Judaism made her an expert on all things luxurious and, um -- "kosher." Her book, the Kosher Billionaire's Secret Recipe, offers readers her very own, personal guidelines to living a "kosher life grounded in spirituality." In addition to the 50 recipes, the book includes a "total well-being nutritional program."

But wait, there's more! Most of the 224 pages (read: wasted trees) are actually big ol' photos of Miss Stacy, "wearing dozens of outfits from her collection of designer ensembles and jewels."

She poses in gorgeous settings that range from her Belvedere mansion to Paris, India and other exotic locales. In one of the most provocative shots, she wears a satiny bathrobe while standing above some of her shoes, a boutique's worth of colorful, high-end heels that spill down a staircase like sparkly spiked rocks on a river of deep-pile carpet.

What's going on here? Did Stacy miss the memo that Green is the new Black, and that the Imelda Marcos approach to shoe shopping is so last century? Could she appear any more out of touch? Go her for taking her new, kosher lifestyle so seriously, but really -- someone oughta tell her.

Keep kosher? Travel a lot? Find it frustrating when you're in a new town, feeling famished (and farmisht), and haven't the slightest idea where the closest Glatt Kosher eatery is? Have I got a pre-Hanukkah gift for you. Yitzie Katz, a food lovin' Orthodox Jew from Queens, has launched Kosher Restaurants GPS.

The idea came to him when he noticed that kosher restaurants weren't showing up on his own GPS device--even when he pulled up right in front of them.

Because he travels frequently for work, Katz completed his research for personal use and then decided to share it with others.

“Anyone who travels for work or vacation and is adhered to a strict code of kashrut needs help when they leave their home,” said Katz, whose database includes more than 1,000 restaurants and 2,000 minyanim in the U.S. and Canada. “There are also people who need a minyan on a regular basis, especially if they have a yahrzeit and must have a place to daven.”

And just how much will the list and software cost you? It's on the chai side, at $18.

Paging Matisyahu, paging Matisyahu. Your energy drink has arrived.

Before we get started, I just need to say: They should have called it ULTRA. I mean, come on. It's an ultra-kosher energy drink made specifically with the ultra-orthodox in mind. How could you call it anything else? Oh, but they did. They named it "Exit." Why? Why, oh why?

Israeli entrepreneur Kfir Cohen has created and begun marketing the world’s first kosher energy drink for ultra-Orthodox Jews. Why? Because they need fuel for all of that Torah studying, praying, and baby-making. No, really:

“There are three things going on here. They make a lot of babies, they study the Torah and they dance. They need a lot of energy, and something to strengthen them.”

The orange-colored brew includes 58 different extracts, each and every one of them awarded the highest certificate of kosher purity. While some are calling it "a good substitute for the coffee and cigarettes" that Yeshiva students use to keep on keepin' on, it's hard to fully get behind a novelty drink being marketed to this largely poor community, most of whom live on government subsidies.

“It’s selling very well, especially if there’s a wedding on” said Shaul Saydan, who runs a grocery shop in one of Jerusalem’s ultra-Orthodox communities. “It’ll definitely take over the energy drink market here, and there’s a big market in Jerusalem.”

Those of us outside of the Holy Land will be able to get our kosher kicks soon enough, as Exit will soon be available in England and America.

I stumbled upon an article today that concerned itself with what it called "Shechitah vs. PETA"--in other words, the conflict that exists between animal-rights advocates and proponents of kosher slaughter. It reminded me of why I'm both proud of and dissatisfied with the laws of kashrut that apply to animals. On one hand, I'm inspired by the intended consciousness and compassion that went into our dietary laws--rules that seek to minimize the pain and suffering of animals raised and killed for food. On the other hand, though, I'm all too aware of the fact that these laws fall short, and are in dire need of reassessment. Back in February, Sarah Rose over at The Jew & The Carrot pointed our attention to a Reuters article on hechshered fur. Israel's Chief Rabbi, Yona Metzger, ruled that Jews must not wear fur skinned from live animals. "All Jews are obliged to prevent the horrible phenomenon of cruelty to animals and be a ‘light onto nations’ by refusing to use products that originate from acts which cause such suffering," was the official decree. This is the kind of thing that makes me proud, and it's what I'd like to see more of in regards to the collective Jewish attitude toward animals raised for meat.
All too often, we--all of us: Jews and non-Jews alike--are out of touch with the sources of our food, including the animals whose very flesh we consume. We don't really want to know where they come from, what their lives were like, and especially what their deaths were like. It's easier, or so it seems, to remain blissfully ignorant. But for we Jews who want to utilize our Judaism as a platform and tool for bettering our lives and our world, we have a responsibility to seek, share, and act on that knowledge.

The AgriProcessors scandal of 2004 was a wake-up call for many, but I worry that we've snoozed off again.

"They're ripping the tracheas and esophagi out of fully conscious animals, dumping them out of pens into pools of their own blood. The animals stand and bellow and attempt to escape for up to three and even four minutes in some cases," Bruce Friedrich, a spokesman for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, said late Tuesday.

But Rabbi Chaim Kohn, the plant's supervising rabbi, told The New York Times in Wednesday's editions that the tapes were "testimony that this is being done right." In kosher slaughter, the animals' throats are sliced with a razor-sharp blade, intended to cause instant and painless death. Jewish law forbids stunning them first.

Federal law considers properly conducted religious slaughter as humane, and allows Jewish and Muslim slaughterhouses to forgo stunning. But the rules outlaw leaving animals killed that way conscious for an extended period of time.

The PETA Web site describes the videos as showing AgriProcessors workers ignoring "the suffering of cows who are still sensible to pain after having their throats slit by the ritual slaughterer."

In it's complaint, PETA said its investigator filmed the slaughter of 278 animals, 25 percent which remained conscious "for a significant period of time."

"I think we should attempt to ponder how we would feel in similar situations. The level of cruelty is absolutely outrageous," Friedrich said.

I recognize and appreciate the original intent of a law against stunning, but this doesn't feel kosher to me, either. It's up to those of us who care about the integrity and evolution of our Judaism, the care and well-being of animals, and the health of our planet not only to become more involved in our food on a spiritual and intellectual level, but to act on that knowledge, and to openly discuss and demand more humane--more kosher--options and alternatives to the brutality of industrial slaughterhouse operations.

Recanati wine is desperately trying to pass for gentile.

First off, there's the name. Nothing about "Recanati" sounds particularly Jewish. In fact, it sounds vaguely Italian. (Which doesn't hurt a wine.) Then there's the fact that the front label is extremely simple—there is nary a Hebrew letter in sight, only the brand, the vintage, the grape and the region. You have to take a close look at the back to find the kosher stamp. And if you were to call the PR department at Recanati, they would admit that no, they're not really advertising the fact that they're kosher.

"We've been encouraging wine shops to start an Israeli section," says Michael Wolff, the senior brand manager for the Israeli wine, which is produced in the Galilee. The idea is to get away from the "kosher" label and all its connotations.

Funny, it doesn't look Jewish: Good luck finding the kosher symbol on this bottle of Recanati wineRecanati is hardly the only Israeli wine hiding the inconvenient fact that, yes, they're also kosher. "We don't really talk about the kosher aspect of our wines," says Marsha Palanci, who does marketing for the Israeli brand Yarden. "We market it as an international wine."

The reasons behind this are of the "duh" variety. Long before brand giant Manischewitz even existed, the words "wretched" and "kosher" were synonyms when it came to wine: Jews have proven themselves utterly maladroit winemakers for literally thousands of years. Not that it was always their fault: Jews rarely had access to grapes, and they oftentimes weren't allowed to own land. And when the Jews arrived in America, the only grape they had access to was the Concord, which needed to be diluted with sugar—making wines like Manischewitz so sickly sweet.

But there is nothing in the rules of kashrut that makes bad wine inevitable. For a wine to be kosher it needs to either be flash-pasteurized—heated to 90 degrees Celsius—or it needs to be made by Sabbath-observant Jews. Wine experts disagree about whether flash-pasteurization has negative effects on taste (though most believe it does), but regardless, nothing about shomer Shabbat vintners makes for crappy wine.

And given that we're living in the age of gourmet, where food and drink is as much about status as it is about nourishment and chefs like Jean-Georges Vongerichten and Daniel Boulud are celebrities known by their first name, it's only fitting and proper that the moment is ripe for an excellent, upscale kosher wine. Why should Jews be left out? Let the gourmet kosher wine revolution begin.

Not a gentile in sight: Wine is kosher as long as it's made by Shabbat-observant JewsThe last decade has seen signs of just that sort of uprising. Israel, France and California have all been churning out top-notch labels at extremely high prices. California-based Covenant, for example, retails for $110 and can be found on the wine lists at Per Se and French Laundry. Other kosher wines, like Recanati, are as shy about their kosher status but considerably less expensive. To see the revolution in progress, I canvassed a number of wine stores and wine experts and came up with a list of the best wines the kosher world has to offer. Then, for the sake of research, I sampled all of them with a friend.

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