OK... I want to buy better quality meat. To avoid growth hormones and animal cruelty, I only buy organic & humanely raised meat... but someone told me both halal & kosher meats are better quality than "mainstream" stuff... is this true? Does halal & kosher processing mean the meat is better quality? Or do they just buy the same meat as everyone else and process it differently due to religious rules?
divorah
Favorite Answer
When dealing with kashrut (Jewish dietary laws), in relation to meat, everything from how animals are raised to how they are slaughtered then processed is regulated. Overall, the rules of kashrut are more strict than federal regulations. As a result, issues that have hit the non-kosher meat industry (contamination, etc) have not been encountered in the kosher meat industry. In fact, animals that are rejected as not meeting the requirements of kashrut are sold as non-kosher.
This also applies to chicken. Salmonella outbreaks are virtually unheard of in the kosher chicken industry. I won't even go into the whole hotdog thing.
Note: Kosher meat is NOT blessed by a rabbi. No number of prayers are going to make a non-kosher item kosher.
winenot00
Everything divorah says is true. I would add that when an animal is killed, it is bled so the blood doesn't stay in the body. The reason is that blood is not clean. It removes waste products and carries them to the kidneys where they leave the body. If it stayed in the body the impurities stay with it. The rabbi that inspects the meat is specially trained to examine the heart and other organs to make sure the animal is free of disease. In cattle some cuts can be kosher and others not. I believe the cuts from the forequarter (front half of the animal) can be kosher. Kosher meats must be kept separate from non-kosher meat and is processed with different equipment in a separate facility. There are other rules as well. Basically, kosher has to do with cleanliness, and not how the animal is treated.
Jay
Halal has to do with how the animal is slaughtered and kosher is blessed by a rabbi. Both halal and kosher can be non organic. Stick to organic and humane and you'll be fine.
Additional: oops! Clearly I have been proven wrong about the kosher thing! I guess I am guilty of hearing something and reciting it without ever even looking it up! Embarrassing. :/ And sorry for spreading misinformation!
Anonymous
Actually the halal and kosher slaughtering is actually more painful to the animal then stunning in processing plants. Don't believe everything you hear. If you want better quality buy from a butcher, not the supermarket. Buy Prime not Choice cuts.
Logan
I know that halal meat ( for Muslims) is when the animal ( not pig as it is not allowed in their religion) is killed in a way that the animal dies quickly and doesn't go through pain. For example: animals killed by using electricity is not halal. Pig is not allowed as they say the pig has a bad digestive system and can infect you with diseases. But it doesn't really have to mean the meat is better quality, maybe just more clean. I personally eat halal meat.