Why is Kosher Food so Expensive?

by Dorit Sasson | More from this Blogger

15 Jul 2008 05:32 PM

With the price of food and gas continually rising, my husband and I had a discussion yesterday as to why kosher food particularly, kosher meat and chicken are so much more expensive than regular meat.

My husband tried to convinced me of the expenses involved in the maintaining and regulating the diet of what the chickens and cattle eat.Well, that makes sense in light of the rising prices of feed. But I'm suspecting that it is also the halacha (law) of services that it takes for maintaining Kashrut.

My husband also said that there is extensive monitoring and inspection involved in making sure that the cow is not sick or wounded. I didn't know for example, that a cow cannot be used for food once it has died.

The meat tastes better and is probably even healthier for a diet although I haven't done any research on that as of yet. But I also noticed that the portions are considerably smaller than non-kosher meat and chicken, so I am not sure what the deal really is.

Truthfully, we prefer purchasing kosher meat and chicken and it's becoming much more popular among all different ethnic groups. In the last few weeks however, the prices of kosher meat and chicken have gone up considerably by fifty cents a pound. I did a little research on a few other food chains and noticed similar degrees of price increases. But get this: my husband brought an entire carton of kosher meat for under five dollars! Food chains apparently, like to get rid of their kosher meat and poultry approximately two weeks before the expiration date and that is a bargain.

A fifty cent increase per pound is a lot. I remember in the seventies when food prices rose for meat and poultry in addition to gas, rice and bread. But our times are so much more different since we have so many other economic and social factors to contend with.

Anybody out there have some other bright ideas?

Learn more about Dorit Sasson

Hi ! I'm your Jewish mama trying to combine a Jewish life with freelance writing particularly for the educational markets.

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