Probe of price of kosher meat overdue

Brian Josselowitz,

She was responding to Bev Goldman’s letter about expensive, “clean, healthy hygienic” kosher chickens. Dr Lewis is half right but I think she is missing the point. For many years now we have heard that there will be an investigation into the high price of kosher meat but nothing ever seems to happen – or I may have missed the outcome.

Recently the SA Jewish Report carried an advert from a butcher offering brisket at R280 a kg; at the same time a Cape Town supermarket was advertising bone-in brisket for R49.95. How can anyone justify that kind of price difference?

Non-kosher chickens are at least R15 cheaper than kosher ones. Another ad in SAJR showed kosher chickens selling for R39,99 a kg. Next time you buy kosher sausages in Cape Town or Johannesburg, don’t just look at the price per kg. See how much one sausage costs. It’s quite easy to work out and you might just get a bigger shock.

Jewish Press, an American publication, has hundreds of ads for kosher foods and the prices appear to be much lower than in South Africa. For example in the March 20 issue rib eye steak was selling for $6,99 a pound; brisket for $9,99 a pound, so it seems that kosher meat is somewhat cheaper there.

I am sure the Americans have the same high standard of kashrut as South Africans. They also have to pay the mashgiachs for the hechsher and for the regular cleaning of the machines.

The probe into the high prices of kosher foods in this country is long overdue, even though going vegetarian is an option.

Milnerton