Why kosher meat is so expensive

JORDAN MOSHE

However, in South Africa, we mostly refrain from eating any of the hindquarter because of the difficulty of removing this forbidden section.

Also, the local non-kosher market does not favour hindquarter beef from a cow that has been slaughtered in accordance with the halacha because of the effect on the meat of stunning the animal after slaughter.

All of this needs to be taken into account when considering the price of kosher meat.

These were two insights gleaned last Thursday at the meeting of the Coordinating Council of National Jewish Women’s Organisations of South Africa. Rabbi Dovi Goldstein, the head of the Beth Din’s Kosher Department in Johannesburg, addressed the cost of kosher food, particularly meat.

Also present were Trevor Wainer of Maxi’s butchery; and Richard Pearce, the owner of catering company, Totally Kosher.

“The tradition of the Lithuanian community [which is what we have here] was never to use the hindquarter,” said Wainer. “It’s a complicated matter of navigating the law. The Sephardi community – primarily in Israel – treats the law differently, and will use the hindquarter.”

Goldstein outlined the operations of the three core branches of kashrut – the industrial manufacture of kosher products, kosher food services, and kosher slaughter (schita) – and the costs each incurs.

“If you go shopping locally, you can fill a trolley with kosher products at the same prices as non-kosher goods,” he said, insisting that the vast majority of kosher products on the shelves are the same price as non-kosher equivalents, and kosher certification does not affect the price.

Certified kosher meat is more complex and costlier, however. Said Goldstein, “According to Torah law, the animal must not only be healthy, but treated with a specific amount of care. Before and after every animal is slaughtered, the blade is checked to ensure it is at optimal sharpness. This makes sure the slaughter is smooth and quick.” In order to comply with the requirements of the SPCA (the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals), cattle are stunned, but only after slaughter, as halacha prohibits this from being done beforehand.

Because kosher butcheries want the forequarter only, their suppliers charge between 10% and 20% more when they buy meat. Said Wainer, “Before processing, we choose the better-quality animals for slaughter for halachic reasons. For this reason, we already pay a premium.

“When it is slaughtered, production is slower, and throughput is less because of kashrut standards. The stunning done afterwards changes PH levels, and the colour of the meat, even texture. Suppliers may therefore be unable to sell those hindquarters to companies who have certain standards. They charge us for that, and we must include that in the sale price.”

Wainer said non-kosher meat sold on average at R47 to R48 per kilogram. The kosher average is R53 per kilogram. It does fluctuate, however, with December being the worst time, when the price of the forequarter can increase by as much as ten rand.

He said the hindquarter was not in demand in the non-kosher market. Though the kosher industry has no connection with where the abattoir sells the hindquarter after slaughter, Wainer said consumers of non-kosher meat would sooner buy a forequarter, and a market must be sought for the hindquarter, often overseas.

As for Jewish consumption of the hindquarter, the practice remains limited to communities in Israel and Morocco. These predominantly Sephardi communities approach the law differently by removing only the halachically prohibited parts from the hindquarter, and eating the rest. The Lithuanian Ashkenazi approach differs, and the entire hindquarter is discarded.

Jewish consumers have, however, changed their meat buying habits. Said Wainer, “The economy is changing, and people have a very different buying capacity. Years ago, we sold the chops and scotch fillets first, and struggled to sell the rest. These days, you sell the mince and stewing beef first, and are looking for people to buy the prime cuts. People aren’t stocking their freezers anymore or bulk buying. It’s a reality of what we buy today, we eat today.”

When it comes to kosher dining, Goldstein said that you pay a similar premium price at a gourmet non-kosher restaurant to what you do at a kosher establishment. He acknowledged, however, that kosher procedures do raise certain costs.

“At a fancy restaurant that isn’t kosher, you pay premium prices. Yes, there are additional costs for kosher – we generally require a full or part-time kosher supervisor. Let’s be honest, that’s not cheap. It’s the most highly paid member of staff. Sadly, in South Africa, your mashgiach [kashrut supervisor] is probably paid more than your chef.”

Prices at kosher restaurants and other food services are therefore greater, but if you go into any premium restaurant, you pay for it. “Boutique restaurants – kosher or not – are expensive. Eating out is a personal choice, and greatly depends on one’s situation.”

Goldstein also addressed the costs of kosher catering, mentioning the often-criticised fee per head which is charged in addition to the already high cost of a kosher function itself. He emphasised, however, that a misconception exists in our community about this fee.

“There is a misconception in our community that people pay twice for the same thing. If you have a function under the Beth Din, you get your bill from the caterer. You then get a bill two weeks later from the Beth Din itself. Everyone thinks the Beit Din is double-dipping, charging a fee which has already been paid.”

However, this is not a repeated charge or levy, but a fee in lieu of the catering licence. “The caterers used to pay the fee for their kashrut licence. A few years ago, they came to the Beth Din and said that they didn’t want to pay for it themselves, and asked that the Beth Din charge it out. It became a fee per head.

“I don’t know who approved it, but it has created huge problems in our community. Caterers, by and large, do not pay a Beth Din fee. We are trying to undo the payment-per-head fee. It was badly structured, and needs to be paid by the caterer for their licence.”

Goldstein said that the issue was high on the department’s agenda, and it wanted to see the cost reabsorbed correctly in the year ahead.