How Healthy Is the Meat You Are Consuming?

Unless it is labeled as “certified organic” or “hormone free,” the meat we purchase from the grocery store is almost a certainty to have come from an animal that was given hormones to make it grow faster and larger or to produce more milk in order to increase factory farm profits. Additionally, the animal was routinely given low levels of antibiotics to control the diseases that are inevitable under the overcrowded, stressful, and inhumane conditions in which the animals spend the entirety of their lives in these operations. These hormones and antibiotic residues are present in the meat we eat and milk we drink.

The FDA and USDA state that these hormone residues are safe for human consumption and do not present health risks. The European Union’s Scientific Committee on Veterinary Measures Relating to Public Health disagrees which has resulted in the banning of the use of hormones in cattle production in Europe as well as the banning of all beef imports from the United States where hormone supplementation is routine. There is a bill currently before the U.S. Congress to ban the non-therapeutic use of antibiotics in farm animals due to the implication of their routine use as a contributory factor in the dangerous increase of antibiotic resistant pathogens that threaten public health.

We do have a choice. There are farms that raise livestock in a humane manner without hormones and antibiotics. Purchasing hormone-free meat online or from a market that stocks organic or locally produced foods not only puts healthier and better tasting meat on your family’s plates but helps to support sustainable agriculture practices.

What is a Kosher Hot Dog?

Did you know that there’s such as thing as a “kosher hot dog”?

Based on recent population studies by the American Meat Institute, six million Americans consume kosher products and about a fourth of those consumers are Jewish. Although kosher hot dog brands account for only a small percentage of frank sales, it is the fastest growing group.

Despite the lagging economy, sales for both kosher and non-kosher dog brands were particularly strong last year. But the rate of sales of kosher wieners has more than doubled as compared to the other dog categories!

So what makes kosher hot dogs ingredients so special?

If you’re familiar with the Bible, particularly the Old Testament, there’s a passage there that specifically instructs the faithful to consume meat that only comes from animals with cloven hooves and that chew their cuds. This means domesticated cattle, sheep, and goats. Farm raised poultry are also acceptable.

You see kosher foods, such as kosher dogs, are prepared in a manner that strictly follows biblical traditions. Did you know that this practice has been going on for more than three thousand years? This is to ensure that only foods that are deemed “fit and proper” are served on the dinner table.

So how are meats and poultry certified as “kosher”?

First, all meat and poultry are subjected to a thorough inspection by the U. S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). Then the meat and poultry are processed according to the rules set by one of several kosher supervising agencies. USDA inspectors and a representative of the one of the kosher supervising agencies oversee the processing in kosher packing plants.

As compared to conventional or non-kosher processing plants, there are significant differences in the processing of meat and poultry products in a kosher plant. For instance, Jewish law requires that livestock such as cattle or sheep shouldn’t be “stunned” before it is slaughtered. Moreover, meat obtained from these animals is koshered by adding salt and rinsed repeatedly to get rid of impurities. The meat is then trimmed of its fats, arteries, and veins.

So what makes a kosher hot dog different from a non-kosher hot dog?

For one, kosher dog ingredients contain high quality cuts of beef or poultry and spices that have been prepared according to Jewish tradition. Second, kosher hot dogs don’t have any pork at all. But kosher franks ingredients must appear on the package label.

So as you enjoy the mouth watering kosher dog, allow me to bid you a greeting that bears with it the hope that the food you’re about to eat becomes a source of an experience that leaves you both satisfied and grateful