Kosher And Halal Meat Can No Longer Be Labeled Organic In The EU
Image by iStock
The European Union’s highest court just ruled that halal and kosher meat cannot be labeled organic if the animal involved has not been stunned before death.
The judge’s ruling states that products marked with the official EU organic label must have been farmed with the highest standards in farming welfare. Religious slaughter, which for kosher meats involves using a sharp knife to swiftly slice open an animal’s trachea and esophagus in a motion designed to be as painless as possible for the animals, is no longer able to be considered organic. Both the Quran and the Torah stipulate that the animal must be in as little pain as possible.
For products to receive the organic symbol on their packaging in the EU, they have to fit several specifications: no GMOs, no chemical pesticides and synthetic fertilizers, severely restricted use of antibiotics and crops that must be rotated. In a government survey, 72% of EU dwellers revealed that they believe food with the organic label to be of better quality and 70% they were safer to consume.
The next and final decision on whether European kosher food can ever be organic will go up to the Court of Appeal in Versailles, France.
Shira Feder is a writer. She’s at [email protected] and @shirafeder
This is a moment of great uncertainty. Here’s what you can do about it.
We hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, we’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s independent Jewish news this Passover. All donations are being matched by the Forward Board - up to $100,000.
This is a moment of great uncertainty for the news media, for the Jewish people, and for our sacred democracy. It is a time of confusion and declining trust in public institutions. An era in which we need humans to report facts, conduct investigations that hold power to account, tell stories that matter and share honest discourse on all that divides us.
With no paywall or subscriptions, the Forward is entirely supported by readers like you. Every dollar you give this Passover is invested in the future of the Forward — and telling the American Jewish story fully and fairly.
The Forward doesn’t rely on funding from institutions like governments or your local Jewish federation. There are thousands of readers like you who give us $18 or $36 or $100 each month or year.
Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
