Sustainable Turkey

Here is a nice JCarrot blog about sustainable kosher turkeys for Thanksgiving with a shout out to KOL Foods...

For those who keep kosher, every meal is an opportunity to connect the physical earth with the mystical God. If there is one time a year that all Americans get a taste of this experience, it is the ritualized meal of Thanksgiving. Enter a growing awareness about the savagery of the modern meat industry, an uncomfortable exposure of assumptions about kosher meat, and most of all, a horror of Tofurky, and kosher consumers everywhere are seeking out new options for the holiday.

As recently as a couple of years ago, the availability of kosher turkey bearing the label “organic” or “pasture-raised” or even “natural” was pretty much zero. Now, it’s a land of plenty out there, relatively speaking. While this type of turkey isn’t something that you can find on the shelves of your kosher grocer, you can order them from companies like KOL Foods. With shipping, these companies will send you an 11-12 lb. turkey for $80-100. This is a lot of money, but perhaps not too exorbitant for a special meal that you can truly be grateful for and comfortable eating.
Read more: http://blogs.forward.com/the-jew-and-the-carrot/133194/#ixzz15exEj81U.

The Kosher-vore’s Dilemma: Kosherfest 2010 by Daniel Infeld

If you shop in almost any grocery store in the US, chances are you have bought a product that is certified Kosher. According to Sue Fishkoff’s new “Kosher Nation” “one third to one half of the food for sale in the typical American supermarket is kosher.” This is big business, “$200 billion of the country’s estimated $500 billion in annual food sales is kosher certified.” Kosher food is often perceived to be more pure or cleaner than treyf, yet it seems that there are many parallels between the Kosher and mainstream food industries.

Kosherfest, which is taking place this week in New Jersey, is an annual gathering, highlighting this big business. It is the time a year where Kosher food producers gather to tout their wares to industry professionals, supermarket buyers, chefs, and other food service providers.

In his keynote presentation, Menachem Lubinksy, founder and president of LUBICOM Marketing and Consulting, and co-producer of Kosherfest, claimed that the industry is moving towards offering healthier products. Apparently schmaltz is out, and olive oil is in. Yet, spending a day at Kosherfest made me wonder, is the kosher industry actually trying to produce healthy and sustainable products, or are they just greenwashing (promoting a product as environmentally friendly, when it actually isn’t)? Click here to read more.

Intern Matt's trip to the lamb butcher

Last Tuesday morning my boss, Robert and I went to visit our lamb butcher in Newark, NJ. KOL Foods has to send its meat to be butchered in NJ because there is no USDA certified kosher butchers between Baltimore and Newark. Since KOL Foods’ products cross state lines, they need to be USDA certified. We were there because KOL Foods is start selling lamb by the cut for the first time and we wanted to learn by watching the process, while making sure the butcher understood what we wanted done.  I wasn’t sure what to expect from this butcher after our visit to our chicken processing plant which was completely different than what I expected. Rolling up to the front door of the butcher shop was interesting. It’s in the back streets of Newark almost in a back alley. There wasn’t much of a store front but rather one small door on the corner of the street with little to no signs. Had I been by myself I would have just gone right past it without even thinking. Although all this made it seem like this shop would be somewhat small on the contrary it was very spacious. Walking in Robert and I were greeted by everyone in the office. All the workers were very friendly and professional and it was nice to actually converse with them throughout our stay there as we worked through our order. The head butcher, Irving, was an extremely nice guy. He was very knowledgeable about the business, worked through our order absolutely flawlessly cutting and packaging our lamb exactly as we wanted, and the best part was he was cracking jokes all along the way.  Everyone up in Newark at the shop was friendly and you can tell that they enjoy what they do. Our trip up there was a very pleasant experience and I have to say the lamb we have looks amazing. Both Irving and Robert think so, so I’m sure our customers will be very pleased with it.

Intern Jon's Book Review: Eating Animals by Jonathan Safran Foer

While the average American lives blissfully without a worry of where the meat on his or her plate came from, Jonathan Safran Foer introduces the reader to a harsh reality in his book Eating Animals.  The nostalgic vision of family-farmed raised meat is nearly a dead illusion, as 99% of all meat production is now carried out by the often horrific factory-farming.  Likely recognizing that most Americans prefer to avoid acknowledging this truth, Foer engages the reader into his argument, supplying personal anecdotes of raising his son, fond memories of his grandmother’s cooking, in addition to the experiences of others such as small cattle ranchers who are threatened by corporate agribusinesses. He explains himself as someone who has dispassionately shuffled between vegetarianism and eating meat, and loved to eat meat when it was convenient.  However, through the research he dedicated to writing Eating Animals, he has now fully committed his dietary habits to purely vegetarianism as the easiest way to avoid supporting factory farming.  But his book is not only an argument for vegetarianism but also “an argument for another, wiser animal agriculture and a more honorable omnivory.”  

In other words, Foer is a vegetarian who supports the old fashion style of grass-fed farming.  He contrasts the methods of struggling small family-farmers with the images inside chicken, cow, and hog factory-farms.  For instance, Foer provides mind-numbing statistics such as the 145 marine life species that are killed as bycatch and then thrown back into the sea, for the specific fishing of just tuna; or that all male genetically engineered egg-laying chickens (known as layers), consisting of 250 million a year, are completely destroyed.   He also points out that the kosher meat industry also relies on industrialized factory-farming, and that such cruelty is not limited to treif meat. 

Foer focuses not only on the cruelty in the treatment of the factory-farmed animals, but also the health risks this system poses to us.  For instance, the feces covered confinement is a breeding ground for infectious viruses and bacteria.  Different strains of flu viruses can genetically mix and create drug-resistant hybrids that can and have led to large-scale pandemics.  Foer explains how the USDA and other Governmental regulating agencies are very much controlled by the corporate interests themselves.  For instance, chickens are placed in a water tank bath, after being slaughtered, where fecal-polluted water is absorbed by the meat of the chicken.  This process can be avoided but agribusiness CEOs know that they can sell the heavier water laden meat at a greater price.  Foer also warns the reader of misleading food labels.  For instance, USDA certified “free-range” or “cage-free” poultry or eggs merely means that these chickens came from a factory farm that had a small screen-door that rarely opens, yet these thousands of barn-stuffed chickens are still debeaked, drugged, and cruelly slaughtered.  Foer jokes, “I could keep a flock of hens under my sink and call them free-range.”  

While analyzing both arguments for and against eating meat, Foer considers the family traditions and the comfort that meat gives to carnivores. As a result, Foer truly does succeed in providing a convincing argument for all readers to change how their meat reaches their dinner tables. In doing so, he provides the suspense of a thriller novel with his nighttime break-in into a poultry plant, while certainly not lacking wit and humor that makes reading such a serious topic very easy to swallow.  Overall, Eating Animals is an informative and pleasing read, relevant to meat-eaters and vegetarians/vegans alike.  

Intern Matt's trip to the chicken producer

Paying a visit to the producer that processes and packages KOL Foods’ pastured chickens wasn’t what I expected at all. You walk in the front door and you’re greeted by a receptionist. Waxed tile floors, offices, desks, and the smell could only be described as clean. Heading in I was worried that the smell would be overpowering, or that perhaps the processing wing of the slaughter house would be dark and dirty. On the contrary it was extremely manageable. The workers were very nice and understanding, eager to help ensure our order was complete and correct. The process was very efficient. Workers took shected and kashered whole chickens and made the desired cuts and packaging needed to complete each individual product.

Our processing plant is one of the few kosher poultry processing plants in the country. For our customers, ensuring the poultry from KOL Foods is held to the highest standards of kosher is extremely important. I’m happy to say that as we watched the KOL Foods order being completed from start to finish I saw many Rabbis observing. Every single bag was clamped with a clasp that labels the product as kosher. These bags were then placed in bulk boxes, each of which is sealed extremely tight with plastic bands, bound together with a zip tie labeling each individual box as kosher. All this makes it impossible for their product to be tampered with from the production floor to the super market, or in our case when we ship you your KOL Foods order. 

Intern Jon: KOL Foods Opens a Farmers Market Stand

The sun had only been up for a couple of hours on our drive to the freezer to pick up our stockpile of frozen meats.  Running on excited energy and no sleep, I helped Robert quickly load the car with dry-ice and five coolers containing chicken, beef, and lamb.  Slamming the trunk door shut, we were on our way to set up our stall at the Sunday morning Bethesda Farmers’ Market. Since KOL Foods is the only non-industrial kosher meat producer in the US, and since Farmers’ Markets only sell non-industrial products, our presence at the Farmers’ Market was completely unique. market was completely unique. Also, being there was very new to us. Today’s consumers (kosher or not) go to Farmers’ Markets to know where their meat comes from and to meet its producers. That is precisely what KOL Foods offers! 

Upon arriving at the market, we began unloading the car. The other sellers at the market were overly welcoming. We received some help assembling our tent from the fruit farmers next to us, while other local farmers walked over and introduced themselves. We were made to feel at home as one local farmer assured me, “we may be competing against each other, but we’re all in this together, so if you need anything, don’t hesitate to come by.” Such hospitality didn’t end there. As a welcoming gift, one fellow vendor spoiled me with a delicious homemade apple pie, while another gave me a fresh batch of strawberries. 

We had finished setting up and were ready for the day. I soon found working with frozen food rather refreshing as the temperatures climbed into the high 80s and 90s. The weather became an afterthought, as we were greeted by regular KOL Foods customers who were so excited to finally buy Kol Foods meat in person, and not have to worry about the downsides of online shipping. On multiple occasions we were flattered with, “we came to the Farmers’ Market, just to see you guys.”  That was a treasure to hear.  Half the experience was just connecting with the customers, talking to them about the farms from where we buy our animals, and meeting new people. The entire morning seemed to have gone by rather quickly. I can’t wait to go to the next Farmers’ Market.  Hopefully this time I’ll get more sleep the night before. 

Intern Matt's Book Review: The Omnivore's Dilemma

The Omnivore’s Dilemma by Michael Pollan is a look into food as we know it. He explores where the food we eat comes from and attempts to answer the age old question of what exactly should we eat? I particularly liked that the author doesn’t criticize what choices people make. The book is written in a way to inform the reader of what exactly goes into producing the food we consume. Pollan leaves it up to the reader to choose what is best for them. There are three main sections to The Omnivore’s Dilemma: Industrial, Pastoral, and Personal. Pollan illustrates each section with a meal or two - fast food eaten in a car (industrial); industrial organic TV dinners and beyond organic chicken and vegetables eaten with family (Pastoral); and a final meal that was hunted and gathered with friends (Personal).

Where exactly does our food comes from? For at least the 90% of food that has been industrialized over the years the answer is quite simple: corn. Unless it is 100% grassfed, the meat that we eat is corn raised; most of our drinks are sweetened with corn; as well as most of our fast food. Beef and lamb were not intended to be raised on corn, yet since we have an over abundance of corn, due to government subsidies and policy, it is much cheaper to have corn raised animals in feed lots. This leads to health issues for the animals, leading to a dependence on antibiotics in agribusiness. By simply raising our animals on grass we can avoid the unethical treatment of animals, creating nasty antibiotic resistant microbes, negative environmental impacts, and poor health for the omnivores who are eating the animals.

A society that is so heavily reliant on corn causes many problems. Americans consume more corn than any other country and also have an alarming obesity rate. Many experts believe this is no coincidence. In a Chicken McNugget from McDonald’s there are 38 ingredients, 13 of which are derived from corn. The burgers have added corn sweetener in them, and the cattle itself was raised on corn to reduce costs. Forty-five out of sixty of McDonald’s products contain corn derivatives. Environmentally, it’s important to know that corn uses more fertilizer than any other crop. At the end of World War 2 the U.S. government had a surplus of ammonium nitrate, previously used in explosives and nerve gas. Now those same nitrates are used as fertilizer and are poisoning the ground water.

Pollan also talks about the industrialization of organic food. Unfortunately, although the organic movement has gained a lot of steam, the producers have begun to adopt a lot of methods used in industrial agribusiness, losing sight of the organic food movement’s anti-industrial roots. I have to say however; with as much popularity as organic food has, it is quite hard to remain non-industrial. Pollan also visits local farms where the crops are harvested and grown non-industrially. These farms are slowly diminishing and it’s getting harder and harder to find food that isn’t industrially produced.

Lastly, the final chapter of Pollan’s book is about personally harvesting food for yourself. He attempts to prepare a meal using ingredients that only he has hunted, gathered, or grown. With some help, he hunts for feral pigs, searches for wild mushrooms and abalone, makes a salad from his garden, bakes bread completely and entirely from scratch, and even cooks desert. Obviously this route is completely impractical in today’s world, but reading about his adventure opened my eyes to exactly what it would take to cook a meal without any industry at all. It’s quite astonishing how much we rely on the industrial food system.

All in all The Omnivore’s Dilemma is a wonderful book that I would highly recommend. The information I gave in this review only touches the surface of how far Pollan goes to expose what exactly we as humans consume. It’s a fascinating read that should be considered required material for anyone interested in what exactly is on their plate.

Intern Jon: A Trip to Our Poultry Farm

On Tuesday afternoon, Devora and Robert took Matt (the other intern) and I (Jon Cohen) on a field trip up to Lancaster, Pennsylvania to visit the Amish farms where KOL Foods buys its chickens. Both farms were so lovely; embodying a lifestyle that was so simple and so serene. The first farmer, Farmer Amos, showed us his free range chickens. The chicks are kept inside an enclosed area, known as a brooder, to be kept warm and safe while they are babies.  Once they are a few weeks old, they move to an open field under the protection of a donkey, to roam free as they please. On the second farm, we met Farmer David, who showed us his chickens and produce. The chickens are kept in large, moveable, fenced-in pens that lay out on the pasture, so that the chickens can eat grass and grain. The fenced-in area protects the chickens from being attacked by predators such as a foxes or hawks. There is plenty of room for the chickens to roam around, and they appear to enjoy themselves, especially compared to the Tyson and Purdue chickens found in PETA videos.

What struck me was that despite the fact Farmer Amos and Farmer David and I grew up with very different backgrounds and cultures, the three of us share something common, something that is very important to both of us. We all care very deeply about how our food is raised and processed.  Farmer Amos expressed his disgust for the stories he heard of factory farmed chickens from a Purdue plant. Similarly, Farmer David mentioned how he couldn’t imagine using the same tactics as the larger agribusinesses. When it came to growing his produce, David described how he conserves water through the use of drip irrigation because his water supply is limited to the water he pumps from the nearby creek. Also, he said he wouldn’t trust factory- farmed meat, “you don’t know what’s in it.” David, Amos, and I share a love for the environment even though their connection to the environment is very different from mine. Their methods of agriculture are necessary for the success and health of their respective farms - whereas for me, there is a disconnect between myself and the impact I place upon the environment from my own lifestyle. It’s clear that Farmer Amos and Farmer David love their animals and love their farm.   I wish I could say the same for many of the agribusinesses in America. 

KOL Foods on NPR's Marketplace

The story is "about two young business-owners — one Muslim and one Jewish (Devora Kimelman-Block of KOL Foods) — who are raising the ethical standards of halal and kosher food."

Click here to hear the story.

Please if you can, write a quick comment and share the story, its important that we give positive feedback when uplifting news items are run. Many people were really touched to see a Jew and Muslim working together.

Cleanliness and Godliness

Here is a great article from Slate which answers the question: "Are kosher and halal meats better for your health or for the planet than regular meat?" I have read many many articles on this subject (I speak on it a lot) and this is the first that doesn't really get anything wrong. It is a complex subject with a lot of baggage and assumptions, but author Nina Shen Rastogi has done her research. It is definitely worth the read.

Health Care Reform - What you can do

I know that this is a bit off topic, but it is so important that it deserves some blog space.


We have about a 50/50 chance of getting comprehensive national health reform, according to friends who are working this issue on the Hill.

Critically important right now is for Democratic Senators and representatives to hear from as many constituents as possible demanding major, comprehensive health reform that covers 30 million uninsured, along the lines already passed by the Senate and the House. Please call, and please pass on this message to as many people as possible. It doesn't matter where they fall on the political spectrum, from progressive to paleolithic. They need to hear from you.

Email is not the way to go right now. Phone calls are taken much more seriously. Here's what's at stake. If Congress passes the Senate bill, with or without modifications, the following will take place:

-30 million or more uninsured will obtain health coverage, according to the Congressional Budget Office. Medicaid will see by far its largest expansion since its creation in 1965. And low-wage, uninsured workers who earn too much to qualify for Medicaid but too little to afford insurance will receive subsidies to help them buy coverage.

• Insurance companies will be barred from discriminating on the basis of health condition or gender. Preexisting conditions will no longer be excluded from coverage.
• The so-called "donut hole" in Medicare coverage of prescription drugs will be cut by slightly more than 50%. Many seniors will no longer be forced to choose between medicine and food. 
• If Congress does not pass some version of the Senate bill, they are likely to enact something small and symbolic. Tens of millions of low-income Americans without coverage would remain denied the basic access to health care that insurance provides. 

The Senate bill is far from perfect. The same is true of the House bill. Each of us could imagine a health reform proposal that we would strongly prefer to any option on the table right now. But what is balanced on the knife's edge in Congress is legislation that would have an enormous and positive impact on tens of millions of people. If it does not pass, it will be a long time before this opportunity comes again, and in the meantime, tremendous suffering will take place, suffering that we can now prevent by taking strong action.

This week will decide the issue. Please do whatever you can to reach out to your Senators and members of Congress and encourage everyone you know to do likewise.


Good luck to us all!

States ban practices that support CAFOs

From the Union of Concerned Scientists...


Several states recently banned specific practices that are common in CAFOs (confined animal feeding operations), taking small steps to level the playing field for more sustainable farms. California outlawed the amputation of dairy cows' tails, and Michigan passed a law phasing out restrictive crates for veal calves and pregnant sows, and tiny "battery" cages for egg-laying chickens, used to pack many animals together in a small space. Arizona, California, Florida, Maine, Colorado, and Oregon had previously acted to ban crates and battery cages, which, along with tail docking, are unnecessary practices that serve only to make large, polluting CAFOs viable. Meanwhile, examples abound of farmers successfully working with nature rather than against it to produce animal products without the problems associated with CAFOs. Listen to this recent National Public Radio story about one Ohio dairyman's efforts to transform the industry and produce fresher, more flavorful milk from cows on pasture.

Cargill in trouble again

Fresno-based Beef Packers, Inc (owned by Cargill) had a huge recall this summer due to tainted meat and amazingly, it is still selling to the governmental school lunch program! For the second time in a year, the company recalled thousands of pounds of ground beef that were contaminated by antibiotic-resistant Salmonella bacteria. It recalled 826,000 pounds of beef last summer after people in 11 states grew ill and now is recalling 23,000 pounds linked to a new outbreak. The Salmonella contaminating the beef was resistant to multiple antibiotics, including cephalosporins, which are very valuable in human medicine.Read more about the recall from USA Today.

Work for KOL Foods! Sales and Operations Manager

KOL Foods, LLC puts kosher meat and ethics on the same plate so consumers can feel good about the meat they eat. KOL Foods sources and sells grass-fed, non-industrial, healthy lamb and beef and pastured poultry directly to individuals. Since its foundation in 2007, the interest in KOL Foods’ products has grown rapidly, and, consequently, they are now available in the East Coast and the Midwest primarily through our website. As demand is increasing KOL Foods is seeking to expand in the Eastern United States and, in the near future, nationwide.

KOL Foods is unique as it operates differently from industrial kosher meat businesses. As a values-based business, our mission is to produce food that is in harmony with nature, neighbors and tradition – all the way from farm to fork. For further information on KOL Foods, please go to: www.kolfoods.com .

KOL Foods is seeking a dynamic, results-oriented Sales and Operations Manager who will be responsible for leading sales, customer service and fulfillment as well as supply chain management. This exciting opportunity requires a generalist with experience in hands-on business development in the food industry. The Sales and Operations Manager will report to the CEO/Founder.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Deliver sales of our premium products by confidently, enthusiastically and passionately educating current and prospective clients about the exceptional value of our beef, lamb and poultry products.
• Manage the day-to-day operations including movement of goods into and out of production facilities as well as shipping operations.
• Drive sales through exceptional customer service from initial contact through repeat orders.
• Develop a database of qualified leads through referrals, B2B direct sales, direct mail, email, networking, and participation in educational events.
• In partnership with the CEO/Founder, play a key role in the development of KOL Foods’ long-term growth strategy, including strengthening our infrastructure and product excellence.
• Monitor production facilities and agencies to ensure that they efficiently and consistently provide needed services while staying within budgetary limits.
• Partner with the CEO/Founder and Bookkeeper to develop and implement a system to conduct data-based, continual analysis, evaluation and reporting of strategic information (revenue, product mix, margins, inventory, freight cost, cost of production facilities, and supply).
• Partner with the CEO/Founder to develop product marketing strategies including advertising campaigns.
• Lead the implementation of the marketing strategy and sales promotions based on knowledge of KOL Foods’ competitive advantage, market and product characteristics, and cost and markup factors.
• Partner with the CEO/Founder to manage pricing models, balancing exceptional quality, costs, and customer satisfaction.
• Supervise interns when needed.

KEY REQUIREMENTS:

• Bachelor’s Degree
• 3-5 years of sales and operations experience.
• Food industry experience preferred. Experience with kosher food products a plus.
• A strong track record of successful new business development.
• Outstanding interpersonal and influencing skills.
• Customer focused, responsive, timely and accurate in follow-through.
• Excellent in project management.
• Analytical, fast learning with excellent judgment.
• Knowledge of social media platforms.
• Well organized, flexible, hands-on and results-oriented.
• Knowledgeable of the sustainable food movement.
• High integrity.
• Outstanding ability to prioritize and handle multiple projects simultaneously.
• Understanding of kashrut.
• Outstanding proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite with special emphasis on Word and Excel.
• Residing in the Washington/Baltimore area is preferred. NYC residents will be considered.
• Willingness to travel - estimated 10-20%.

There are many great benefits to a career at KOL Foods. As a start-up company with proven growth, a strong brand and high potential, KOL Foods offers a competitive salary and benefits, including an annual bonus. Join the team of our excellent, values based, growth company. Feel good about your work and become part of our success.

Qualified candidates are encouraged to apply by submitting a cover letter, including salary requirements, and resume to: info@kolfoods.com. KOL Foods requires background checks, computer literacy tests, and writing samples for this position.

KOL Foods is an equal opportunity employer.

A cow's life doesn't matter, only its death?

Jennie Yabroff of Newsweek just wrote an article called "No More Sacred Cows" about  vegetarians who are now eating grass-fed meat without guilt.

Yabroff, however, seems to think that the manner in which a cow lives doesn’t matter. How could a cow living in a feedlot, standing or laying in sewage all day, and eating a feed that makes it sick be the same as a grass-fed cow living its life doing what cows have always done? A cow that is treated as a cog in a machine vs. a cow that is living a cow’s life. The manner in which an animal lives does not become irrelevant because it is finally slaughtered. I sell kosher, grass-fed beef, lamb and poultry because animal’s lives (as well as the environment and my health – also much better grass-fed) are huge, important factors in our ethics.  Let’s not belittle a cow’s life and focus only on its death. www.kolfoods.com.