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!