USDA Guarantees Kosher and Halal Meat Can Be Organic, Too - OFW Law (2024)

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has assured the kosher and halal meat industries that themeat they produce with the well-known USDA Organic label can clearly qualify as organic, even though kosher and halal slaughter methods follow religious law instead of standard USDA regulations.

The USDA’s statement came in its final version of regulations for organic livestock and poultry practices, published in the Federal Register on January 19, 2017. The regulations, which cover a wide range of organic animal welfare standards, defined “ritual slaughter” for the first time in USDA organic regulations. The regulations expressly permit “ritual slaughter” in organic meat and poultry production. In the preamble to the regulations, the USDA stated, “Organic livestock and handling operations may use ritual slaughter to convert their livestock to meat or poultry without loss of organic status.”

This signaled a final victory for a kosher-halal coalition of Jewish and Muslim groups. Since 2011, they had been pressing the USDA to recognize kosher and halal practices in the National Organic Program.

USDA regulations, both for organic and non-organic meat, can require animals to be stunned before slaughter, while kosher and halal procedures prohibit stunning. Slaughter practices commanded by religion are exempt from the main Federal laws for meat and poultry production. However, in 1990, Congress created the USDA National Organic Program. The new program did not address slaughter methods directly, so there was no similar exemption put in place at that time for religious slaughter of organic animals. The issue arose in 2010, when the USDA first considered adopting slaughter standards expressly for organic meat and poultry.

Kosher and halal organizations took action to make sure religious slaughter would be respected in any new USDA organic standards. In 2011, three leading certification groups, Star-K (kosher), IFANCA, the Islamic Food and Nutrition Council of America (halal), and ISA, Islamic Services of America (halal), joined in calling for a religious exemption so that under the new standards organic meat and poultry could be labeled kosher or halal as well. Rabbi Moshe Schuchman represented Star-K. Representing the halal groups were Dr. Muhammad Munir Chaudry, president of IFANCA, and Paul Musa Habhab, ISA’s director at the time. The kosher-halal coalition was assisted by Cornell University Professor Joe Regenstein, an authority on the kosher and halal industries, and Washington, DC, food lawyer Richard Siegel, whose practice focuses on the USDA organic program.

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USDA Guarantees Kosher and Halal Meat Can Be Organic, Too - OFW Law (2024)

FAQs

USDA Guarantees Kosher and Halal Meat Can Be Organic, Too - OFW Law? ›

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has assured the kosher and halal meat industries that the meat they produce with the well-known USDA Organic label can clearly qualify as organic, even though kosher and halal slaughter methods follow religious law instead of standard USDA regulations.

Can kosher meat be organic? ›

Generally people are more careful about what they eat now." VNo kosher meat is certified as organic because the ten bodies with the power to certify produce as organic insist that animals for slaughter must be pre-stunned, which is not permitted under the laws of kashrut and shechita.

Can halal meat be organic? ›

Certain products that can be certified organic, such as pork, blood sausage, or wine, could not be certified halal, and certified halal products that contain artificial flavors or colors could not be certified organic.

Can Muslims eat USDA meat? ›

Halal Certified Foods

Some USDA Foods are certified halal, meaning that the product is not only acceptable but has been processed in a facility that maintains the integrity of the halal certification.

What is the difference between halal and kosher meat? ›

The greatest difference between the two is that Halal is the dietary law for Islamic people whereas Kosher is the dietary law for Jewish people. Halal allows the consumption of any edible aquatic animals. However, Kosher forbids the consumption of any aquatic animal that does not have both scales and fins.

Is USDA Organic kosher? ›

The two intersecting trends have given rise to a flourishing new specialty food category, kosher organic, which meets both the strict requirements of Jewish dietary laws and the USDA National Organic Program specifications.

Can meats be organic? ›

Organically labeled meat means that the animal's diet can consist of any grain or forage product as long as those feed items are certified organic. This program is the most strict with the most guidelines, and is governed by the USDA's National Organic Program (NOP).

Is Zabiha halal organic? ›

At Zabiha halal chicken, we ensure to get chicken from farms following the proper diet and healthy chicken-raising techniques. These farms provide organic feed to chickens, including corn kernels, barley, wheat, wheat bran, peanuts, vegetables, quinoa, and different seeds in a balanced proportion.

What is organic halal chicken? ›

Halal organic chicken is free from any artificial hormones or antibiotics, making it a healthier and more nutritious option. It is also lower in fat and calories compared to conventional chicken, making it an ideal choice for those who are health-conscious.

What meat is always halal? ›

This means that most herbivores or cud-chewing animals like cattle, deer, sheep, goats, and antelope are considered halal to consume. Animals hunted by other animals (such as trained birds) are also permitted.

Is USDA meat kosher? ›

According to the USDA, an animal is considered kosher if it is a ruminant (“chews the cud”) and has split or cloven hooves. For red meat, this means only the flesh of deer, antelope, goats, sheep and bovines can be kosher. Chicken, turkey, duck and goose (i.e. not birds of prey) can also be kosher.

Can Muslims eat food slaughtered by Christians? ›

Based on the above, whoever travels to a non-Muslim country where most of those who slaughter meat are Christians or Jews, it is permissible for him to eat their meat, unless he knows that they stun the animals or mention over them the name of someone other than Allaah, as stated above.

Why do Muslims eat halal? ›

Islamic law requires that animals you intend to eat be butchered in a specific way to meet halal standards. Muslims consider halal butchering one of the more humane methods in the meat industry, and it's the only method they accept.

Is it OK for Muslims to eat kosher meat? ›

Kosher meat is the meat that is slaughtered by the Orthodox Jews and doesn't contain alcohol is permissible to eat. However, Muslims should adhere to their dietary laws. A Muslim may choose Kosher food if Halal options are not readily available due to travel, location, or other circ*mstances.

Can Christians eat halal? ›

The Bible tells us who this meat is offered to in 1 Corinthians 10:20. So then, a Christian who is offered meat by his Muslim neighbor and told that it is halal, a) cannot eat it (1 Corinthians 10:28), but b) must decline without giving offence (1 Corinthians 10:32).

Can kosher replace halal? ›

The rules governing kosher meat mean that halal meat cannot be kosher. Many animals that are halal, including horse and shellfish, are likewise not kosher. Moreover, halal does not have a prohibition on meat and dairy. Cross-contamination between the two products remain a possibility in halal kitchens.

Is certified kosher the same as organic? ›

Government Regulations and other Standards in Organic and Kosher Certifications. One significant difference between organic and kosher certifications is that organic certification is ultimately answerable to the USDA and the federal government. There are uniform standards developed by and enforced by Uncle Sam.

Is kosher nutrients organic? ›

Not necessarily- organic just means the plants were grown in a specific way. As long as they remain raw and unprocessed they will be kosher but if they are cooked in an unkosher kitchen or in unkosher appliances then they become unkosher.

Can kosher food be GMO? ›

GMO foods are considered kosher by Orthodox Jewish law. That is to say that there is nothing within the ingredients of certified kosher GMO foods that would make them uniquely not kosher solely based on the Genetically Modified Organisms.

Can kosher salt be organic? ›

Salt is a mineral, not a product of agriculture, and therefore cannot be certified organic. Something could be labeled an organic salt but that would mean that there were other ingredients in the product that were certified organic, but not the salt itself.

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