Stick a fork in Impossible Pork

In “Why Impossible Pork should not be certified kosher” (October 10) David Zvi Kalman raises interesting questions about how Judaism has dealt with modern technological developments and how kashrut decisions should address innovations such as plant-based meat substitutes.

There is one overriding kashrut issue that urgently demands attention, however, and that is the irreconcilability of contemporary factory farming with the Jewish law banning tza’ar ba’alei chayim (the suffering of living creatures). On today’s factory farms, which supply virtually all the beef, dairy, poultry, and egg products sold in supermarkets, large numbers of animals are maintained cruelly in confined spaces for much of their lives and suffer gruesome treatment, all to maximize the efficiency and profitability of mass food production.

It does not seem that kashrut authorities will soon take tza’ar ba’alei chayim more seriously when granting kosher certificates. In the meantime, how does one avoid eating food that is certified kosher but really isn’t, given the suffering that factory farmed animals must endure? There are two alternatives.

Option one, for those who wish to continue eating meat and dairy products, is to purchase free-range eggs, which are available in most supermarkets, and to shop in selected stores that sell meat and poultry derived from animals that were raised humanely (often on kibbutzim).

Option two is to explore the wide range of protein substitutes now on the market – vegan-friendly products are widely accessible these days, both in supermarkets and in restaurants. This second option has other benefits as well, such as reducing carbon and methane emissions that contribute to climate change, curtailing wasteful water consumption and land use, and reversing many other ill effects of factory farming.

Whether or not you were tempted to try Impossible Pork, these options should be considered by observant and non-observant Jews alike.

BRUCE WARSHAVSKY

Modi’in