Idealogian

Stunningly Gruesome

Warning: You may not want to read this if you've just eaten, or plan on doing so anytime soon.

Is Kosher Meat Safer to Eat?

Kosher rules don't permit the use of "downer" cows -- those that are too sick or injured to walk. Until just a few weeks ago, the U.S. Department of Agriculture did allow downer meat but now prohibits it as well. Kosher law also requires that animals be killed by having their throats slit. They are not stunned first.

In the past, cows used for nonkosher beef were sometimes first stunned with an air injection to the head, which can scatter brain tissue into other parts of the carcass. Because the proteins thought to cause mad-cow disease are found in brain and nerve tissue, the USDA recently stopped this practice, too. However, cattle are still typically knocked unconscious with a bolt into the skull, which critics say poses a risk. The USDA disagrees.

Many kosher authorities say the kosher postslaughter inspection process to weed out animals with abnormalities is stricter than that of the federal government, and more animals are rejected. But the USDA says its requirements, though somewhat different, are just as rigorous.

In other words, the article's answer to its title's question is "maybe, but not necessarily."

The strange part, though, is that bit about the "air injection to the head." Wouldn't "scatter[ing] brain tissue into other parts of the carcass" do a bit more than "stun" the animal?

Thanks for the link, Dad!