OU Kosher CEO Rabbi Moshe Elefant on the plant’s recovery and kosher meat availability ahead of Rosh Hashanah
In July, a massive fire tore through the Agri Star Meat & Poultry plant in Postville, Iowa, one of the largest kosher meat-processing facilities in the U.S. The blaze destroyed approximately 75% of the plant and raised immediate concerns about the supply of kosher meat and poultry less than two months before Rosh Hashanah.
With Yom Tov approaching, we spoke with OU Kosher CEO Rabbi Moshe Elefant about the facility’s recovery, whether consumers should be concerned about shortages, and what the fire could mean for the national kosher meat and poultry supply.
For those who may not realize how significant the Agri Star plant is to the kosher meat supply in the United States, what role does it play, and why has this fire had such a far-reaching impact?
The U.S. is already facing historically tight cattle supplies, which have put pressure on the beef supply and driven prices very high. On top of that, kosher meat production presents its own challenges because it is difficult to find slaughterhouses that are prepared to accommodate kosher slaughter. Against that backdrop, the potential loss of a major facility could have very serious ramifications.
What is the latest on the status of the Agri Star facility? Do you have any sense of when production might resume?
Immediately following the fire , we were much more concerned. Obviously, when you see such a large slaughterhouse severely damaged by fire, it’s very disheartening. Baruch Hashem, no one was hurt, including plant employees and members of the rabbinical staff, and Agri Star was able to get things moving again relatively quickly.
The plant resumed the shechita of poultry last week, and beef this week.
With Rosh Hashanah approaching, what impact do you expect the fire to have on the availability and price of kosher meat and poultry in the coming weeks?
There won’t be a shortage as a result of the fire, since Agri Star has already begun returning to production. Unfortunately, prices tend to rise at this time of year regardless; that has nothing to do with the fire.
You mentioned that there is already a broader challenge surrounding the kosher meat supply in the U.S. What is OU Kosher doing to help prevent potential shortages for kosher consumers?
OU Kosher constantly looks for ways to increase production, and that is something we continue to work on. Fortunately, the situation is not as dire as we initially feared following the fire.
We are trying to get more slaughterhouses to produce kosher meat, but that is easier said than done. Kosher slaughter is complicated, and it is not easy to find plants that are willing and able to accommodate shechita.
What should consumers keep in mind as they shop for Yom Tov, both in terms of planning ahead and ensuring that the meat they purchase comes from a reliable kosher source?
Our foremost concern is always kashrus. Of course, we want consumers to have access to enough quality products at the right price, but ensuring that the meat they purchase meets the highest standards of kashrus comes first.
Consumers need to pay close attention to what they are buying. If you are buying meat at a grocery store and it is no longer in its original packaging from the slaughterhouse, for example, make sure you know who is certifying the repackaging and that it was done under reliable kosher supervision. You want to know that the meat has been properly supervised from the point of slaughter to the point of purchase.
And, of course, we wish everyone a Shana Tova, a happy, healthy, and sweet New Year.