When it comes to eating kosher, not all poultry is created equal.
Those who follow the Jewish dietary laws of kashrut eat only "kosher" foods, or foods seen to be pure enough for ritual use. As mass-produced food becomes more processed, finding truly kosher food -- which requires some very specific measures for food preparation -- becomes a more difficult task. Specialized companies such as Empire Kosher, a poultry grower and processor, offer foods that are guaranteed to follow kashrut guidelines.
Company
Positioned as the world's largest kosher poultry processor, Empire Kosher has been around since 1938. Empire produces eggs at its own hatchery, raises its own birds on company-owned farms, and manufactures a proprietary poultry-feed formula at its feed mill. The company delivers its products to chain groceries, supermarkets, butchers, delis and specialty stores across America.
Products
Empire Kosher's offerings fall in four main categories: chilled, frozen, deli and fully cooked poultry products. Chilled offerings include whole chickens and turkeys, while frozen products include a Cornish chicken broiler, whole turkey or chicken breasts, ground turkey, chicken drumettes, chicken thighs, chicken breasts and chicken nuggets. At the deli, Empire offers chicken and turkey franks, bulk skinless turkey breasts and slices of turkey breasts, chicken bologna, turkey salami, turkey bologna and turkey pastrami. It also produces fully cooked barbecue chicken and turkey, as well as rendered chicken fat.
Process
Empire Kosher puts its poultry through a special process to ensure that the food is kosher before it reaches customers. First, the company hand-slaughters, bleeds and de-feathers the birds. It then rinses the meat in cold spring water and salts it to remove blood, improve its taste, make the meat tender and reduce bacteria. As the laws of kashrut require that blood be drained or boiled out of meat and poultry, Empire drains the birds of blood before packaging the product. Each Empire chicken undergoes rabbinical and USDA checks. Empire says the process of koshering takes about three hours per bird.
Other Considerations
According to Empire Kosher's website, the company feeds its poultry a mixture of corn and soy grains, natural vitamins, minerals and fat. The company raises free range poultry, which means the birds forage for natural food and pebbles and are not confined to small cages. Empire does treat birds with antibiotics as necessary but does not use hormones or preservatives to raise poultry. In addition to its main product lineup, Empire offers all-natural, antibiotic-free and organic poultry products.
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