Law Aims to Boost Kosher Food for Poor

For the first time, the federal government is required to purchase and provide food banks emergency supplies of kosher or halal products.

The void was first revealed in the wake of Superstorm Sandy, which wreaked havoc on the East Coast in the fall of 2012 and led to food shortages for those most in need.

A Jewish philanthropic organization in New York alerted lawmakers to the rising numbers of people coming to its food banks and often finding shelves devoid of kosher offerings. That led to legislation aimed at boosting emergency supplies for food prepared in accordance with Jewish and Muslim dietary rules, and, after some unsuccessful attempts at passage, the measure was tucked into the sweeping federal farm bill signed into law in February.

“This amendment is going to go a long way toward ensuring that folks who are struggling to get by … don’t have to choose between religious beliefs and putting food on the table,” said U.S. Rep. Joe Crowley, a New York Democrat who worked on the measure. “No one should have to make those kinds of decisions.”

Federal agriculture officials now must implement the novel law, which requires them to buy food prepared in accordance with the faiths’ dietary rules but isn’t more expensive than regularly produced food. Then, it must be tracked through the distribution chain and properly labeled to ensure it gets to food bank operators and meets the needs of their clients.

The U.S. Agriculture Department’s challenges include gauging the demand and finding vendors that can supply the appropriate amount of food to keep it cost-neutral.

“These are the factors that affect the feasibility of being able to get foods in the program,” USDA spokeswoman Brooke Hardison said. “This is a process that’s going to take some time.”

Demand for kosher food is high in the New York metropolitan area, and both the New York and Detroit areas are major centers of halal consumption.

The USDA currently buys some kosher and halal foods but not in an organized, regulated fashion. It’s hard to know how soon the full effort can launch or how successful it will be, but a test run that predates the Farm Bill’s passage is underway.

This article appeared in print on page 4 of the April 28th, 2014 edition of Hamodia.