K A S H R U T . C O M_©

Surge of algae kills millions of salmon in Norway

May 22, 2019 - from Reuters:

"A surge of algae has killed an estimated 8 million salmon at Norwegian fish farms over the past week, wiping out more than half of this year’s expected sales growth."

"The algae, which has spread rapidly around the coast of northern Norway, sticks to the gills of the fish, suffocating them. Wild fish can swim away from the algae belt while farmed fish is trapped. "

Harmful algal blooms happen in warm weather.

"The Directorate of Fisheries said on Tuesday more than 10,000 tonnes of farmed salmon, with a sales price of some 620 million Norwegian crowns ($70 million), had perished, but Seafood Council said the loss would be much greater. "

"None of the large listed salmon farmer such as Mowi or Leroy had were affected, Johnsen said, and were likely to benefit from coming increasing salmon prices in the second half of the year. "

Dutch animal rights party tries again to ban a kosher slaughter method

May 16, 2019 - from JTA:

"Despite opposition by the Dutch constitutional court, the local animal rights party has filed its second bill seeking to ban a kosher slaughter method it considers cruel."

"The bill would ban the slaughter of animals without stunning them first. Jewish religious laws require that animals be conscious when they are slaughtered for their meat to be kosher. Islam has similar rules for the production of halal meat."

"The Party for the Animals filed the bill Monday in the Tweede Kamer, the Dutch lower house, the RTL broadcaster reported. It was after Netherlands’ highest general administrative court issued an unusual warning about the bill, saying it would unreasonably compromise religious freedoms."

"In 2012, the Dutch Senate scrapped a ban, which the party had initiated, on the practice. Submitted by the Party for Freedom, the bill received support from various political parties, including the anti-Islam Party for Freedom. But the Senate voted down the bill, citing reasons similar to those cited by the Council of State."

"Defenders of kosher slaughter say the swift cutting of an animal’s neck is no more cruel or painful than stunning the animal with an electric charge or a bolt driven into its brain. The agreement includes a 40-second limit on the amount of time an animal is allowed to go without stunning after its neck is cut."

Meijer Recalls French Fry Cutters Due to Laceration Hazard

May 16, 2019 - from CPSC :

Grand Gourmet french fry cutters have been recalled because the french fry cutter’s blade can detach, posing a laceration hazard.

This recall involves Grand Gourmet french fry cutters. The stainless steel cutters are silver and have black rubber pads at the base. They come with two interchangeable blades, one with 36 holes for thicker fries and another one with 64 holes for thinner fries. Model number 54078 and
UPC 7-13733-70625-4 are printed on the product packaging.

Consumers should immediately stop using the recalled french fry cutters and return them to any Meijer store for a full refund.

Meijer stores in Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio and Wisconsin from February 2018 through February 2019 for about $20.

Consumer Contact: Meijer at 800-927-8699 anytime or online at www.meijer.com and click on “Product Recalls” for more information.

Countries Banning Kosher Meat Are Forcing ‘Expulsion’ of Jews, Says U.S. Anti-Semitism Envoy

May 15, 2019 from the Newsweek:

"The United States envoy against anti-Semitism has condemned the spread of legislation in Europe that limits the slaughter of animals according to Jewish religious tradition as “disgraceful” and “intolerable,” claiming such laws are forcing the expulsion of Jewish communities."

"Elan Carr, President Donald Trump’s anti-Semitism ambassador, made the comments, also decrying the rise of anti-Semitism around the globe, while speaking at the Conference of European Rabbis in the Belgian city of Antwerp, Monday."

"The Times of Israel reported the conference had specifically chosen Antwerp to bring attention to local legislation enacted in Belgium’s Flemish region banning slaughter according to Jewish religious doctrine."

"The law, enacted in the Flanders region of the Western European nation, has required animals be stunned before they are killed, ostensibly on the grounds of animal welfare. The law is soon to be expanded to a second Belgian province. The rule contradicts both Jewish and Muslim teachings, which require animals to be fully conscious when they are killed."

"Denmark, Switzerland, Sweden, Norway and Iceland have national bans on religious slaughter, citing animal welfare as the impetus behind the legislation. In July last year, a local council in England’s North banned meat from animals that had not been stunned from meals supplied to schools in the area. According to reports in The Guardian at the time, a local Muslim group called the law not only Islamophobic but also anti-Semitic."

News on Plant based meat catagory

• Impossible Foods raises $300 million in latest funding round: May 15, 2019 - from the IFT and Reuters:

  "According to Reuters, Impossible Foods, maker of the plant-based Impossible Burger, has raised $300 million in the latest round of funding ahead of a possible initial public offering (IPO). The fifth equity funding round since its launch in 2011 brings the Impossible Foods’ total raised to more than $750 million and values the startup at $2 billion. By comparison, Beyond Meat had a market capitalization of just under $1.5 billion in its IPO May 2 but now tops $4 billion."
  Impossible Foods launched its first plant-based meat burger, using its key ingredient heme, over two years ago. The Impossible Burger is now sold at more than 7,000 restaurants worldwide including White Castle, Qdoba, Red Robin, and at Disney theme parks. Burger King is currently testing the Impossible Whopper at select U.S. locations and then plans to release it nationally. In addition, Impossible Foods."

• Cargill invests in cultured meat company Aleph Farms: May 15, 2019 - from the IFT and Cargill:

  "Cargill has announced it will invest in Aleph Farms, a cultured meat company focused on growing complex meat varieties like steak. Cargill is participating in a Series A investment round led by VisVires New Protein and joined by several other investors looking to move Aleph Farms’ product from prototype to the commercial marketplace. Aleph Farms grows meat directly from beef cells using a 3D tissue engineering platform. In December 2018, it achieved a world-first by demonstrating it could grow a steak directly from bovine cells."
  "Aleph Farms plans to begin building bio-farms and move toward a limited consumer product launch with steak grown under controlled conditions in three to five years."
  The investment in Aleph Farms builds on Cargill’s other partnerships in alternative protein. In 2017, Cargill was an early investor in Memphis Meats, a company leading the way in development of cultured meat. Cargill also is an investor in plant-based protein through Puris, a firm that has launched a new pea-based protein that is non-GMO, organic, and allergen-friendly."