It’s a little harder – and a little more expensive – for some in Cleveland’s Jewish community to keep kosher now that the nation’s biggest processor of kosher beef has closed.
Some area butchers, deli owners and restaurant keepers said finding enough kosher beef has been a challenge since Agriprocessors was raided by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in May.
Agriprocessors, which supplied about 60 percent of the nation’s kosher meat, has since declared bankruptcy, leaving its customers to fend for themselves – and driving up prices as much as 20 percent.
Hardest hit locally has been the Heinen’s supermarket chain, which ran out of kosher beef several months ago.
“We’ve been looking into new suppliers, but we have had no kosher beef for several months,” said John Byrne, general manager at the Pepper Pike Heinen’s on Lander Road. “It has affected us because kosher beef is popular in our store and stores on the East Side.”
Giant Eagle, a Heinen’s competitor, has not been affected, store officials say.
Giant Eagle spokesman Erik Yorke said the supermarket chain switched from Agriprocessors to Alle Packing in Minneapolis about 18 months ago.
Lenny Glazer, owner of Contempo Cuisine and Catering in University Heights, said he has had no trouble securing kosher meats.
“I get my meat locally and from other suppliers and so far I have not had a problem,” he said. “The prices have gone up 10 to 15 percent, but the meat has been coming in.”
Glazer is more confident than the man who supplies him with his kosher beef, Tibor Rosenberg, owner of Tibor’s Meats.
Rosenberg is thankful that he always split his meat orders between Agriprocessors and Alle Packing. When the trouble started, he just increased his orders from Alle.
But so did everyone else.
“We’re getting our meat, but it is hard for Alle to keep up since they now have so many orders to fill,” Rosenberg said. “The price has gone up 15 cents per pound and it’s hard to get in all we need. We’re hoping things will improve as Alle gets more coordinated.”
(Source: Cleveland.com)
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8 Responses
The price has gone up 15 cents per pound and it’s hard to get in all we need. We’re hoping things will improve as Alle gets more coordinated.”
if the price went up.15 cents a LB why are the stores charging a few dollars extra per lb?
What a good question…
I am a restaurant and my prices on beef went up 1.25 a lb. I think .15c is a typo.
“Cleveland Jewish Community Deals With Meat Shortage”
WHAT A MISLEADING TITLE!! None of the frum butcher shops reported are having shortages! Only Heinnens Supermarket and you are saying that the Cleveland Jewish Community is having meat shortages?
15c or 15%? sort it out – this is how rumours start
tzorres in cllal yisroel
Totally untrue. As #4 stated, only the large supermarkets like Heinens and Giant Eagle that carried case ready beef from Agri are short. The frum butchers are well stocked, maybe higher prices but plenty of meat.
It’s time to start selling non-Glatt meat.