BUT WILL THE EMPIRE STRIKE BACK?

May 9, 2004 at 4:46:56p.m.

This weekend,the FORWARD paper carried a news story that Trader Joe on the West Coast has announced that it will no longer stock Empire products. They cited a number of problems with Empire: inconsistent availibility, product that is spoiled, and other complaints. One complaint that caught our eye, however, was the complaint that Empire products are often short weighted. That is to say, the weight listed on the package, and therefore the price you pay, is not accurate. There is a Federal rule that allows for shrinkage in weight without penalty, but it seems that Empire is beyond the Federal limit. Trader Joe announced they can not carry the product. In point of fact, an inspector was forced to remove product from the selling floor, because the weights were so short.

As if kosher chicken were not already sky high, this just adds insult to injury. How does this happen, you ask? The Federal gov’t says that any bird shipped down to zero degrees can be called fresh. Birds that are frozen below zero are called frozen. So how does Empire ship its so-called fresh birds? First they are soaked with water and then put into an ice lined box. The birds fill with water. Over time, the water evaporates and the weight decreases. Apparently, Empire uses so much water that the birds lose too much weight.

All meats and chickens will suffer some evaporation of moisture and thus shrink in weight. That is why the Government sets a standard rate of deviation. Perhaps the owners of Empire, however, need to read the Torah and learn that our weights and measures are required to be honest.

And while they are reading the Torah to find out what they have to do to regain our trust, maybe they can also work on the excess of feathers we pay for!

Finally,check out www.kosherblog.net for a similar take on this issue.

(RJR)