Kosher Meat Prices Continue to Soar

NEW YORK, NY — Prices for kosher meats and poultry are on average 15% higher than they were just before the raid on the Agriprocessors plant on May 12th. While there are still retailers that say that their prices have not risen, they are by far in the minority. The retailers point out that even non-kosher meat and poultry products have gone up by as much as 5%, but nowhere near the increases in the kosher market.

In the Five Towns in New York, customers are likely paying 10% higher, while in Baltimore the increase is closer to 15%. In a survey of retailers around the country, the average increase was 15%, including such markets as Los Angeles, Miami, and Atlanta.

Much of the increases are due to the upheaval created by the federal raid on Agriprocessors on May 12th, which has since replaced many of the workers. The immediate fallout of the raid was a shortage of meat on many supermarket shelves resulting in an almost immediate price increase by competitors. Some sources say that many of the kosher stores have yet to pass on general increases in commodity prices which have resulted in 3% – 5% increases in the price of meat and poultry. Experts expect that the average price increase would reach nearly 20% in advance of the upcoming Jewish holidays.