European Council Rejects Kosher Slaughter Warning Label Requirement

JTA yesterday reported that the Council of the European Union has rejected a controversial kosher meat labeling requirement (Amendment 205) that had originally been approved by the European Parliament as part of new food information regulations.  The proposal would have required kosher meat to be labeled "meat from slaughter without stunning." (See prior related posting.) The reversal follows months of lobbying in Brussels by Jewish groups who feared that the pejorative label would cause prices to rise sharply because many non-Jewish purchasers of kosher meat would be deterred by the label. Currently 70% of kosher meat is purchased by non-Jews. The regulation still must come up for a second reading in the European Parliament where the amendment could be reintroduced. (Background on EU legislative process.)