Welcome to Mitzvah Meat, a fledgling source of kosher, ethically raised and slaughtered, grass-fed meat from local New York farms.   We are a meat co-op that will supply the New York Metropolitan area, with sites planned in Riverdale, Westchester, and New Jersey.

The name Mitzvah Meat is a playful approach to a very serious problem facing the Jewish community and our country at large.  The problems are many, including how animals are treated during their life, what they are fed, how it eventually impacts their nutritional value, and how they are treated at the time of their death. 

As a pediatric neurologist, I treat children who are victims of nutritional deficiencies even in the face of unlimited and even excessive food.  Evidence-based studies support the benefits of nutrition in treating many child and adult neurological disorders.  As I’ve educated myself and treated patients in this way, I’ve been awed by the success of an integrative nutritional approach to neurological and behavioral disorders.  It is deeply rewarding to offer patients the option to improve symptoms through treating the underlying problem when they were previously provided only a band-aid through medication. 

In this way, Mitzvah Meat was borne out my desire to provide a source of locally-raised healthy meat for my family and my kosher patients.  My reasons for doing it while working as a full-time physician and parent of three have snowballed, as I’ve learned more about nutrition, locally-raised food, and ethical issues with regard to slaughter.

It has become clear to me that our food dollars are the most powerful way to voice our outrage against the unethical and unhealthy way that our food reaches our dinner tables.