CHK Rabbis Visit Agri Star Meat Plant in Postville, Iowa

By COLlive reporter

A delegation from the Crown Heights Kashrus agency (CHK), led by Member of the Beis Din of Crown Heights Rabbi Yosef Braun, has completed an extensive inspection of the Agri Star Meat & Poultry processor in Postville, Iowa.

He was joined by Rabbi Laibel Greenberg, the CHK’s newly appointed coordinator of meat production supervision, and Rabbi Koppel Zirkind, the permanent CHK representative in the Iowa plant.

The rabbis spent two days in Postville to review and evaluate every facet of the plant’s operation, including beef, poultry and processed meats, looking at every aspect of production, from procedures and policies to personnel.

The visit was coordinated by CHK’s director of Kashrus Rabbi Yosef Kirszenberg, as part of an ongoing process of reviewing and upgrading all aspects of the CHK supervision of restaurants, food production and catering.

“The review will ensure that we have a consistently high level of Kashrus of all products and institutions carrying the CHK,” said Rabbi Kirszenberg.

AgriStar management expressed their wholehearted dedication to achieving these elevated standards. The plant operates under the supervision of the CHK, the OU (Orthodox Union), and Rabbi Menachem Meir Weissmandl – Rav of Nitra Monsey, who coordinate their work to ensure that the standards of each hechsher are adhered to meticulously.

Rabbi Yaakov Spritzer, member of the Vaad Hakashrus, spoke enthusiastically about the new structure that the CHK has developed.

“Rabbi Kirszenberg has made major upgrades in the CHK supervision, working closely with Rabbi Berel Levertov, and the team of mashgichim,” he said.

“Now that we have engaged Rabbi Laibel Greenberg, a key figure who has gained tremendous respect in the word of Kashrus, we have seen this progress encompass all our US shechita operations, and especially AgriStar, whose meat products have been synonymous with CHK for decades. In Rabbi Greenberg’s words, “Our aim is that CHK should be the most mehudar product in the market.”

Rabbi Spritzer expressed his appreciation to the Vaad Hakohol of Crown Heights for their support, as well as fellow members of the Vaad Hakashrus, Rabbis Yosef B. Spielman and Rabbi Michoel Chazan. In addition, he singled out Vaad Hakohol Chairman Zaki Tamir, CHJCC Executive Director Eli Cohen and to Chaim Piekarsky for helping to restructure the Vaad Hakashrus.

“We also would like to give special thanks to the owners of AgriStar, led by Reb Heshy Friedman and Reb Yaakov Labowitz who have shown tremendous dedication over the years to building the Shor Habor and CHK supervised brand and making it available to a broad customer base of institutions and consumers across the country,” said Rabbi Spritzer.

The visit was facilitated by Rabbi Chayim Abrahams of AgriStar and Rabbi Mordechai Weismandel Shlita, the plant’s on-site Kashrus coordinator.