DISTRIBUTORS & BROKERS Markys gets kosher foie gras
By Lisa Wolff

MIAMI - The U.S. Department of Agriculture has approved the first and only kosher foie gras for import by Markys Caviar here.

French Delice exports kosher foie gras.

Markys Caviar is the exclusive importer in the United States of kosher foie gras by French Delice, Stras-borg, France. The kosher foie gras is manufactured according to traditional southwest French recipes under the supervision of the Kashruth Division of the Orthodox Union. It has a Glatt Kosher label.

They (the rabbis) observe the bird (goose) from the egg to the slaughter, said Mark Zaslavsky, president of Markys Caviar.

The difference between kosher and conventional foie gras lies not only in the Rabbinical supervision of the goose livers production, but also in the removal of the livers blood and veins, said Armand Saraga, president of French Delice. Blood and veins are left intact in conventional foie gras, he said.

The Rabbi slaughters the goose and verifies the absence of disease or undue stress during the force-feeding stage of foie gras production. To give you an idea, the Rabbi selects only 30 percent of the geese he certifies, said Saraga.

The ready-to-serve foie gras is packaged in 5-ounce, 7-ounce and 14.1-ounce blocks and requires refrigeration. It is mailed overnight directly to retailers via FedEx.