NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- A shortage of kosher meat in Nashville has been exacerbated by an immigration scandal at the country's largest kosher meatpacking plant, officials say.
Keeping kosher in Nashville has been tough in recent months because of rising fuel prices and a national shortage of kosher meat.
Then in May, federal officials arrested almost 400 workers on immigration charges at the Agriprocessors plant in Postville, Iowa. The arrests at the Jewish-owned company have members of some Jewish congregations worried, as well as some butchers.
Peter Swerdlow, president of Griller's Pride, an Atlanta-based kosher butcher that delivers to Nashville, said his company only does business with companies that follow kosher standards and treat their employees well. Once news of the Agriprocessors raid hit, Swerdlow said, his company was bombarded with calls. In response, he sent a letter outlining his company's labor policies to customers.
"In terms of Griller's Pride labor practices," he wrote, "I am proud to state for the record that since our inception in 2004, every one of our staff have been paid and continue to be paid well above the minimum wage and are treated with the respect and dignity that every human being deserves."