Changes to Kosher meat supply at Eastside Marketplace

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For the last 20 years, Jewish Rhode Islanders have relied on Eastside Marketplace’s weekly visits from a local Kosher butcher. The recent decision by Stop & Shop (Eastside’s parent company) to end those visits sent ripples throughout the local Jewish community, causing a number of our readers to express concern about this change.

Asked to comment, a store representative explained that the costs of weekly butcher visits often outstripped the sales they generated. Instead, Eastside will now offer pre-packed, glatt-Kosher products from Empire Kosher and Meal Mart. The store representative explained that these meats are fresher than the previously supplied flash-frozen items, and that the new arrangement allows the store to provide a greater variety of meat on a daily basis.