Expert: Brenda Martin - 12/28/2005

Question
Thank you for your kind and prompt answer! How do you know it's been properly bled? Do you soak and salt your meat as well? As a Jew who does, I can tell you as a matter of fact that there is a large amount of blood retained in butered meat. Thanks again!

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Followup To
Question -
I know you are very careful to avoid 'eating' blood via blood transfusions. I am curious though what precautions you take against eating it in your food? Thanks for your time!
Answer -
HI there, The only food I avoid is black pudding as it is made with blood,however I have heard some butchers put blood in their sausages, so we are careful there too.

Any animal that has been properly bled is okay to eat.

all the best
Brenda

Answer
Hi there, It is not a problem here in Britain as the food we buy in the shops is properly bled, ie the animal's throat has been cut, as with chickens, pigs etc.

However in some countries it does pose a problem, for instance--

"Many in Greenland enjoy the local food: meat from seals, whales, birds, and other game. However, the Scriptural problem for the Witness is that the game meat has usually not been properly bled. Very few of the Greenlandic brothers are able to get properly bled food, so for long periods they are willing to do without."

A lot of the food we buy here is frozen, so it has to be properly bled before it can be frozen, so we know its safe to eat.

An Israelite hunter who killed an animal would drain its blood. (Compare Deuteronomy 12:15, 16.) If his family could not eat all the meat, he might sell some. Even in a properly bled carcass, a small amount of blood would remain in the meat, but nothing in the Bible suggests that a Jew buying meat needed to go to extremes in getting such facts as the number of minutes between killing and draining, which artery or vein was cut to let the blood flow, and how the animal was hung up and for how long. The bible does not instruct Christians to take extraordinary precautions in this regard, as if they needed ultimate answers before eating any meat.

In many lands today, the law, custom, or religious practice is such that meat products (except for unusual items, such as blood sausage) are from animals that must be drained of blood when slaughtered. Thus, Christians in those areas normally need not be preoccupied with slaughtering or processing methods. In an extended sense, they may simply ‘keep eating commercial meat, making no inquiry,' and they can have a clear conscience that they are abstaining from blood.

Some Christians have occasionally checked the labels on packaged foods, since many governments require that ingredients be listed. And they may choose to do so regularly with any product that they have reason to believe might contain blood. It would be right, of course, to avoid products that listed things such as blood, blood plasma, plasma, globin (or globulin) protein, or hemoglobin (or globin) iron.

However, even as to checking labels or making inquiry of butchers, reasonableness is needed. It is not as if every Christian worldwide must study the labels and ingredients on all packaged food or should interrogate employees at restaurants or food stores. A Christian might first ask himself, ‘Is there any verified evidence that blood and its derivatives are used in normal food products in this area or country?' In most places the answer is no. Hence, many Christians have concluded that they personally will not divert a great deal of time and attention to checking on remote possibilities.

I am happy to answer any more questions you may have.

all the best
Brenda