Kosher chicken wars?

Whole Foods is launching a line of kosher poultry beginning next week, just in time for the start of Rosh Hashanah. The Kosher Valley brand (are they kidding?) comes from Hain Celestial Group and is certified by Rabbi Yechiel Babad and the Orthodox Union rabbinic organization. The other big chains sell kosher chicken as well. From the LAT:

"There is a growing interest in customers requesting kosher poultry simply because they believe the salting process of the poultry adds to the flavor of the meat. The salting process helps the poultry stay moist much like brining," Weening said. Sales of kosher products grew 41% to $12.5 billion in 2008 from 2003, according to market research firm Mintel International in Chicago, driven by a rising number of observant Jews as well as gentiles who perceive the kosher designation as a stamp of quality.