Canada: A Safe Place to Keep Kosher

By Mark Sanchez, Mitzpeh
Thursday, December 8, 2011


Are you sure what's in that dining hall meat you're eating? Or those McDonald's chicken nuggets you're snacking on? What about that beef that's oozing out of the Taco Bell taco?

Kosher Canadians will soon be absolutely assured of the safety of the meat and poultry they ingest thanks to a grant of up to $764,000 to guarantee the safety of kosher foods in the country. The newly formed Canadian Kosher Food Safety Initiative aims to make sure that kosher meats, from processing to distributing to retailing, are safe to eat.

"Food safety is a priority for this government and for all Canadians," Canadian Minister of Industry Christian Paradis said in a release from Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. "This investment will further increase consumer confidence in the safety of kosher food and help build a more competitive sector."

The grant was announced earlier this month at the Jewish Community Council of Montreal, or the Vaad Ha'ir, which is significant because the Council will play a major role in inspecting the meat and verifying it meets food safety standards.

Rabbi Saul Emanuel, the executive director of the Jewish Community Council of Montreal, felt confident the Council could make a real difference in the safety of kosher foods. "Food safety is now of major concern to all consumers," he said. "As we are certifying and inspecting facilities for the production of kosher foods, we felt that during inspection, we can also ensure that items match up to the basics of health and food safety standards in relation to kosher."

To ensure the meats' quality, Emanuel said that the Council "will be working with members from the kosher food industry to identify food safety requirements unique to the sector and develop enhanced kosher food safety processes." Different kosher brands and agencies will be invited to participate in identifying the food safety requirements, but all participation will be voluntary, he said. 

While kosher foods, not to mention all meats, in Canada are already inspected by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, Emanuel said that the kosher safety standards will be based on the Hazard Analysis of Critical Control Points, which according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's website, addresses the "analysis and control of biological, chemical, and physical hazards from raw material production, procurement and handling, to manufacturing, distribution and consumption of the finished product."

Reactions to the initiative from students at the University of Maryland have been varied. Some applaud Canada's commitment to food safety, while others question why kosher foods are alone in the additional inspections.

"I think it is interesting because I don't think enough people understand why Jewish people eat kosher," junior marketing and supply chain major Greg Spina said. "I think realizing that it had to do with safety and cleanliness is something that the average person would benefit from."

Junior mechanical engineering major David Rosen is in favor of additional inspections but wondered why kosher foods only faced added inspections. "I had not heard about this, but I think that they should not limit themselves to the kosher market, but include food in general."

Rosen added that he does not keep kosher, but said that he eats kosher foods often. Junior journalism and government and politics major Chris Leyden wonders whether the initiative is vital enough to warrant its $764,000 grant.

"I'm no expert on the Canadian economy, but I can tell you that if this were the United States, I think people would be a little upset because they feel the government should be spending on more important issues," Leyden said.

"The additional spending [on food safety] seems unnecessary," he added. "I think if there were a massive amount of people getting sick on kosher foods we would have heard about it here in the U.S."

Senior math major Ana Matos, frustrated with dining hall foods, is very much in favor of any additional inspections on meats anywhere. "I probably wouldn't get any beef or any fish from the dining hall," she said. "It's always better to be safe than sorry – whether in Canada or the U.S."