Government of Canada Supports Kosher Food Sector

Montreal, Quebec, November 4, 2011 - The Government of Canada is helping the kosher food sector to develop enhanced food safety processes. The Honourable Christian Paradis, Minister of Industry and Minister of State (Agriculture) announced an investment of up to $763,650 in support of the Jewish Community Council of Montreal's efforts to strengthen food safety for kosher certified foods.

Kosher foods require a unique set of production and processing requirements and the demand for these foods is growing. During the first phase of the project the Jewish Community Council of Montreal worked with members from the kosher food industry to identify and assess what food safety processes are currently in place that are unique to the kosher food sector. With this groundwork now complete, the Council will move forward with the second phase of developing kosher food safety standards.

The proposed kosher food safety standards will be based on Hazard Analysis of Critical Control Points (HACCP), which minimizes the risk of potential food safety hazards by identifying, monitoring and controlling specific points in the food production process. Once developed, these standards will be available for kosher food organizations across the country to implement on a voluntary basis.

This federal Growing Forward investment is being made through the Canadian Integrated Food Safety Initiative (CIFSI). To find out more about this initiative, please visit www.agr.gc.ca/cifsi.

For more information, media may contact:

Media Relations
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada
Ottawa, Ontario
613-773-7972
1-866-345-7972