STAR K TO TRAIN ALL MASHGICHIM IN HACCP CERTIFIED!

STAR
-K Kosher Certification became the first major Kosher certification organization to have its entire Kosher administrative staff become Hazard Analysis & Critical Control Point (HACCP) trained. The, took place on November 18-19, 2014, in STAR-K’s Baltimore headquarters. Participants traveled from as far away as California to take the intense two-day in-house HACCP course, taught by NSF International; they all passed the qualifying exam

“STAR-K Kosher Administrators, who are already visiting plants to set up impeccable Kosher standards, have a distinct advantage when they are proficient in areas of food safety, as well,” explains STAR-K Kosher Certification President Dr. Avrom Pollak. “It is with that in mind that we arranged to have NSF International provide in-house HACCP manager training to our entire staff of Kosher Administrators.”

HACCP, a systematic, scientifically-based approach to food safety, provides a method for identifying significant physical, chemical, and microbiological hazards in the production of food and implementing control measures to prevent, eliminate, or reduce significant hazards to an acceptable level.

“We at STAR-K take food safety very seriously,” notes Dr. Pollak. “Through Rabbinical supervision, we provide joint Kosher/Organic and Kosher/Non-GMO auditing programs in our partnership with Quality Assurance International (QAI), a member of the NSF International family of companies. Similarly, we plan on helping companies produce Kosher products in the safest way possible, in accordance with Federal HACCP regulations, if they so desire.”

“Teaching the group from STAR-K was a terrific experience,” says instructor Greg Komar, NSF International’s Technical Manager for Agriculture in North America. “The participants were very enthusiastic, inquisitive and were very open to learning about how HACCP training is used as a system for safe food production. It was clear they gained new food safety knowledge from the class and found it relevant to their food production experiences and knowledge. Kosher Administrators visit many food production operations for the STAR-K certification program, and with the addition of HACCP training, consumers can now purchase Kosher certified products that include an inspection of fundamental food safety practices which translates into positive consumer benefit.”

STAR-K Director of Special Projects Rabbi Zvi Holland noted, “HACCP training offers Kosher Administrators an inside look at the way the industry is regulated from a perspective other than Kosher. It offers a different perspective on production that is helpful when dealing with Kosher certification. It is another example of the way STAR-K dedicates so many resources to ensure that our Rabbis are not only up to date but ahead of the curve on the ever-changing world of food production.”

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Kudos to the Star-K. This is wonderful news!!