Heather Sokoloff writes in today’s Globe and Mail that "As health-savvy consumers become more concerned about what is in their food, many non-Jews are equating kosher with safety and quality."

Doug begs to differ and wrote last week that "Fancy food does not mean safe food," even when the establishments are certified as kosher.

"The rabbi is more thorough than the guy from the Canadian Food Inspection Agency,"  insists a nut- and dairy-free snack producer in Victoria.

Another processor claims that the four annual surprise inspections by the rabbi to her facility have caused her to "be more careful about plant maintenance and cleanliness than any government [inspection]."

The Orthodox Union, North America’s largest certifier of kosher foods, is now overseeing production at 6,000 facilities in 85 countries around the world. Real or imagined, consumer confidence created by producers’ kosher certifications seem to be great for business.