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Canadian Food Inspection Regulations Shutting Down Church Potluck and Bake Sale Fundraisers

TORONTO, December 6, 2004 (LifeSiteNews.com) - More stringent application of Canadian government food inspection guidelines in recent months has forced cancellations of church fundraising potluck dinners and bake sales across the country, according to a December Saturday Night magazine report. The fundraisers are in many cases the only source of funding that keeps some small churches from closing.

The controversy erupted in rural Ontario in June, when an Ontario food inspector shut down a vendor at the 12th annual Rosy Rhubarb Festival in Shedden. A person selling pies was told to desist, because the kitchen where the pies had been baked had not been inspected by the health unit. Witnesses reported the ensuing discussion turned ugly, with pies being hurled at the inspector.

The regulations necessitate that any church event where food is served to the general public has to be prepared in a health-unit approved facility. In other words, private kitchens, because they have not been inspected, are considered potential breeding grounds for disease-producing bacteria. The end to necessary fundraising dinners could spell church closures in many Canadian communities.

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