Jewish community, Malmo officials working to resume kosher meat sales in Swedish city

(JTA) — The City of Malmo in Sweden is working with the local Jewish community to resume the sale of kosher meat there following its suspension for technical and food safety reasons, municipal officials said.

The suspension was ordered Sept. 20 during a municipal inspection at the ICA Kvantum Malmborgs Limhamn shop, which had sold frozen kosher meat per an agreement with the leaders of Malmo’s Jewish community of several hundred people.

“We had to issue an immediate ban against letting the products out on the market,” municipal spokeswoman Linn Johansson told JTA.

Johansson said the inspection revealed that the company Kosher Delikatesser Malmö AB, which according to the city is owned by the Jewish Community of Malmo, “has for several years been selling their meat via” ICA Kvantum despite not being “registered as a food business, which is against food regulations.”

When the company “is not registered, the products are not traceable, which is an absolute demand according to food regulations in Sweden and the whole of EU,” added Johansson, who attributed this need to “food safety regulations.” Subsequently, the city’s departments division of food safety and hygiene suspended the sale of kosher meat at ICA Kvantum, she said.

The meat “is still in the store freezers and nothing has been confiscated or thrown away. We hope they can have their products back in the market soon. The collaboration between us has been good and constructive,” Johansson also said.

In an interview with JTA, a community spokesman confirmed that constructive talks are taking place for a speedy resolution of the issue.

“There was never a food hygiene concern,” he said. “This is a bureaucratic issue that will soon be resolved.”