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CALPIA Dairy Products Certified Kosher Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America certify CALPIA dairy products and facilities
FOLSOM – On June 28, the Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America, under the supervision of the Kashruth Division of the Orthodox Union, certified California Prison Industry Authority (CALPIA) dairies at Corcoran State Prison and the Deuel Vocational Institution as kosher and certified that CALPIA’s various milk and cream products are kosher. These products will now bear the trademarked “OU” symbol.
CALPIA General Manager Charles L. Pattillo said, “It’s gratifying to achieve such an important certification. CALPIA dairy operations are already known as being good environmental stewards and now the offender participants have the skills and understanding to maintain fully certified kosher facilities and products.”
CALPIA’s two dairies together employ more than 200 offender-participants with more than 1,400 milking cows. CALPIA dairies produce approximately 350,000 gallons of milk for distribution to state institutions per month.
CALPIA’s dairies have previously been awarded the California Dairy Quality Assurance Program’s Environmental Stewardship Certification, an honor given to only 18 percent of dairies.
CALPIA sells its award-winning milk to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (including the Division of Juvenile Justice facilities), State hospitals, and the State’s Veteran’s Home.
CALPIA is a self-financed state entity that provides training and productive work assignments for approximately 7,000 offenders in 24 CDCR institutions in California. CALPIA receives all of its revenue from the sale of the products it manufactures. The recidivism rate among CALPIA CTE participants is 82 percent lower than the general prison population, a success attributed to the job skills and industry certifications obtained by participating in the program.
