Canada: agriculture committee proposes food-safety overhaul

The House of Commons agriculture committee has produced a report recommending an overhaul of Canada’s food-safety system.

Last year’s Listeria outbreak connected to Maple Leaf Foods deli meats that led to the deaths of 22 people and the recall of hundreds of products was the catalyst for this recommendation. Recommendations include: * Food-safety standards in provincial and federal food plants be harmonized. * The federal government set up an ongoing review of Canada's food-safety standards to ensure up-to-date food safety and processing technologies, and new scientific evidence be included in all risk assessments. * Ottawa review the training and resources CFIA inspectors need to "implement, execute and enforce" all food inspection activities, and make the results of the review public. * Canada work more closely with the United States on food-safety standards. * The CFIA, in cooperation with the food-safety inspectors union, work to provide "accurate, real-time evaluation" of inspectors' resources.

A statement from Toronto-based Maple Leaf indicated support for many of the recommendations. "As a result of our responsibility for the listeria tragedy we had to improve, we did and we will continuously," said Maple Leaf President and CEO Michael McCain. "We have implemented food safety protocols based on global best practices in extensive testing, training and technology. Maple Leaf will continue to take an advocacy role in the pursuit of improved practices across the industry, freely sharing our lessons learned and new approaches to food safety."