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Maple Leaf plant closed for now

STEVE LADURANTAYE

Globe and Mail Update

Latest comment posted at 2:47 PM EST 27/08/08

‘We will not restart the plant until this investigation is complete, and I've signed off on it personally,' CEO says ...Read the full article

This conversation is closed

  1. Allan Eizinas from Canada writes: .
    Why did they clean up and 'sanitize' that plant so quickly? You would assume that they wanted to identify the exact source of the contamination so that preventative meaures or new processes could be developed.

    Now the evidence of the contamination is lost. I am a little suspect of the process.
  2. G M from Canada writes: Wow, it sure didn't take long for someone to try to turn this into a discussion about our involvement in Afghanistan... ...and I thought I had a chance to get in first and explain how this unfortunate circumstance has to do with our government's position on inSite.
  3. Mr Malcontent from Canada writes: Keep the plant closed until they come clean as to when they new it was infected, delayed telling us until they had to, and only after they were found out.
    These guys lied about the problem until it was too late. Michael McCains TV adds were a farse. What a liar
  4. Dr Demento from Canada writes: Allan Eizinas - I agree. It was far more important to understand where this bacterial contamination occurred, than to clean the plant so that it could resume production ASAP. At least it would have been a lesson learned so that it could be avoided in future. Now we are back to square one . . .
  5. Captain Ontario from Canada writes: McGuinty's Ontario government is again asleep at the wheel! Let the food inspectors, all union, to sleep and goof off

    Ontario under Mcguinty = Banana republic (don't eat the bananas!)
  6. R. M. from Regina, Canada writes: I love the headline underneath this story that Canada did not enforce the stricter American (free enterprise folks remember??) standards.....oh so now we will have championing of American policies because it is convenient but before the United States would have been vilified and castigated by these same people for nearly every ill to visit our country and the world.
  7. Michele K from Ottawa, Canada writes: Ooops - don't know what happened there - ignore that last post, which for whatever reason sort of posted itself.

    What my second point was intended to be was re: the interesting language used by McCain, where he said something like he was commiting that the plant would remain closed for now.

    I sure hope that was just part of the continued PR exercise by Maple Leaf, because the implication is that regardless of whether safe or not, that it is ultimately Maple Leaf, and not public health authorities who are by Harper's rules deciding when their plant is in compliance with the health code.

    I sure hope that's not so.
  8. Mr Malcontent from Canada writes: Maple Leaf knew the plant had a listeria problem in July.
    A month before the problem hit the press and people died.
    We need a real investigation into this tragedy and the spin that went with it
  9. Joseph Whistle from Canada writes: I will never eat ham or deli again, unless it's been in an oven real hot, or else a quick microwave would nuke it.
    I wonder if I can have Subway sandwiches nuke the ham for my ham sub...
  10. Misery No one from Angus, Canada writes: I feel sorry for the company they are between a rock and a hard place.

    What to t o with all the recalled food. Give it to the food banks.
  11. Mr Malcontent from Canada writes: Misery No One from Angus

    Give the recalled infected meat to a food bank ?

    Brilliant
  12. Bob F from Canada writes: Misery No one from Angus...

    You should run for PM... Solved Maple Leafs problem and addressed our homelessness problem in one swoop... Awesome!!
  13. Michele K from Ottawa, Canada writes: And my first point, to Captain 'Ontario', the McGuinty-hater, which I guess is forever lost in cyberspace is that I am in doubt of your captainhood, sir/madame, as if you were truly the Captain of Ontario, you would surely know that meat inspections (at least for now - who knows what will happen if Harper gets a 'fresh' mandate?) are a FEDERAL responsibility. So while I know it will pain you deeply to hear it, Captain, your lame attempt to pin this on Mcguinty is just that - lame. But dare I aggrevate you any further with a few other facts? You can thank the Ontario government and its Toronto public health facility for the fact that this listeria problem was ever found out at all, for it was they - the McGuinty-governed public servants - who first suspected a problem, sounded the alert, and definitively tracked the poison to Maple Leaf. You, Captain Ontario, should be thanking your lucky stars that Ontario voters put an end to the Harris government's senseless common sense 'revolution', and that the McGuinty Liberals are now in charge, because had Harris (and his henchmen, like our current federal health minister, Tony Clement) been allowed to continue down their path, it's a pretty sure thing that we would never have learned about the problem until hundreds, if not thousands, were dead.
  14. Mr Malcontent from Canada writes: Bob F
    We shouldn't be too hard on our man from Angus.
    He's in the advanced stages of BSE and needs urgent medical care
  15. Percy from NL from Canada writes: Allan Eizinas from Canada, you have hit the nail on the head with your 3:03 PM post. Actually it appears that the Canadian Food Inspections Agency should have put a lock on the door of the plant the instant this deadly outbreak was traced to this location.

    Might it be that, given what happened to the individual responsible for nuclear safety inspection, a scary culture may indeed be spreading throughout all federal government inspection agencies?

    This appears to have been totally mishandled. Now that we will likely never know the cause of this outbreak, the key question is why it was handled in this way?
  16. Roop Misir from Toronto, Canada writes: Closed for good--like the Sunrise propane outfit where there was the explosion a little while ago?
  17. Jerry g from Canada writes: Self regulation works - look the president took full responsibility. What does that really mean. He won't sign off on the plat opening until everything is cleaned. Is he also accountable for all the death? Or just for cleaning up the plant.

    My bet no-one will be held accountable, as our political leaders are way up north and down south and they lost their voices. Typical cowards. All mouth when nothing is happening, like yesterday and now they are in the shadows. Great leadership they are displaying.
  18. Harold Alan from Victoria from Canada writes:
    What I find astounding is how vulnerable we are to have so much of our food processing done in just one plant.

    Seems to me its time to decentralize our food industry and sacrifice a bit of efficiency for some safety. If one needs to be shut down and cleaned up, others across the country could take up the slack. Maybe thats why it was not cleaned up-- put the whole system down and its profits. Its down now and the losses will be enormous.

    Its the same foolishness as monoculture forests or crops. Diversify!
  19. Michele K from Ottawa, Canada writes: Roop, I've read a couple of people around these parts who have stated that they wouldn't mind if the damn plant had to be burned to the ground in order to put an end to the listeria there, so be it.
  20. Michele K from Ottawa, Canada writes: Sorry - that sounds like I'm suggesting arson or something - what I meant to say was that some feel that if the plant needed to be burned down in order that the listeria be stopped, that this wouldn't bother them any.
  21. J G from Canada writes: The losses and law suits could easily amount to $100 million. I wonnder if the company will survive. Sadly, many innocent people suffered from mild illness to death. What a horrible and sad story for those affected. Imagine if those affected were your family member or close friend etc.
  22. Xiao Ping Deng from Canada writes: No one should be eating this overly processed mystery meat stuff anyway, especially pre-made into sandwiches and sitting forever on the shelf of your local 7-11. Do people think they're invincible?

    My condolences to the families who've lost loved ones. Particularly hard to fathom is why this stuff is being fed to the elderly.
  23. Chris Halford from Ottawa, Canada writes: Captain Ontario - doesn't the CFIA have something to do with this? Why is it a Provincial problem all of a sudden, because the Federal government is Conservative?
  24. Harold Alan from Victoria from Canada writes: JG, I have a daughter who is pregnant and wondering if she has eaten anything from that plant. It could be any of us, and still might be.

    It is tragic for the company, but as I said in my previous post, we need to sacrifice a bit of efficiency for some safety. Besides when was putting all your eggs in one basket efficient over time?
  25. mojo monkee from Canada writes: Well contrast the response from Maple Leaf to Sunrise Propane... the management there hasn't said word. Now there's great corporate responsibility!
  26. Mr Malcontent from Canada writes: Round up all the meat and send it to the guy from Angus.
    I'll chip in some Dijon mustard and buy him a bottle of scotch to wash it down
  27. K Ordos from Canada writes: send the bad meat to China! Give them a taste of tainted food products!
  28. R M from Canada writes: Industry wanted less Red Tape from Govt Regulation and inspection. Now that companies like Maple Leaf are self regulating this is the result. Faster production lines, less sampling, fewer Govt inspections, less down time for maintenance, fewer check's, less sanitation,......the list goes on. Mr McCain should know darn well how to keep a meat plant clean. Food microbiology 101 would help if he doesn't. If you are in the business then you should know the business..
  29. Eric C from Canada writes: The homeless would be proud to hear 'Misery No One from Angus is thinking of them. What a nice gesture, giving them contaminated meat and all... I hope he wasn't serious because that comment had me in stitches. Maybe the MNR should give them roadkill as well.
  30. Chris Halford from Ottawa, Canada writes: Allan Eizinas - what would you have done to pinpoint the cause of the problem and why do you think that Maple Leaf would not have done so if it were feasible? It may indeed not be possible to say for certain what went wrong but I would expect that ML will beef up all their hygiene processes. You must remember that this is hurting their company big time, it is not in their interest to risk having it happen again in the short term. If we suspect that the company didn't take sufficient care to prevent this kind of thing from happening, it follows that we should have better arms-length inspections going on, as provided by the CFIA.
  31. brm 2000 from hogtown, Canada writes: meat processing is safer using many small plants, this spreads the risk. There are lots of European people that smoke and process their own meat, as well as Organic producers. Maple leaf foods gobbled up all of these smaller brands Scneider's etc. and sold the products like they were separate. In reality, they all came from one giant producer. Making your own lunch meat is very simple and easy if you have the time and know how, ask any older Italian person, they have most likely been doing it for years!
  32. Eric C from Canada writes: The CEO has made a bold move here. He is stepping up to the plate taking full responsibility knowing full well that he is hurting his company's chances at defending the multitude of lawsuits that will rain down. Good on them for taking responsibility for this. Most companies would deny deny deny. It is a good strategy to demonstrate to the public that they will clean up their act and that they are accountable for the product they put out. This will help the company's image in the long run.
  33. greg wells from toronto, Canada writes: I understand that sometimes bad things will happen and there isn't much you can do to prevent it. But, this seems extremely preventable. I mean whoever is responsible for shifting the burden of inspection to the company itself and not to some independent regulators must have been foolishly deluding themselves that something like this wouldn't happen. Self-regulation is never a good idea. It leaves the door open for abuse. The best we can ask is for the people in charge to put your best foot forward in maintaining public safety. Sadly, someone failed badly in this regard.
  34. Chris Halford from Ottawa, Canada writes: mojo monkee - Right on! At least ML seems to be making some efforts to address the problem and losing a lot of money in the process, let alone getting hammered on the stock exchange. Sunrise Propane runs the risk to losing its licences altogether since it doesn't seem to worry too much about safety. Having propane storage facilities in residential areas is a quaint concept too - I can only assume that it has been that way for a long time. The Ontario government is going to have to review that unless it's a Federal responsibility.
  35. steve allan from Canada writes: Hollow words from a company that lobbied the federal government to loosen up the inspection regulations.

    And don't believe a word from that TD Newcrest tout - his company was a recent underwriter of Maple Leaf when they did a secondary offering.
  36. Bad Bob from Canada writes: Close the plant down for good and burn it is the only solution that may work as a previous poster has said.

    Mr. McCain lied to the Canadian people when he came on TV god knows how many times saying he was so sorry. Then came out and said the problem started last week.

    We have found out otherwise Mr. McCain. You had that problem in the plant for many many months.

    What are you going to do about it now??
  37. k p from Montreal, Canada writes: 'Making your own lunch meat is very simple and easy if you have the time and know how' With two working spouses, single parents, and the rush to 'convenience' who has the time? One of the driving forces to this kind of product has been that it is generally safer than the home-made product. How many of us know of someone who has made their own beer, only to tell some hilarious story of how the bottles exlode.
  38. Dr Demento from Canada writes: From now on it's Mulroney tainted tuna sandwiches for me . . .
  39. Richard Hawrelak from Sarnia, Canada writes: I'll go along with RM (4:04 pm). Let Mr. McCain address his specific issues. To me, it seems McCain refuses to acknowledge his company pro-active stance to reduce inspection and control costs ... at any costs ... till now ... as the lawyers mount their steeds.
  40. A non-Imus from Canada writes: This is why I am determined to stop buying any food processed in China ever again...Oh, what was that?...Oops...never mind.
  41. SL S from Sask, Canada writes: WOW, quite a few people who don't know the real story or have been busy putting their own spin on it. Amazing. Also hilarious to compare US meats to ours, considering their grade A beef wouldn't even make it in Canada, their standards are almost 3rd world.
  42. Winston Smith from Canada writes: The McCains who own Maple Leaf are pretty powerful clan. Don't expect to see any justice for the victims.
  43. Michele K from Ottawa, Canada writes: Dr Demento wrote: 'From now on it's Mulroney tainted tuna sandwiches for me . . .'

    Oh gosh, Dr. D - that brings me back - I'd almost forgotten about tunagate.

    For you younger folks, back in Mulroney's reign, the Cons decided it would be perfectly OK to can rotten tuna and sell it for human consumption. As I recall, they tried to argue for years (the rot was now preserved in tin, afterall) that it was perfectly fine, and every once in a while there would be an announcement that the tins were now going to market.

    Can't remember how it all turned out in the end, but it's likely that some of those tins are still around - enjoy, Dr. D!
  44. R. M. from Regina, Canada writes: Harold Allan says 'Seems to me its time to decentralize our food industry...: Harold, that would be called a butcher shop or buying direct from the producer. Mind you that likely might cause some inconvenience for you
  45. Joseph Bloggins from Canada writes: And once again, the media ratchets the fears of people beyond all reasonable levels. To put things into perspective, lightning strikes kill or injure an estimated 120 to 190 people each year in Canada. In an average year, ten people die from lightning.

    Too bad the idealogical left (some of whom post here), think that governments are the answer to everything. But then that is the sign of the inability of the left to recognize reality and want to live in their cocoon of false security. What ignorant fools.
  46. Michele K from Ottawa, Canada writes: Joseph Bloggins - relevance?????
  47. Winston Smith from Canada writes: Joseph Bloggins, I don't know how you can compare this purely controllable man-made event with acts of God like lighting strikes.
  48. MC Hammer from London, Canada writes: Wow, the negative sentiment on nearly every topic in these forums never ceases to amaze me and this topic is no different.

    Unfortunately people have gotten sick and died - to thier families, there is little consolation. That is tragic. At least the company is stepping up to make things right, a far cry from other similar situations when other companies would have run for cover by now - and lead with denial and deflection tactics drafted by their lawyers.

    No process is 100%. Homemade food or processed food each have their own risks. Our overall risks here in Canada are conciderably lower than most anywhere else in the world. Perfect - no. Work to do to learn and improve from these situations - yes. Is perfect possible - never.

    By the way - Winston, the McCains are not the only owners of MLF - the Ontario Teachers Pension plan owns more total shares (voting and non-voting) than the McCains. check near the end of the 2007 Annual Report.

    Hopefully they can get to the bottom of it, fix it, and return to an improved situation.
  49. Michele K from Ottawa, Canada writes: I'm kind of negative on people dying unnecessarily, MC Hammer.

    Yes, I admit that.
  50. Sue W from Canada writes: ....this is our accountability....it's ours to fix....we are taking on fully....

    Can't remember the last time I heard those words coming from any of the multitude of our so-called Canadian 'leaders'......
  51. Prairie Duststorm from Edmonton, Canada writes: Winston Smith from Canada writes: Joseph Bloggins, I don't know how you can compare this purely controllable man-made event with acts of God like lighting strikes.

    You can't see it, you can't taste and you can't smell it. You have to test for it. And you can not test every piece of processed meat. For gosh sake this is in the soil, could be in your kitchen. All the government regulations, inspectors and cleaning can't absolutely say it is not there. Just don't eat it.
  52. MC Hammer from London, Canada writes: Michelle, I think it was clear in my comments that the events are tragic, especially to the families. But there is no infallible process. None. and Likely never will be. We you are supplying food to hundreds of thousands of people, there are just too many factors from the farm to the dinner table that prevent 100% perfection.

    Improvement is always possible but blame game is the easy way out. Let's let the experts find the solutions instead of second guessing from the armchair.
  53. jobie weetaluktuk from Canada writes: Dying unnecessarily has nothing to do with it. We all have to go and it doesn't need to be necessary.

    Regarding this matter, I'm disappointed with the following:
    The government: which has not been forthcoming and still comes out to say "nothing."
    The journalists: who have been inadept in following the story. No digging, no initiative. Come on guys.
    Doctors and families. This has been going on for weeks now. The government will not disclose anything until you do and when they find themselves in the defensive position.
    Maple Foods thought the main suspect is much more forthcoming.
  54. Winston Smith from Canada writes: MC Hammer from London, Canada writes: No process is 100%. Homemade food or processed food each have their own risks. Our overall risks here in Canada are conciderably lower than most anywhere else in the world.

    I am sure you would not be so accepting of this 100% preventable man-made disaster if your loved one had died from the listeriosis tainted meats from Maple Leaf. By the way are you employed by Hill & Knowlton?
  55. Randy S from Winnipeg, Canada writes: This whole event is tragic to say the least. The problem is associated with consolidation of the retail system where only 3 large retailers own 80% of the retail grocery market and where the same number control 70% of the food distribution market. To feed the big 3 Loblaws, Sobey's, and Walmart the food manufacturers have consolidated to match their size to both supply their customers and to gain efficiencies so we as Canadians can enjoy some of the cheapest food in the world. What is the price of safe food? Have we dismanteled our local food distribution systems to the point where the only factor consumers, retailers and wholesalers are concerned about is price. And companies are only concered about profit, share price and executive compensation.
    I wonder how many food safety people Mr. MCCain's salary would pay?
  56. MC Hammer from London, Canada writes: Yes Winston, I'd be angry and upset if it was my family - absolutely. But I am also realistic about what is actually possible. I don't have any connection to any of the parties, be that goverment, food industy, media. Just a concerned consumer who is also a Maple Leaf customer....and biding time to see what happens next.

    But slagging the company, the governement and the other parties from an uninfomred position gets everyone nowhere.....

    Anyway, regards to the families, and let's hope for a safe and speedy return to a safe food supply.
  57. Joseph Bloggins from Canada writes: Prairie Duststorm from Edmonton (and others)....you miss the point. Whether natural or not, you have to put risk into perspective and stop running around hysterically. First of all, not all of the deaths or sickness from this pathogen have been linked to Maple Leaf. Second, there are deaths and sickness from this pathogen naturally. To suggest that this was 100% preventable as some have suggested is simple stupidity.

    And as for you clowns who rant about how the almighty government would have/could have prevented this, then maybe you can explain situations like the Clostridium difficile deaths in Quebec and other places...I mean, after all, those facilities are fully government controlled.

    Get a grip and try to put things into perspective rather than running around screaming with your bloody hair on fire.
  58. Voice of Reason from Ottawa, Canada writes: and how many people have died because of this....we are lucky CFIA announced this, without the warning would Maple Leaf have gone out and announced this, or would they have silently pulled the products off the shelfs. We need more inspectors, from a government source, that is not connected with the industry to warn us of problems. Industry policing itself just leads to more deaths.
  59. Joseph Bloggins from Canada writes: Randy S from Winnipeg says (as do all good little Bolsheviks) "And companies are only concered about profit, share price and executive compensation."

    Assuming that is true, then you would think that the best way to increase profit, share price and executive compensation would be to ensure that people are dying due to your product. Take a look at the share price of Maple Leaf.....how are the shares doing? Your logic is simply idiotic.
  60. B M from Edmonton, Canada writes: yeah, interesting comments. I'm pretty confident that if Maple Leaf knew they had contaminated products coming out of their plant a month ago, they would have closed it immediately. It's a food processing plants worse nightmare and one they cannot hide. They distributed all over the country, they know it would just be a matter of time that someone would be affected. The government had not traced it back to that plant until last week. Also, just becuase the McCains are successful financially and a "pretty powerful clan" doesn't mean they lack compassion. Mr McCain seem pretty upset and compassionate. I truly believe they are most concerned and distraught with the people whom are sick or have die due to their contaminated products...not the future of Maple Leaf Foods.
  61. Chris O'Regan from Canada writes: Kudos to McCain for taking responsibility for his actions. We live in an era where no one admits mistakes and are quick to put the blame elsewhere. It is refreshing to see someone stand up and say the buck stops here. Having said that, this does not absolve Maple Leaf of their culpability. The comments disappeared before I could see if anyone answered my question, so permit me to ask the Harper apologists again to explain how the Harper government cannot be held culpable when it was their policy which pulled the CFIA from the floor of this very plant only a few months before. The CFIA tests for Listeria and the levels of Listeria must be very high in order to make people sick. This is negligence on the part of Maple Leaf facilitated by the Harper government. How else can this be explained?
  62. M. R. from Canada writes: “This week, it's our best efforts that failed, not the regulators or the Canadian food safety system,” said Mr. McCain. “I emphasize: this is our accountability and it's ours to fix, which we are taking on fully. We have and we continue to improve on our action plans.”

    What happened Mr. McCain, did Stevie give you a call and tell you to get him off the hook for election time?

    Of course the fault lies with Maple Leaf! I will still feel safer knowing a government inspector is on your Lines instead of in some back office flipping through your reports . . . which obviously don't amount to much.
  63. Chris O'Regan from Canada writes: It is amazing how Conservative supporters who seem to think that they know how business works better than everyone else is so oblivious to what goes on in business. The logic is not idiotic. Allow me to explain:

    Closing a plant, tossing inventory in the garbage and recalling meat that may have been tainted is a huge loss. Even if this is done promptly and voluntarily it will still shake consumer confidence and will likely mean loss of profits for several months. A responsible business owner would do this regardless of the cost. In real life, it does not always work that way. Publicly traded companies are accountable to shareholders who tend to frown upon CEOs that voluntarily throw away profits. This leads many to do some risk analysis. Can we get away with it? If not, can we buy our way out of the problem? Is this cheaper than going public? These are the questions they ask themselves.

    It does not take a genius to see why this sort of risk assessment is practiced, particularly in deregulated and weakly-regulated industries. Take a look at the auto or aviation industry -- how many body bags does it take before action is taken? How many problems are hidden from the public by out-of-court settlements locked down with NDAs?

    This can and does happen. The fact that this problem has come up just months after the Harper government pulled the CFIA inspectors from this very plants floor demonstrates very clearly why strongly regulated industries are necessary, particularly when health and safety are concerned.

    The levels of Listeria to cause this kind of illness and death had to have been high. Did Maple Leaf conduct the tests (CFIA inspectors look for Listeria)? If they found Listeria, did they report it to the CFIA? If they did, were they waiting for the CFIA to tell them to clean up or where they hoping that the agents would be too bogged down reading reports to notice?
  64. J P from Somewhere, Canada writes: That's a good point Chris. Funny how ridiculously ignorant most people can be. To assume that the company knew about the issue a month before, and decided to wait until something happened is the stuff of make believe. Business is in business to stay in business...having people die from your product is not always conducive to your bottom line. Good thing no pets died - otherwise it would REALLY be a full blown crisis. To educate a little: Listeria is one tough microbe. It can infect both from item contamination AND it is an airborne virus. If you swabbed your sink at home, 90% would find Listeria. Bacteria is everywhere folks - cleanliness mitigates issues, but NEVER fully absolves the possibility of contamination - these issues will continue to happen. How it managed to multiply quickly enough to generate the volume required to contaminate is the real question. It is nice for a change that a CEO has actually accepted responsibility - I'm quite sure against his legal team's wishes. BTW, the whole diversify idea is always nice in theory, but short on logic. It is neither physically possible to simply transfer product lines to other plants, nor would any of the safeguards you are decrying be in place to do such a thing - forgetting about how it's not even financially viable. The difference between the Toronto plant and all other Ontario ML plants is simple - the Toronto plant is the only one that handles uncooked product AS WELL AS cooked. ML products from any other plant is as safe as it has always been - depending on your point of view on processed foods.
  65. steve allan from Canada writes: ------J P from Somewhere, Canada writes: To educate a little: Listeria is one tough microbe. It can infect both from item contamination AND it is an airborne virus.---------

    Before you go any further with your educational diatribe, you should know that listeria is not a virus.

    It's back to the books for you, son!
  66. J P from Somewhere, Canada writes: Whoops...touche! Heh heh...must've misplaced that lesson....
  67. Paul who is from Vancouver, Canada writes: .
    Oh yeah, Tunagate.

    In 1985, large quantities of tainted Starkist tuna that Fisheries found had spoiled and was "not fit for human consumption", or even fit for cat food was sold to the public under the order of Progressive Conservative Minister of Fisheries and Oceans John Fraser.

    Fraser was lobbied by the owners of the New Brunswick plant and decided that the tuna should be allowed on store shelves.

    After the story broke on the CBC's Fifth Estate, Fraser tried to defend himself by lamely saying that the inspectors could have made a mistake, but it was too late for him.

    He resigned a few days later.

    Starkist?

    Starkist went from a thirty-nine percent market share to almost zero, and in 1991 pulled out of Canada for good.

    The workers?

    400 employees at the New Brunswick plant were put out of work.

    John Fraser who allowed tainted tuna to be sold?

    Fellow members of Parliament elected him to be the Speaker of the House of Commons in 1986 which he was until he retired in 1993.
  68. Old And Golfing from Ottawa, Canada writes: To Eric C - There is a lot of deluded talk about Self Regulation but the changes being proposed actually are an additional layer of regulation enforced by the government. Putting the onus on a company to enhance their product safety, develop and document their programs and to take responsibility for their own testing in government accredited labs is not self regulation. The govt role changes from doing testing and inspecting for industry to auditing and evaluating to ensure the industry follows their own protocols that must meet or exceed govt requirements. This is not just a trend in Canada, it is becoming a requirement for international trade as it is considered to be far superior to the old govt/grading inspection systems. It is expensive for industry and it is expensive for government, as govt inspectors now require new training and also more evaluators and auditors who have extra technical expertise are required. This initiative has been in the works for many years, but one of the issues with industry that have held things back is that some smaller plants that still want to be involved in inter-provincial trade do not have the expertise or resources to develop and implement the enhanced safety requirements. This is an even bigger problem in Europe where the EU is requiring standardization across their member countries. Your theory that they do it better in Europe or that there are more and safer plants in Europe doen't stand up. There is intense scientific interest on how listeria managed to evade the controls and defeat the MLF system, but Canada still has one of the best and progressive food safety regimes in the world.
  69. Barry Turner from Ottawa, Canada writes: Canadians will soon get to vote for a government that believes in a laissez-faire safety and hygiene regulatory system where nuclear plants and the food industry (mines next?) inspect themselves and pass the goverment "inspector" their written reports for filing. Democracy is the system of government where you get exactly the form of government you deserve. Welcome to Harper's American States of Canada. I want to throw up. It's either listeria or radiation poisoning. Maybe oil patch pollution.
  70. Dr. Bundolo from New Brigden, Canada writes: Doesn't take long to for the opportunist vultures to ooze out of the woodwork to launch a lawsuit to try to win the lottery and extract some blood money. How sleazy and predatory. And to hear their arguments to proceed shows they spent much time on making up the allegations and assumptions on which to base their petitions. Brings out the creative language experts in the law profession every time.
  71. kitty kosmetixxx from Canada writes:
    This whole story sounds gross. Not to mention, they say it can take 70 days to kill you??? What?!? That means anyone who ate this bad meat, could drop dead? Oh, and not to mention, isn't it Halloween in like 70 days?

    Anyways, stuff like 'dirty food places' was bound to happen, I see these things coming all the time.
  72. Paul who is from Vancouver, Canada writes: .
    Tunagate followup (I almost forgot)

    At first John Fraser said that he told Brian Mulroney as soon as it happened and Mulroney agreed as well.

    Almost immediately after, they both recanted and said that Mulroney had not been informed until after the story broke.

    Mulroney told the New York Times that he immediately fired John Fraser when he found out, but he didn't actually fire him until six days after that.
  73. John Ishmael from Brampton ON, Canada writes:

    RELEASE THE MAPLE LEAD PLANT AUDITS AUDITS

    Maple Lead CEO Mike McCain has done a good job of PR and shareholders should be ahppy.

    Most of us, while pleased that MP will not re-open until more inforamtion about the infection is gleaned are surprised that the government would permit such a re-opening - but for the good sense of McCain.

    Maple Lead must release full details of its audits PIOR to the recall the public in a format that is meaningful to both the public and to food scientists.

    Clearly, the Cons move to off load responsibility for Canadians safety to the food industry is an abomination. Are they saving money to fund a war in Muslim Afghanistan?

    This post has been taken down twice.
  74. Bert Russell Paradox, BC from Canada writes:
    This story is so typical of Globe and Mail ..... they take a story where one person was accidentally killed by a taser and fill the paper with unconfirmed information for weeks ... here we have 6 people confirmed dead traced to Maple Leaf Products and 10 other suspect but the reporting dries up .... we have another case where Senator Art Eggleton Aid Meinser been charged with criminal sexual acts, Dions spokeman attended the accused house while the police were acting on a search warrant (according to the Ottawa Citizen) and the Globe and Mail panders to a cover up gag order. When is the Globe and Mail going to get back to credible reporting of facts with unbiased coverage ... or is it all about Advertising sales and Liberal bias.
  75. Prairie Duststorm from Edmonton, Canada writes: Joseph Bloggins from Canada writes: Prairie Duststorm from Edmonton (and others)....you miss the point. Whether natural or not, you have to put risk into perspective and stop running around

    Excuse me, that is what I said. There is no way to guarentee that that any processed meat is free of it.
  76. k p from Montreal, Canada writes: " this 100% preventable man-made disaster" NOT 100%; not now, not ever. 99% may be, 99.9%, but never 100%. Sadly, that means tragedies like this are eventually innevitable.

    For those demanding even tighter inspection, you are driving an even greater consolidation of the supply chain, meaning that they next time it happens, the out break will probably be even bigger, 'cos more people will be supplied froma smaller number of plants.

    In the "good-old days" you would have had a greater incidence of these outbreaks, but each would have been smaller. Sadly, many would have gone unreported or misreported. It would just have been put down to "Ptomaine" poisoning.

    Is it possible that the company was negligent? Of course. Is it possible a disgruntled employee/ inspector deliberately did this, not expecting such a tradic out come? Of course. Is it possible this is just a statistical freak, Of course.
  77. Paul Wallnutz from Canada writes: The Maple Leaf, Shopsys, Schneiders, Bittners, Hickory Farms, Overlander, and Swift brand names (along with several others) have been sullied by this affair.

    I'm sure that the Marketeering 'whizzes' at Maple Leaf corporate are already burning the midnight oil as they brainstorm new names that they can use to slip their products out to the public under the radar.

    Perhaps I can suggest "Grandma’s Smokehouse", "Uncle Hans Sausage", or "Old Time Abattoir" as name brands that would win back the public.

    It used to be that a name brand meant something in terms of reputation for quality. Now these conglomerates just buy up name brands to confuse the public.
  78. Radewulf Entistle from Canada writes: Sick Sigma- Squeeze the maximum amount of work from the minimum number of people in the shortest possible time frame = $$Profit$$
    Both in terms of revenue for the company and bonuses for managers.
    And for those who think the stock is a bad thing - Now the principal share holders McCain Capital and Ont. Teachers Pension Fund will be able to pickup additional shares at a nicely discounted price wait for consumer amnesia to set in (they're a patient bunch) swap some brands
    and bingo its all good. Shades of Montgomery Burns. Excellent.
  79. b e from owen sound, Canada writes: chemicals and preservatives to make the stuff last from one year to the next
    Why the long shelf life ? cut down on the chemicals!!
    if you don't eat it with in 1 -3 weeks you should not have bought it in the first place
    And do they freeze some of the products ?
    at store level they may get thawed and re frooze again
    Stop eating the stuff , they tell you it may get you cancer
    umh did they not say that about smoking , ow we are just eating it

    no more for me , yes i will now loss weight
  80. Bob Robblee from Innisfail, Canada writes: Shareholders expect businesses to minimize costs and maximize profits wherever possible.
    Rules of conduct for business are enacted by governments.
    Between these two objectives, for safety reasons in the food business,
    inspection by an independently suitable agency, is a necessity to prevent outbreaks of this kind.
    Removing inspection costs has costs that far outway the cost of this crisis.
    In all of this, noone has mentioned anything about preventing this at the consumer end. Salmonella and ecoli can be defeated by proper cooking. Is there some prevention measure to avoid listerosis?
  81. Alastair james Berry from NANAIMO BC, Canada writes:
    One of the UK's biggest companies broke up after a disaster rather like this....................

    The Company? The Distillers Company Ltd. (A consortium of about 90% of Scotch whisky producers)

    The Reason? It decided to go into the ETHICAL PHARMACEUTICAL business and develop drugs where future profitability appeared unlimited.

    The Disaster? It produced and promoted Thalidomide - and that drug produced thousands of severely deformed babies.

    The DCL company disappeared.
  82. k p from Montreal, Canada writes: Thalidomide was early 60's; Distillers was aquired by Guiness in the mid 80's

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