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Canada fails to track food illnesses, expert says

KAREN HOWLETT

From Saturday's Globe and Mail

Latest comment posted at 3:11 PM EST 30/08/08

‘If we can't identify the risk, we can't manage it,' professor warns, urging country to improve surveillance and issue more warnings ...Read the full article

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  1. J Law from Canada writes: The Globe and Mail and their experts !!!
  2. Winston Smith from Canada writes: We Canadians pay a lot of taxes to ensure food safety among other things but there seems to be little to show for. Until there is some accountability things will not change.
  3. Gossipy Busybody from Canada writes: Ah yes... from the team that brought you Walkerton -- all those Harris-era ministers. Now we see they're too busy in Denver trying to pretend they're liberals to ome back home and handle a food crisis properly.
    Bring on the election -- They obviously aren't all that serious about their jobs. Let's throw those bums out.
  4. ImaCANADIAN ! from Canada writes: How about instead of wasting $3.42 million every 24 hours on military operations in Afghanistan ($7.5B over 6 years), some more attention and resources were paid to public food safety in Canada?

    Not only that, in April 2006, this government opposed safety measures aimed at preventing listeria:

    "Specifically, Canada opposed daily inspection visits and the testing of finished products for Listeria monocytogenes.

    Further, the documents show the CFIA agreed to the meat packing and processing industry's request to end a 20-year-old practice of having inspectors issue reports and rankings on facilities. The Canadian Meat Council complained the reports were ending up in the hands of reporters through the Access to Information Act, leading to bad coverage."

    "Ottawa wanted U.S. to accept more lenient meat inspection regime"
    theglobeandmail.com
  5. ImaCANADIAN ! from Canada writes: As well as opposing measures aimed at preventing Listeria:

    August 22, 2008 - Industry leaders call the move dangerous, but the Conservative government is trying to sell a controversial decision to scrap a food-labelling approvals system ...

    The decision to eliminate the Canadian Food Inspection Agency program requiring companies to get all labels approved for meat and processed fruit and vegetable products before they get to market was made quietly last November.

    De Valk, Canadian representative with the North American Meat Processors Association, joins a growing list of industry leaders opposing the move, even as the government tries to sell it as a business-friendly move to "reduce the regulatory burden by eliminating the requirements for mandatory label registration," according to the talking points.

    In the talking points, the agency says ending the label registration program, which is expected to save $87,000 annually, is "in line" with other efforts to "refocus the available resources to ensure a greater level of compliance at distribution or retail level for the investments made."

    The Food Processors of Canada says the decision to cut the program is like "playing Russian roulette with the Canadian public."

    President Christopher Kyte said the label review unit is composed of about eight people who play a vital role in food safety.

    http://www.dose.ca/news/story.html?id=15f9b4f7-1308-4537-84fb-cb6bc888d3a9
    This government cuts an $87,000-a-year public meat-safety program but insists on wasting some $3.42 million every 24 hours for military operations in Afghanistan ($7.5B over 6 years).
  6. diane marie from calgary, Canada writes: J Law:-- The CPC and their ideologues!
  7. Grassroots are the wave of the future from Canada writes: It is amazing how many people think you have a "free market" when we have one person, "corporation", which is not really person that owns many, many companies under it's banner. How can there be competition with yourself???? Can someone explain why the senior homes do not provide real food to the seniors, those who worked and did their part to contribute. How can the bottom line supercede the social issues involved in all this. Who and what polices the not for profits, those, whose, employees demand living wages, benefits and pensions, yet fail to stand for those who are the most vulnerable and who are mandated to help. Remember now, much is privatized,even though people do not think it is. That is the illusion!!!
  8. Phil Gardner from Canada writes: The Globe and Mail reports on August 29, 2008 at 4:37 AM EDT

    "The Canadian Government (the Conservative federal government) strongly opposed tougher U.S. rules to prevent listeria and lobbied the United States to accept Canada's more lenient standards, internal documents reveal. Briefing notes prepared by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency for an April 7, 2006, meeting with the board of directors of the Canadian Meat Council outline how both industry and the Canadian government were frustrated with the increased precautions the United State was demanding.Specifically, the Canadian government opposed daily inspection visits and the testing of finished products for Listeria monocytogenes..."
    This says it all. This Harper Conservative Government has continually said they were concerned with Public Safety. They freely spent Canadian taxpayers' money like drunken sailors to appease the Bush Administaration everytime Bush whined about Canada's perceived Security weaknesses. But at the very same time these Conservatives acted to attempt to cut back on a fundamental Public Safety program like proper food inspection for Canadians. Canadians are not safe with the Harper Conservatives in power.
  9. Phil Gardner from Canada writes: Thankyou to the Globe and Mail for reporting on this serious lack of responsibility on the part of our federal Conservative Government.
    It is shocking !
  10. Vickky Angstrom from Canada writes: Self-regulation is a contradiction in terms.
  11. R. M. from Canada writes: Why a need for warnings...all we need to put on every package of edible material:

    WARNING. THE CONTENTS OF THIS PACKAGE MAY BE HAZARDOUS TO YOUR HEALTH.
  12. Prairie Duststorm from Edmonton, Canada writes:
    This is not a uniquely Canadian problem or industry standard

    FRESNO, Calif. — Consumer advocates and some lawmakers say that a Salinas Valley company's recall of spinach because of a salmonella scare shows that the federal government must do more to protect the nation's food supply, but industry officials call it proof that their voluntary regulations are working.
    Metz Fresh, a King City-based grower and shipper, recalled 8,000 cartons of fresh spinach Wednesday after salmonella was found during a routine test of spinach it was processing for shipment. More than 90 percent of the possibly contaminated cartons never reached stores, company spokesman Greg Larson said.

    California's leafy greens industry adopted the voluntary regulations last year after a fatal E. coli outbreak, but advocates said a national, mandatory inspection and testing program overseen by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is needed.

    "Eight thousand cartons left the plant for distribution in the U.S. That's 8,000 too many," said Jean Halloran, a food safety expert with Consumers Union. "At this point, we are relying on the leafy green industry to police itself."
  13. Lord Cross of Blacks Harbour from BLACKS HARBOUR NB, Canada writes: Phil Gardner from Canada writes: Posted 30/08/08 at 1:17 AM EDT

    Thanks for quoting source material, Phil. This current minority government surreptitiously moves from one intrigue to another, while consciously suppressing all attempts to get at the facts. ** Fortunately, we have a healthy public-aware print media. A number of excellent journalists reside at the Globe & Mail. I do heartily agree with your conclusion, “Canadians are not safe with the Harper Conservatives in power.”

    **    View the Harper sponsored Cadman libel suit, which commenced today.
  14. Bert Russell Paradox, BC from Canada writes: I mentioned that our Provincial Health and Politicians who privately own Senior Housing Care facilities in Ontario should be investigated for not looking after our Seniors who can't look after themselves. Some LiberalWurst (Patent Pending) tried to deflect the problem with our Ontario Food Industry to the Fed Conservatives who basically have just followed the Liberal Plans of deregulation and responsibility of the Food Industry.(who are so busy with recall and plugging whistleblowing that they will not admit there is technology which will prevent). People who are trying to turn this into a Political issue (Media Liberals Investors Owners) should have more respect for those Seniors with weakened systems who have died while trusting their caregivers who feed them cheap deli etc.(which has long been recognized as carrying this killer).
    The Globe and Mail will not go after their rich advertising clients in Toronto who are more worried about their investments.
  15. Bert Russell Paradox, BC from Canada writes:

    The headline says "Canada" failed to track it .... not the FOOD INDUSTRY FAILED TO PREVENT IT.
    Our Medias lack of objective reporting and investigation is showing. Instead they try to make a political deflecting game for their favourites.
  16. Ralph Bishop from Hong Kong writes: Somewhere the point is being missed.
    Meat inspection is not roads or police or monetary policy.
    Its a legimate cost of produciton for this type of meat.
    Effective saftely practices can be implemented by industry if there is
    the incentive to do so. That means criminal responsibilty by the corporation and perphaps even the CFO/CEO who set personel levels
    and responsibilites.

    The cost/punishment of tainted food needs to be put above the point where it pays to take the risk of sloppy internal management of these safety practices.

    Consumers may even find that it becomes more economical to
    buy other types of food products, once the true inspection costs are added at the time of sale, instead of being burried into the general
    income tax, which is not a bad thing either.

    In other words make corporations seriously responsible for their quality practices, instead of letting them playing cat and mouse with government appointed oversears. This will bring about improvements much faster than any other course of action.
  17. Misery No one from Angus, Canada writes: Why can't that recalled meat be zapped. Wot a waste. send it to me I'll eat it. Me n my buddies our immune systems are in great shape, we wash it down with alcohol.
  18. Leon Russell from Gatineau, Qc, Canada writes:
    If they start washing my food with Javex and zapping all the nutrition out of it, I'll go foraging in the backyard for my food, whether the dog's peed there or not.

    A healthy dose of varied bacteria is necessary for a healthy immune system.
  19. John Hertz from Ottawa, Canada writes: The move to let privy industry govern themselves. Another wonderful policy brought to you by your Harper led government.

    Obviously a Harper plan to reduce health care costs by eliminating the old and the sick.

    So I heard Layton talking on the radio this morning saying that Canada would be better with a Layton led NDP government. All we need is to jump from one extreme to the other. And any vote for the NDP gives Harper another chance for getting into power.

    Vote liberal if you want a happy medium.
  20. R M from Ottawa, Canada writes:
    So we've got one branch of gov't (Health - which used to have the responsbility for checking of food safety, as has been reported) checking up on the failings of another gov't department (Agriculture) which is doing an abysmal job and loosening standards (or trying to) continuously)

    Meanwhile, back at 24 Sussex, Stevie is breaking his very recent promise (and law) to only have fixed election dates. Another lie to the public, just like the income trusts, and one which will cost us ALL more $$$, just because he doesn't like his party's prospects much beyond the near term.

    How about working on the real problems, Stevie?
  21. Frank Menippus from Oakville, Canada writes: Few seem to notice the comment within Prof. Holley's article -

    "FOOD BORN BACTERIA ARE A FACT OF LIFE SO IT IS UNREALISTIC FOR CONSUMERS TO EXPECT THAT EVERYTHING THEY EAT IS SAFE."

    Sterile foods are possible if you kill all pathogens but you thereby destroy good, desirable and bad, possibly appearance, including much, if not all taste.

    Also, if you travel this route you will eventually destroy much, if not all, of the body defences built up over aeons. A road we are already going down with our cry for cleanliness in all things. Tourist to India get Delhi Belly, in Mexico, the threat is Montezuma's Revenge our defences have already been lowered. This is not to say the natives of these (and other) countries do not suffer. They do, but generally not with the virulence or frequency that tourist do.

    We can't have it both ways!
  22. garlick toast from Canada writes: It took the spread of BSE for industry to somewhat clean up the animal feed industry,now the problems have moved up the chain to the processing stage.Maybe it's a systemic flaw which results in these outbreaks.
  23. l td from thunder bay, Canada writes: The other problem that has surfaced from the tainted meat problem, is the inability of the medical establishment to handle a new crisis.

    Good luck getting tested for this bacteria if you have the symptoms !!

    Lets patch all these cracks in the system before the next outbreak of whatever by keeping the spotlight on the inspection agencies, the medical preparedness and of course the politicians who give in to the industry monopoly's.

    The inspection agencies have let us down on water and food, so the next big health disaster may well be airborne. More nuclear power plants anyone ?

    On a side note, there are new safer nuclear technologies available now. But you won't hear about it from Canadain officials who are trying to push their old, expensive and more dangerous technology. Google Pebble bed reactors.
  24. Mike Milne from Canada writes: Go Globe go... quick. Dion needs help. An election is coming.

    Hurry. Find something else.
  25. gordon davies from Victoria B.C., Canada writes: Sure for their pocket lining masters, plan to gut inspection services so they can waste those savings on canoe races to be held in a few years.
  26. R. M. from Canada writes: typical of most in these forums who use it as their campaign headquaters........very quick and gleeful to blame and no plan put forward in its place, including costs, logistics or even, heaven forbid, efficacy! These problems are not new; they are systemic.
  27. Prairie Duststorm from Edmonton, Canada writes:

    The US standards are no better than ours this product hit the store shelves and homes even with inspectors.

    WASHINGTON, Aug 14, 2008 - Nebraska Beef, Ltd., an Omaha, Neb., establishment, is clarifying information from and expanding its recall announced on Aug. 8 of primal cuts, subprimal cuts and boxed beef to include such products bearing the company name "Nebraska Beef Ltd" that may be contaminated with E. coli O157:H7, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service announced today.

    The total amount of product subject to recall is approximately 1.36 million pounds.
  28. J Law from Canada writes: "Canoe capsizes and a man was drowned near the source of the Laird River. A Liberal news outlet reports that an expert believes that the federal Conservative government was negligent because they did not have rescue boats within easy reach of this canoe."

    "Tourist bitten by black bear when he wandered into theback country of Banff Park and tried to feed th ebear. A liberal news outlet reports that the federal Conservative government should have known this person was wandering there with food and should have had park rangers strategically stationed to protect this person.

    "Deli food tainted. People with immune-system problems passed away. A liberal press outlet reports an expert as saying the federal Conservative government should have had a food taster in every home to ensure all food was fit for consumption."

    When the federal Conservative government tried to call the liberal press to discuss the costs to impliment these programs the editor instead changed the subject by asking how much was cut from the arts and entertainment programs.

    Ha, the liberal press and their experts.

  29. garlick toast from Canada writes: Mike Milne from Canada writes: Go Globe go... quick. Dion needs help. An election is coming.

    Hurry. Find something else.

    ------------------------------

    So harper's election plans trump canadians' need to be informed about this food problem?
  30. Bad Bob from Canada writes: Although I am not a lover of Americans, they do seem to have a much better system for finding and tracking problems with foods. Instead of us trying to get them to adopt our standards which we are finding out are not at all good we should be adopting their standards.
  31. Prairie Duststorm from Edmonton, Canada writes: John Hertz from Ottawa, Canada writes: The move to let privy industry govern themselves. Another wonderful policy brought to you by your Harper led government.
    Voting Liberal is not going to make a difference this a world wide problem. There needs to be a better way to minimize risk, but the risk is always there. I don't know what the answer is neither does anyone else. There is too many people to feed no one can guarantee it won't happen again no matter who leads the govt don't be so foolish.
  32. Lyn Alg from Canada writes: Michael McCain appears to be shedding crocodile tears for the 12 Canadians who have died and the many others who are ill and those who will be ill or will die during the next several months His profuse apologies and regrets simply 'doesn't cut it'. His company's failure to abide by the food health standards of Canada together with the Conservative Government's lack of inspection of these rogue food companies have lead to this unacceptable outcome. All Canadian's should be outraged at Stephen Harper's cavalier attitude toward the safety of foods sold in Canada. McCain Foods have had a long history of operating their plants in a pigsty environemt - the United States Food Inspection Agency have inspected McCain plants on many occasions before and each time it failed the USDA health standards, thus, McCains were forbidden to sell into the U.S. market. So what does Harper do - he begs the USDA to lower their food inspection standards so that McCains are able to export their food into the U.S. It's frightening to think of the quality of foods being sold by Canadian grocery store. The major part of the blame for this scandal rests with Harper. The federal election couldn't come at a better time. Need I say more?
  33. Prairie Duststorm from Edmonton, Canada writes: Lyn Alg from Canada writes: Michael McCain appears to be shedding crocodile tears for the 12 Canadians who have died and the many others who are ill and those who will be ill or will die during the next several months His profuse apologies and regrets simply 'doesn't

    What are the US standards? How are they better?
  34. Lyn Alg from Canada writes: ..and what does daddy Wallace think of all this, Mikey ..?
  35. P Scott from Canada writes: There won't be any saving going on, our government's too busy ramping up the next election to gain another minority (then why the election?).

    Save yourself -- eat locally, cut back (or eliminate) meat, stay away from processed foods, eat fresh.
  36. North Star from Canada writes: Just a taste of Harper's New Canada!
  37. Backseat Driver from Guelph, Canada writes: Detecting outbreaks of illness through syndromic surveillance should become a mandatory core function of public health - instead of short term pilot projects. Health officials could investigate suspect clusters of illness/injury from patients' chief complaints as they report to hospital emergency rooms. Since Sept 11/2001 several American cities have these systems in place in order provide the quickest possible response to reduce risk and manage public health protection.
  38. Chris Halford from Ottawa, Canada writes: North Star - I wouldn't taste it if I were you! ;-)

    So, the CPC's latest $14.5 million cut to the Arts will fund three or more days in Afghanistan. They're goin to have to get these announcements coming more quickly to keep up.
  39. John Smith from Support ONT Bill 93, Canada writes: Where's Dalton McGuilty? How many of Premier McGuilty's constituents have to die before he make a substantive or sympathetic statement. This is not the time for Dallton to go MIA.
  40. steve allan from Canada writes: -----John Smith from Support ONT Bill 93, Canada writes: Where's Dalton McGuilty? How many of Premier McGuilty's constituents have to die before he make a substantive or sympathetic statement. This is not the time for Dallton to go MIA------

    This has nothing to do with McGuinty or his government, it's strictly a federal matter and your attempt to deflect attention away from the source of this problem isn't fooling anyone.

    I suggest you go read the article where your Tory friends destroyed our food inspection regime!
  41. J Law from Canada writes: John Smith from Support ONT Bill 93, Canada writes: Where's Dalton McGuilty? How many of Premier McGuilty's constituents have to die before he make a substantive or sympathetic statement. This is not the time for Dallton to go MIA.

    John, McGuinty cannot be expected to bother himself in these issues. He has made him name as a sign post pointing to Ottawa with a sign firmly nailed to his chest that reads, "It is their fault!"

    Have you noticed that in both cases where Harris had problems in similar situations, (Ipperwash and Walkerton ) he was there and he took the blame though reluctantly. McGuinty, on the other hand, either screwed it up totally and blamed Ottawa or been totally MIA and hiding out as in this case?
  42. steve allan from Canada writes: Yo Harper, bring on the election, you're gonna get a good old fashioned whoopin'!!
  43. Frank Menippus from Oakville, Canada writes: Most answers to all the carping and ridiculous attempted political assasination in these comments are clearly answered on page A10 in today's Globe: Public Health Agency of Canada, Update on Listeriosis Outbreak. "For most people, the risk posed by listeriosis is very low. Healthy people who are exposed to it are rarely affected by the bacteria."

    As for checks and balances comparing US to Canadian, we know the US is not immune to this kind of scare. Check other first tier countries, as I have done, for checks (and awareness) of food borne pathogens and you will find it is common practice as it is in Canada.
  44. Richard Keefer from Omemee, writes: Food regulation was born in the adulteration and unwholesomeness scandals of the late 19th century and early 1900s. Sad that in pandering to today's robber barons, Harper has turned the clock back that far.

    Upton Sinclair's 1906 novel "The Jungle" was one of the influences spurring modern regulation, with its characters speaking of the various Packinghouse swindles: "... For it was the custom, as they found, whenever meat was so spoiled that it could not be used for anything else, either to can it or else chop it up into sausage." Sausage of the "spoiled-meat industry" then, sliced sausage now.
    "Miracles of chemistry" to take away the odor of spoilage then, deli flavorings for the light meal or lunchbox now.

    Before the era of regulation Harper theo-conservatives rant about as liberalism, milk was watered, coffee was adulterated with charcoal, cocoa with sawdust, olive oil with coconut oil, and sweets with lead acetate ("sugar of lead"). We've seen what happened under Harper's faith-based regulation of pet food, where a dog's life might represent $1,000 to the lawyers. Now it's us who are being taken on a ride back to the jungle, where Harper's theo-cons are free to rob us, funding hate ads in return.

  45. M. R. from Canada writes: "by baking the nuggets at 80C."

    Doesn't 80C equal about 190F? Aren't these frozen nuggets supposed to be baked in the oven, probably at around 350F for probably around 20 minutes. Who thaws and eats them without baking?

    I'm not suggesting that it doesn't matter that he found deadly bacteria in the nuggets, this is terrible.
  46. Backseat Driver from Guelph, Canada writes: M. R., I'm fairly sure he/she meant 80 degrees C internal cooking temperature determined by a probe thermometer to ensure the nugget(s) reach the recommended safe "doneness" temperature.
    You would set your oven higher.
  47. Old And Golfing from Ottawa, Canada writes: This is an age of rapid change, and someone should tell leading expert Dr. Holley that after the SARS outbreak the federal government felt the need to created the Canadian Public Safety Agency, and it is refining a system they call Canadian Integrated Public Health Surveillance (CIPHS) to exchange and consolidate information across Canada, mainly with provincial authorities which have the resopnsibilities for Medical Services. It performs much the same function as FoodNet in the US and it seems to be working. This is a small outbreak that is dispersed through different hospitals and local public health divisions. A few years ago this cluster would never have been identified. This is another example looking in the wrong direction for experts. The real international leading experts on listeria in Canada are with Health Canada. Internationally recognized leaders in the field of food safety and inspection systems are at the Canadian Food Inspection Agency. Newspapers that pander to the alarmists and conspirisy theorists and political fanatics are irresponsible. The old inspection regulations were archaic and needed to be changed and so they were. Those that are referring to self inspection or self regulation don't have a clue what they are talking about and are too lazy or are lacking the technical expertise to try understand. The current required level of food safety is truly impressive, but stuff still happens. Of all the products that were not associated with an illness but MLF recalled anyway there may have been a one in a million chance that they may have caused one illness, but those products could have been included in maybe a half million meals and MLF apparently decided the risk was too high.

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