Since you asked

Have Confidence

Story by Lynn Haley

Canada’s food inspection system works.

Food safety is like many other things we take for granted—it’s simply not top of mind—at least, it hadn’t been for most Albertans until the discovery of one lone cow infected with BSE last spring. She managed to jolt food safety into news headlines around the world and plunge international trade policy into turmoil. She also prompted more than few of us to wonder if just maybe, food safety is something we should be paying closer attention to.

The Reality Is - There's A Cast of Thousands

(literally) paying close attention. In fact, because inspectors, animal health professionals and scientists were on the case, that famous cow never made it into the human food chain.And, while it doesn’t mean we’re off the hook personally for practicing safe food, (pardon the pun) it does point to a Canadian food inspection system that works.

Firing On All Cylinders

What is the system? Think of a premium performance vehicle; now picture the engine—a whole set of highly tuned, separate components, each triggering the other, to spark momentum. In Canada, world-class scientists, policy drivers, legislators and inspectors work together to run a complex engine that sets and drives rigorous standards for food safety. The road takes them right from farms to our dinner tables.

The engine is fueled by industry organizations representing farmers and ranchers, food processors, restaurateurs and grocers—food handlers who’ve long since recognized there are no compromises when it comes to public safety. It fires on all cylinders—24/7—making sure Canadians and consumers of Canadian food in other countries are buying products that have been tested for everything from content quality to label claims and even package tampering.

Who's Behind The Steering Wheel?

Canadian food safety starts at the federal Ministry of Health. This office is responsible for establishing policies and standards for the safety and the nutritional quality of any food sold in Canada—that includes food produced domestically or food imported from other countries for sale in Canada.

Health Canada also administers the elements of the Food and Drug Act Canada that impact public health, safety and nutrition. Finally,Health Canada is the check and balance to ensure that the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) is doing its job.

The CFIA Is The Inspections and Enforcement Team

The CFIA enforces the standards set by Health Canada through inspection and enforcement programs at all federally registered establishments (food companies like dairies, meatpacking plants, fisheries, etc.).

They use a preventative system called HACCP (Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points), endorsed by the World Health Organization and recognized internationally, to ensure the cleanliness, safety and bio-security of food products and workers who handle food.

HACCP is a very detailed process that identifies and monitors hazards (physical, chemical, microbiological) at all stages of food production (beginning when raw material comes into processing plants right through to trucking and distribution) and documents the corrective actions needed to eliminate them. HACCP systems are now reaching back to the farm and forward to food retailers (grocery stores).

Canadian meat, fish and seafood companies that export to the United States (or other countries demanding HACCP certification as part of their market entry) must have HACCP recognition. But in reality, any food company that is doing business with major retailers and bigleague distributors has HACCP—it’s become the price of entry into the food distribution system.Many retailers audit the HACCP systems of their suppliers as a matter of course.

The CFIA has the right to enforce compliance to Health Canada standards through product recalls and other powerful legislative measures. “Other countries audit Canada’s food safety inspection system to see if we meet their criteria,” notes Phil Amundson, Executive Director, Western Operations, CFIA. “Our largest trading partner, the United States, performs regular audits as a course of business.We are committed to meeting international standards so Canadian products can move freely, and with integrity in other countries.”

Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada Spearheads Science

Food safety is a dynamic science—one that takes people, technology and resources to keep pushing the engine’s performance standards. Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, in research stations dotted across the country, and through partnerships with universities, colleges and industry, takes the lead role on Canada’s food science frontier. They’re also the key liaison with other countries sharing new technology and collaborating on international standards developments.

On the Home Front

Here in Alberta, the Food Safety Division (FSD) of Alberta Agriculture Food and Rural Development (AAFRD) monitors food safety along with public health inspectors. Together with meat inspectors and prevention/investigation staff, they are responsible for ensuring Alberta meat, dairy, egg, fish and seafood operations meet provincial standards, which are closely aligned to those of the CFIA. In addition to inspection for food safety standards, FSD has staff who are also responsible for ensuring compliance with a wide range of provincial regulations including standards for livestock diseases, animal medication, eggs and egg production.

The FSD operates laboratories across the province to test for food-borne pathogens and livestock diseases. Because Alberta’s FSD labs are accredited by the International Standards Organization, they are considered to be highly credible by both the CFIA and international inspection agencies.

It was an AFFRD veterinary pathologist at one of the FSD labs that first identified the BSEpositive Alberta cow. Because BSE is a federally reportable disease, the finding was reported the same day to the CFIA. Alberta, like other provinces, works hand in glove with the CFIA to deliver inspection services, coordinate emergency response plans, develop animal health programs and deliver training to industry.

Industry Drives The Food Safety Agenda

Inspection aside, food safety really starts at the farm. In 1997, On Farm Food Safety (OFFS) programs, funded by the federal government and based on HACCP principles, started being developed by farmers across the country. Today, over 33,000 Alberta producers participate in OFFS initiatives and the list is growing.

“Food safety is everyone’s business,” says Paul Hodgman, Assistant General Manager, Alberta Pork. “Producers have embraced a culture of food safety from the get-go. If we deliver HACCP-approved raw products, then the whole system is off to the right start.”

One industry-led initiative that’s attracted global interest is the Canadian Cattle Identification Agency. This is a livestock registry, (regulated by the CFIA) that was established in 2001 to trace all cattle and bison back to their herd of birth. Any animal sold or exported must be marked with a special ear tag or imbedded with an electronic chip that stores information about when and where the animal was born. It means if an animal is identified at a processing plant as showing any sign of disease, it can be traced right back to its original herd.

The cost of the program is substantial and it represents a huge investment in public safety on behalf of the Canadian cattle industry. Producers pay a fee (per head of cattle) to administer the program, and there are heavy fines of up to $2,000 to anyone who removes an ear tag.

The Case of BSE

Many Alberta cattlemen wish the registry had been in place when the BSE-infected cow was born (She was about six years old—older than the registry itself). It would have made the CFIA’s tracking job faster and infinitely more efficient. Going forward, Canadian animals born since 2001 will have detailed records. (The United States does not have a cattle-tracking program in place.)

“We receive calls from animal health practitioners about animals with unusual symptoms,” says Amundson “Our animal health professionals are our eyes and ears, and we always follow up on their observations. In most cases, tests turn out negative. But extreme vigilance on food safety issues is our standard mode of operation.” (Case in point—a sharp-eyed AAFRD meat inspector noted unusual symptoms in the Alberta cow, promptly removed her from the food chain and flagged the carcass for routine BSE testing.)

Post-BSE, the hands are being gripped even tighter on the food safety wheel. Health Canada and the CFIA are implementing new protocols for feed regimes, animal testing and banning consumption of certain bovine animal parts altogether.

In the not-so-distant future, labels on meat trays in the grocery store will store data that can trace a steak right back to the farm where the animal originated and the plant that processed the meat.

No Compromises on Industry's Part

It is the number one concern of any business that handles food. Food-borne illness comes with a nasty set of consequences that can devastate food companies—fast. In addition to the moral responsibility they have for public safety, food companies face the ever-present reality of litigation and loss of customer confidence if products are not handled impeccably.

Canada’s (and Alberta’s) food processing, grocery and food service sectors take their responsibility to heart. Each sector has extensive training and human resource development programs, is embracing HACCP and has rigorous product recall systems in place. Moreover, they work in tandem to ensure the “hand off ” of safe products from one link in the distribution chain to the other.

Bryan Walton is Vice President for the Western Region of the Canadian Council of Grocery Distributors. He also plays a key role in a national body that develops and implements food safety protocols across Canada’s food retail industry. “In many ways, we are the destination point for the food delivery system in Canada,” he says. “Everything—from the farm right through the processing and distribution chain—ends up on our shelves, putting retailers on the front line with the buying public. It’s our job to make sure customers are confident about the safety of products they put in their shopping carts.We do not take chances with public safety.”

Is Confidence Warranted?

So, can we be confident our food is safe? Phil Amundson says yes. “When is comes to food, the health and safety of consumers is the CFIA’s primary concern.”

As for that cow, she’ll never know she triggered international scrutiny of Canada’s food safety engine. Our system passed the acid test —no surprise to those in the food business. But, there’s no resting on any laurels— Canadian industry and government know food safety can never be taken for granted.

How does food stay fresh?

We’ve come a long way since our ancestors preserved food by freezing it in pits and caves. Today, technology makes it possible for us to enjoy foods brought in from other countries and to keep foods fresher, longer. Here are two examples of technologies that have revolutionized food safe preservation.

Modified Atmosphere Packaging (MAP)

Have you ever bought fresh pasta in an airtight sealed package? Chances are, you’ve experienced MAP, a technique that preserves foods using inert gases. It works like this:

MAP removes atmospheric air from a food package and replaces it with a mixture of inert gases like nitrogen and carbon dioxide. The gases literally modify the atmosphere inside the package and inhibit the growth of organisms like moulds, yeast and bacteria, preventing the browning that comes with oxidation and extending shelf life. For example, the fresh lettuce you see inside mixed salad bags can stay fresh and crisp for several days because of MAP technology. Processors and consumers also like the technique because it doesn’t require the addition of any chemicals.

Food Irradiation

While the name of this technology often conjures up images of hospital X-ray machines, food irradiation is a safe process that destroys the germs that cause food-borne illness. The process uses a very specific amount of gamma rays, electronic beams or X-rays. The energy from the rays passes through the food and its packaging killing germs in the process. Once irradiated, food does not become radioactive and nutritional value is not impacted.

The World Health Organization and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations have endorsed the safety of irradiated foods. In Canada, Health Canada is responsible for determining which foods can be irradiated and at what levels. CFIA regulates the labeling and domestic and imported irradiated foods.

Canada’s (and Alberta’s) food processing, grocery and food service sectors take their responsibility to heart. Each sector has extensive training and human resource development programs, is embracing HACCP and has rigorous product recall systems in place. Moreover, they work in tandem to ensure the “hand off” of safe products from one link in the distribution chain to the other.

BSE Basics

The risk of illness (related to BSE) from eating Canadian beef is extremely remote. The majority of Canadian beef comes from animals younger than 22 months of age. The onset of BSE, and its infectivity, does not occur in animals under 30 months of age.

BSE in an infected animal is found in the spinal cord, brain and part of the eye. The meat we buy as consumers comes mainly from the skeletal muscles like steaks, roasts and ground beef. The spinal cord, brain and parts of the eye are not found in skeletal muscles.

BSE is not contagious and there is no evidence that it spreads horizontally (by contact between unrelated adult cattle, or contact between cattle and other species. The risk of transmission from mother to baby is considered to be very low).

The only previous case of BSE diagnosed in Canada was found in 1993 in a purebred cow that was imported from the U.K. The animal, its herd mates and offspring, and all other animals imported from U.K., were destroyed and incinerated. For more information visit beefinfo.org

You can make a difference

When all is said and done, the ultimate responsibility for food safety is placed squarely on our shoulders as consumers. Surprisingly, over 90% of food-borne illnesses occur because of unsafe food-handling practices at home. To keep you and your family safe, follow the four basic principles of food safety:

Clean

• Wash hands, utensils and surfaces with hot soapy water before, during and after preparing foods.
• Sanitize countertops, cutting boards and utensils with mild bleach and water solution.
• Wash all produce thoroughly before eating or cooking. Separate
• Keep raw meats and poultry away from other foods during storage.
• Keep separate cutting boards for raw meats and vegetables.
• Always keep foods covered.

Cook

• Cook food thoroughly—cooking times and temperatures vary for different meats and poultry.
• Prepare foods quickly and serve immediately so foods don't linger at room temperature where bacteria can grow.

Chill

• Refrigerate or freeze perishables, prepared food or leftovers within two hours.
• Make sure the refrigerator is set at 40°F (4°C) and keep the freezer at 0°F (-18°C).

For listing of Web sites where you can learn more about food safe handling, see the Web directory on page 4, or visit www.growingalberta.com.

For questions about food safety in your kitchen, call the Food Safety Info Line (it operates Monday to Friday during regular business hours) at 1-800-892-8333.