SASKATOON – Product from CSP Food’s Saskatoon flour mill has been given a clean bill of health following a complaint about insecticide use at the plant.
On Aug. 23, food inspection officers from Agriculture Canada took samples from the mill, which is a division of Saskatchewan Wheat Pool, to measure for chemical residue in flour. The complaint came from an employee who was concerned about the practice of fogging the plant periodically with an insecticide solution containing the chemical Malathion.
A spokesperson for the federal agency, who asked not to be identified, said Aug. 30 the test results indicated there is no problem.
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The three samples tested – two doughnut mixes and one general flour sample – contained traces of Malathion in concentrations ranging from .02 to .04 parts per million, well under the allowable level of two parts per million.
CSP’s quality control managers have discussed their insect prevention program with Agriculture Canada.
“We have another fogging scheduled for Sept. 8 and we’ve asked for direction prior to that if they have any concerns about what we do,” plant manager Wilf McDougall said Aug. 29.
“If they have any concerns, we won’t do it. But it was our understanding up to this point that it was acceptable.”
The plant is not battling an infestation. Rather, spraying is a preventative measure, said Neil Moore, general manager of CSP Foods.
“It’s a regular maintenance program that has been going on for years.”
“Fogging practice is not only normal, but I’d say any flour mill that is not conducting a fogging on a regular basis, using similar chemicals to what we are using, I’d consider them irresponsible,” said McDougall.
He said federal health protection officers visit the plant every few months to take random samples to analyze for chemical contamination, insect parts and other foreign material. No problems have ever been detected.
The manufacturer of Malathion says the chemical is employed regularly in the food industry and is also used to control insects in stored grain.
Because of its use in the grain industry, federal regulations allow residue levels of up to two parts per million, said Brian Peirce, technical director for Wilson Laboratories in Ontario.
The product label approves its use as an indoor spray, but not as a fog.
It specifically notes that in meat plants, surfaces treated with the product should be rinsed before being used in processing again.
“The label doesn’t clearly state what is to be done in a flour mill,” Peirce said.
Rinsing milling equipment would cause loose flour to turn to a glue-like paste.
Whether CSP’s application method is fogging or spraying is up to Agriculture Canada to determine, he said.
However, he said he’d be very surprised if the way CSP uses the product would cause a health concern in flour or bakery products.
“Most times with Malathion, because it is very sensitive to air, light and heat, minor processing completely breaks it up. It is one of the safer products to use,” Peirce said.
Darryl Embury, head of Agriculture Canada’s food inspection division in Winnipeg, said his department will likely discuss the advisability of the fogging procedure with all concerned over the next few months.
