AS THE tale of tainted meat continues, consumer fears about food safety are understandably on the rise.
An outbreak of listeriosis in a variety of meats had killed eight people across Canada as of Aug. 29, and other deaths are being investigated. In all, there had been 29 confirmed cases nationwide.
The likely source of the outbreak is a Maple Leaf Foods meat processing plant in Toronto and the company has recalled more than 240 products as a result.
Maple Leaf has been criticized in some quarters for waiting too long to issue a full recall, but once laboratory tests confirmed the listeriosis found in the plant was the same type found in the sick consumers, the company did take quick action.
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Product recalls and communication between the company and public served to lessen consumer fears and may also reduce damage to Maple Leaf’s reputation and its bottom line. The mea culpa by Michael McCain, Maple Leaf’s president, is the least consumers can expect.
The affected plant was closed and cleaned, and at time of writing had yet to reopen pending safety clearance.
The incident has raised important questions about food inspection and finger-pointing is inevitable.
The agriculture unit of the Public Service Alliance of Canada, the union that represents Canadian Food Inspection Agency inspectors, blames the government for stretching meat inspectors too thin.
The government countered with reports of increased CFIA spending and noted the hiring of at least 150 additional inspectors.
For its part, Maple Leaf has absolved the CFIA of fault and admitted the food company is solely accountable for the problem.
This bacterial outbreak occurred following reports of federal government proposals to shift more responsibility for inspections to food companies and move CFIA inspectors into a greater overseeing role.
Fallout from those reports, coupled with the massive Maple Leaf recall, will surely bring more scrutiny to those ideas and emphasize public desire for measures that will increase food safety.
Will the Maple Leaf situation drive more people to buy their food closer to home? Consumer support of local farmers should be encouraged, but people shouldn’t assume that meat raised locally or organically is inherently safer.
Food from giant processors, farmers’ markets, organic operations and the farmgate are all susceptible to natural pathogens, among them listeriosis.
Large distribution networks tend to have highly regulated food safety systems but their reach compounds the scale of any problem. As well, major distributors often have supply contracts with nursing homes and hospitals, which have people with weakened immune systems. That increases the likelihood of illness and death should pathogens escape the safety net.
While Maple Leaf has said the exact cause of the contamination may never be known, the company and food inspectors must follow the thread as far as it takes them so we can learn from this tragedy. Measures that might have averted the outbreak, such as irradiation, research and public education about food handling, should all be given a thorough vetting with the goal of developing the safest system possible.
Bruce Dyck, Terry Fries, Barb Glen, D’Arce McMillan and Ken Zacharias collaborate in the writing of Western Producer editorials.
