The University of Calgary’s faculty of veterinary medicine is considering a food safety research position.
The research chair would create an integrated approach to food safety projects in which collaboration among scientists, the livestock sector and public policy makers would be encouraged.
The position could be created with an endowment of $5 million, so funding is being sought, said Baljit Singh, dean of the faculty.
The vision is to support the food industry and develop science based information around food safety and public policy.
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Teamwork among the experts is important to Singh, who became dean last year.
He said the approach to an animal disease or food safety issue is often disjointed, and no crisis management is in place.
Independent academics are not included as communicators or independent experts, he added.
“Despite the federal government putting millions of dollars into science, we still don’t have a mechanism where we are proactive where we have a team ready to be assembled,” Singh said. “It still takes weeks and months before we get something happening.”
He believes veterinary science has a role to play in food safety starting with production practices on livestock operations.
Those in the food processing industry understand the importance of producing safe products but argue Canadians should not worry.
“We do not have a food safety issue, and yet we believe we do,” said Ray Price of the Sunterra group of companies, which includes beef and pork production, meat processing and supermarkets.
“Our preoccupation with food safety is misplaced and costing us a lot of money. Absolutely we should be doing everything we can, but it is a monster that is chewing up cash.”
The possibility of a serious pathogen such as E. coli or listeria turning up frightens processors, said Lori Ell, a board member with the Alberta Food Processors Association.
“You can be put out of business.”
Canadian standards are high, and compliance is near perfect.
“The compliance rate in food safety in Canada is among the best in the world,” said Aman Bath with the Canadian Food Inspection Agency.
Sometimes things go wrong, and all sectors need to come together to resolve it, he added.
Regulations were published earlier this year for the Safe Food for Canadians Act, which was passed in 2012. The intention is to move toward outcome based inspections, and the CFIA promises a more streamlined system.
Food safety requirements can turn into a non-tariff trade barrier for exporters because some countries set standards that are difficult or unreasonable. For example, some countries require testing for the parasite trichinella in pork and horse meat, even though it is not a problem in Canada.
Trade restrictions can occur even when markets have received assurances and explanations of how the Canadian system works, said Bath.
