Federal meat inspectors play a vital role in Canada’s food safety inspection system.  They ensure that all standards and proper testing are upheld to minimize potential risk in our food chain.

Yesterday at the on-going hearings of the Parliamentary Sub-committee on Food Safety, the head of the Agriculture Union, Bob Kingston, recommended for more inspectors and better training. Maple Leaf also believes in strong regulation and for higher government standards which I communicated when I  appeared at the hearings last month.

It is essential that government ensure there are enough resources, including inspectors, to consistently enforce compliance with regulations and tough penalties for companies that don’t comply with the rules. We also recommended that most resources should be directed to environmental testing and monitoring and analyzing those test results as it relates to Listeria.

There is no single silver bullet solution to strengthen Canada’s food safety system.  It will take great effort from industry and government to raise the bar in setting higher food safety standards in Canada that protect the interests of Canadians but I am pleased that an open dialogue is underway in Ottawa.