On October 23,  leaders across the Canadian food industry and government are coming together to share information and learn about emerging technologies and science, in order to produce safer food for Canadians.

The food safety symposium entitled “Enhancing Our Knowledge and Capabilities to Produce Safer Food” is the first gathering of its kind since the new Canadian Listeria policy was put into place after the lessons learned from last year’s Listeria crisis.

The symposium features presentations from Canada’s leading health and regulatory experts including Jane Billings, Senior Assistant Deputy Minister, Public Health Agency of Canada, who will discuss foodborne illness trends and public health initiatives in Canada.  Dr. Brian Evans, Executive Vice President, Canadian Food Inspection Agency, (CFIA) will discuss his agency’s regulatory approach and challenges and opportunities related to implementation of the new Listeria new policy.  Global experts in communication, detection and control will present the latest findings in testing and use of antimicrobials to build an effective Listeria management program, and discuss how to effectively communicate risk.  The event is hosted by Maple Leaf Foods.

Symposium presenters:

Jane Billings, Senior Assistant Deputy Minister, Public Health Agency of Canada

Dr. Brian Evans, Executive Vice President, Canadian Food Inspection Agency

Dr. Kathy Glass, Associate Director, Food Research Institute, University of Wisconsin

Dr. Peter Sandman, Risk Communications Consultant

Dr. Martin Wiedmann, Associate Professor, Department of Food Science, Cornell University

Dr. Randall Huffman , Chief Food Safety Officer, Maple Leaf Foods

Iain Stewart, Senior Vice President, Transformation & Food Safety, Maple Leaf Consumer Foods

In a recent government research study nearly seven-in-ten (69%) people said they wished they had more information about food safety, including how to protect themselves and their families from foods that pose a health risk. The vast majority – 75% – said they want to get this information through the Internet. 

Over the past year we’ve looked at lots of ways to reach people about the importance of food safety. It’s not an easy topic and not one we own (people want to hear from agencies responsible, like Health Canada or CFIA), but one where we can and will contribute. There’s lots we can and are doing to become a global food safety leader and it’s our job to make food as safe as possible, but there’s also lots that consumers can do to further protect themselves and their families and practice good food safety. 

This week we launched a new Maple Leaf website which is a huge leap forward in reaching consumers. Its taken us over two years in the making and it’s a great site with neat gadgets like meal planning tools, recipes, cooking and shopping tips, and most importantly food safety insights through clicking on “food safety at home” at the top right of the home page.  

I think this website is one of the coolest food sites out there, it’s interactive, informative and highlights where Maple Leaf is going as a company.

We hope you will visit and welcome your feedback!!

We recalled some product this week due to trace amounts of Listeria. It was a completely precautionary action, directly as a result of the massive amount of testing we are doing. Our systems worked!

But Mother Nature has a bacteria called Listeria that is literally “everywhere”. Please consider these facts:

First, that for all practical purpose, 100% of all food establishments have Listeria. Second, even with excellent food safety advances, experts say that on average in North America one out of 200 meat and poultry products will contain low levels of Listeria. It’s even higher for other ready-to-eat foods. Third, because it is everywhere, the more you test, and the more aggressively you test, the more Listeria you will find, which is a good thing, not a bad thing – when we find it we can take action; proactive and precautionary action. Rest assured it is much easier to do the minimum, to not test aggressively and not find it. But, that doesn’t make the food safer.

Does the fact that Listeria is everywhere mean our food supply is not safe? Absolutely not. This has existed at very, very low levels for thousands of years and the vast majority of children and adults are immune. Vulnerable people, when exposed to high concentrations, get very sick which is what occurred in August of 2008 when 22 people died. But, when we take precautionary steps now, it isn’t the same at all. It is to avoid this very thing ever happening again. Painful; but truthful.

I will confess that when I read some of the blog entries on certain web sites, my heart sinks. I read messages like “shut them down…” and “can’t they get this right; I will never buy another Maple Leaf product again”. There are thousands of people in these plants who care very deeply about this and who are working tirelessly to do the right thing. They have taken the challenge of being a food safety leader to heart.  We are getting it right!

But, as any parent would understand, if you demand perfection when perfection is just not possible, often the pendulum swings the other way. Quite frankly, if our team behaves in the most precautionary way and the outcome is as some bloggers suggest – “shut them down; don’t buy their product” – then the punitive message to all those who are not acting in such an open, transparent, precautionary way is equally clear.

I am asking you to support the thousands of people who are doing an amazing and passionate job, acting with the utmost of care, even if they can’t beat Mother Nature completely, and support proactive, precautionary actions by responsible companies.