It’s very difficult to draw the conclusion that additional inspectors or additional time spent on the plant floor could have averted the tragedy of last August based on what we have learned. We have consulted world experts on this very topic because we truly want to know exactly what may have avoided this tragedy we were directly responsible for. Not a single expert to date has told us that more plant floor inspection would have done so.

There are good reasons why – bacteria is not visible. You simply cannot see it with the naked eye, nor can you smell it, taste it or feel it. The ONLY way you can detect bacteria in a modern food safety system is to do bacteria testing and then read and rigorously analyze test results. That is why plant floor inspection just isn’t that effective. It can spot the “big stuff”, but not deep microbiological growth. Because there is nothing to “see” with the eyes, modern technology in food safety requires inspectors to inspect “data” or test results, and test design, and test patterns. This requires more resources, but not on the plant floor because that’s not were they can best find the problems.

We sure wish it were as easy as more plant floor inspection. If it were, we would be the very first ones to ask for as much of that as possible.

In the case of Bartor Rd, those same experts feel they do know the root cause. They identified the most likely source of the contamination was Listeria bacteria harboured deep within one of the meat slicers at the Bartor Road plant. No Canadian company or the CFIA applied the sophisticated scientific and statistical analysis of test results that we do today which may have led us to detect the contamination – the knowledge and expertise simply did not exist in Canada last August.  But had we done then what we do now, we believe we probably would have detected the contamination and may have saved the lives of 22 Canadians.  That is the learning, and we are doing those things now.

Maple Leaf learned a great deal from last year’s tragedy, making numerous changes to implement global best practices within our own plants and identifying changes that were needed to improve Canada’s food safety system. Our position to government has been clear – that we believe more inspectors and increased investment in technical and scientific training and more resources in the CFIA laboratory network are needed to deliver its mandate. Government must make sure they are using their resources to actually make food safer, not wasting their time doing things that won’t.

Since the government’s new Listeria Policy was introduced on April 1 this year, there has been an increased presence and involvement of CFIA inspectors across all our packaged meat plants. The new Listeria policy is based on sound science and Listeria management practices, with a focus on testing and verification to avert repeat of last year’s tragedy.

Inspection staff are enforcing compliance with CFIA regulations, including stringent environmental and product testing, and scientific and risk-based analysis of test results.  Any positive environmental results for Listeria are immediately brought to the attention of the CFIA inspector, and corrective actions taken.  There is greater interaction between plant management and inspection staff, including more time reviewing plant data and test results, more frequent dialogue and collaboration on problem solving. 

The increased presence and focus of inspectors in recent months is welcome and a very positive step, but we can’t stop there.  There is more that needs to be done by industry and government in building a stronger food safety system to protect the interest of Canadian consumers.  While CFIA is continuing to implement its new Listeria policy and increase inspection, we must also ensure that government is vigilant in providing sufficient inspectors to get the job done. 

 We have advocated MORE regulation in food safety in Canada, not less.

The Weatherill Investigation was established in January as an independent investigation into the Listeriosis outbreak.  Sheila Weatherill who is leading this task is asking Canadians for their feedback.  Individuals are encouraged to send comments about their views on the Listeriosis outbreak last summer and more generally on food safety. 

The email address to send your comments is: contacts@li.investigation-enquete.gc.ca.  

Examples of valuable feedback requested include:

• How did you first learn about the outbreak (e.g., TV, newspaper, radio, word of mouth)?
• Did you go online to look up information on Listeriosis? Which web site(s) were most informative? If you visited the Canadian Food Inspection Agency’s website, was the information easy to locate, was it easy to understand and was it helpful?
• Did the information you obtained (from whatever source) tell you what you needed to know? For example, did you know what products had been recalled, and how to tell if they were in your refrigerator? Were the symptoms of Listeriosis clearly communicated, so that you were able to determine if you or others close to you should seek medical advice?
• In terms of management and communications of the crisis, what do you think should have been done better?

We are extremely supportive of this “Listening to Canadians” initiative.  Maple Leaf learned many lessons from last year’s tragedy and welcomes the opportunity to learn more through this effort so that by working together with government and industry we can champion for better food safety performances in the interests of all Canadians.

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.