Our Journey to Food Safety Leadership | Our Journey to Food Safety Leadership

One of the commitments in Maple Leaf’s Food Safety Pledge is to share information and knowledge with government and others in the industry to raise food safety standards for all food production.  To that end, for almost two years now we, along with other stakeholders, have been actively participating,as Health Canada and the CFIA  review federal standards and regulations pertaining to Listeria in Ready to Eat Foods (RTE) and the prevention of Listeriosis.  This consultative process is being done with the view to further strengthen the scientific foundation of the regulatory policy directed at Listeria prevention and control in RTE foods.

Health Canada issued its revised draft policy on company practices pertaining to Listeria - “Policy on Listeria monocytogenes in Ready-to-Eat Foods” - and we responded with our comments during the period set by Health Canada as part of its consultation process.

In our view, the draft policy would represent good progress towards implementing the recommendations of Sheila Weatherill , the independent advisor tasked by the government to review Canada’s food safety system in the wake of the 2008 Listeriosis outbreak.  The draft policy follows very closely the scientific approach that is outlined in the Codex Alimentarius guidelines for Listeria in RTE foods, which smartly recognizes that risk from this pathogen is a function of cell population growth during shelf life and not merely a function of bacterial prescence.

Among the recommendations we made to Health Canada about the revised policy, was the suggestion that more be done to encourage testing for Listeria on non-food contact surfaces. Global best practice and our recent in-plant experience would prove that aggressively testing the plant environment where food products are prepared, and not just the end product and the surfaces that the food touches, is most effective. This is an approach we are taking over and above federal requirements today. And we believe national standards should do more to encourage testing non-food contact sites.

We encouraged the government to consider expanding the types of testing methods that industry in Canada can use.  Speed in learning about a problem early is essential.  Currently, it can take too long to get test results back from labs. Better and more rapid methods exist and are being used in other countries that can cut our time to results from about 6 - 7 days down to 2 or 3 days.  Being able to act on results four or five days sooner is a major improvement to food safety, and we think the revised policy should allow industry to adopt those new technologies.  Many other countries throughout the world have access to this more modern and rapid techniques, but in Canada the industry is limited to a very narrow definition of approved rapid methods that frankly, are not very rapid.

The fact that the tragic events which precipitated this policy review started with bacteria embedded in a deep harbourage point in our slicing equipment, is one of the reasons why we placed a strong emphasis on best practices in sanitation.  We believe the new policy should have a stronger focus on the importance of sanitation and related issues, such as sanitary equipment and facility design, that facilitates best practices in sanitation.  The purpose of having an aggressive environmental Listeria testing program is to measure effectiveness of the sanitation programs within a facility, so a stronger linkage in the policy between the testing program and sanitation would be appropriate.

That said, there are other issues that need to be addressed to help ensure food safety across the system.  We continue to make the case that different regulations for facilities that are provincially regulated, rather than federally regulated, and different rules concerning imported foods, constitute a vulnerability in consumer protection.

With the public consultation process now closed, work is now proceeding to review all the comments that were received with respect to the new Listeria policy.  We hope that after reviewing all the submissions, including our own, that Health Canada and CFIA will move quickly to get the revised policy and enhanced regulatory requirements in place by the end of the year.

Even when the new policy is made public, we will not stop searching for new ways to enhance our food safety practices. We have come to understand that food safety is not a destination but a journey.  There will always be new challenges and new ways of combating them. That’s why even now we don’t simply meet but, in many cases, exceed federal requirements.  And going forward, we will set our standards, not solely against the new policy and federal regulations, but also against our aspiration to be a global leader in food safety.

With the grilling season getting into full swing, firing up the barbecue is a staple on almost everyone’s summer to do lists.  It is a time to gather with family and friends for a tasty meal while enjoying the outdoors.  But Canadian summer days of course mean warmer temperatures and that means cooking outdoors has to be done with care. 

Fortunately, there are easy tips you can undertake that minimize foodborne illness with some helpful tips.

• Shop for meat and poultry last, and separate them from other food to avoid cross contamination.
• Once at home refrigerate meat and poultry immediately. Keep raw meats on the bottom shelf of the fridge to avoid any packages from leaking juices onto foods below.
• Thaw meat and poultry completely before grilling so as to cook evenly.
• Marinate food in the refrigerator, instead of on counter tops.
  • A good practice is to discard marinades after use but if a marinade is to be reused, make sure to boil it to destroy any harmful bacteria.
• Keep food cold when carrying it to another location or when bringing your shopping home.  Insulated coolers with ice packs are an ideal option.
• Make sure food not being used is away from direct sunlight; only take out food that will be immediately placed on the grill.
• Cleanliness is key; ensure there are utensils and platters.
  • Never use the same platter for raw and cooked foods.
• Different meats cook to different temperatures. These small temperature differences make a big difference when it comes to food safety. And so does a food thermometer you can use to check temperatures.

Safe Minimum Internal Temperatures

•  
  • Hamburgers, beef: 71.1 C / 160 F
  • Beef, lamb, and veal (steaks, roasts, and chops):
    • Medium rare 62.7 C / 145 F
    • Medium 71.1 C / 160 F
  • All cuts of pork 71.1 C / 160 F
  • All poultry 73.8 C /165 F for pieces (85°C / 185°F for whole birds)

Here in Canada, summer barbecues are an enjoyable and relaxing change of pace and it’s great to get back outdoors after the winter, but not bbq-ing year round means we may not be mindful of the food safety risks or precautions we have to take.  You can find more information on Health Canada’s site and their tips for barbecuing page.

Randy Huffman, Chief Food Safety Officer and John Placko, Director of Culinary Excellence

We’ve undertaken a lot of things internally at Maple Leaf Foods to promote food safety, and we’ve outlined a lot of that on this blog.  But ensuring public health overall in our communities doesn’t end at our front door - it is a total partnership. One of the things we have promised to do as part of our Food Safety Pledge is to build partnerships to share information and support education on food safety.  Another step in this direction is a partnership with the Canadian Public Health Association (CPHA) which we announced today.

‘Public health’ tends to be something people overlook or take for granted as part of ‘health care’.  People’s top of mind expectations of the health care system tend to focus on “illness” or the response to it rather than a holistic look at “health”.  Public health professionals help bring that focus in seeking to prevent illness and promoting good health. CPHA is a non-governmental organization focused exclusively on public health and they have worked for decades to tackle a number of other well-known public health causes.

The partnership we’re undertaking with them aims to provide those who tend to be more at-risk for foodborne illness with the information they need to prepare foods safely for themselves and their families.  These include seniors, pregnant women, people with immune deficiencies such as those with HIV and people undergoing cancer treatment. A first step and a goal of the partnership is to ensure that people who are at higher risk know that fact (based on their risk category) and then given the information they need to minimize risk with simple and useful food safety tips and tools.  This will happen through educational and online materials targeted at those at-risk Canadians.

Once these materials are developed - which will be available in French, English and other languages -  we’ll be sure to share the links to them here and through other means.