Maple Leaf Foods - Canadian Food Inspection Agency Recall

Canadian Food Inspection Agency Recall

In August 2008, shortly after a plant closure, Maple Leaf Foods announced a recall for several products which was later broadened to cover products from Maple Leaf, Schneiders, McDonald's, and other products. According to the National Post, the recall took place on 24 August 2008 and included all cured meats manufactured from a contaminated Toronto plant. By August 25, the outbreak had claimed as many as five lives and sickened dozens. Canadian Food Inspection Agency issued a public warning not to consume several Maple Leaf products because of the possibility that they may be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency and Public Health Agency of Canada concluded that a strain of Listeria bacteria, one that matched the Listeria strain identified in some Maple Leaf food products, was linked to the illness and death of several consumers. On August 23, company CEO Michael McCain responded to the Canadian Food Inspection Agency and Public Health Agency of Canada's conclusion and said, "Tragically, our products have been linked to illness and loss of life. To those people who are ill, and to the families who have lost loved ones, I offer my deepest and sincerest sympathies".

That same day, the Public Health Agency of Canada announced that 21 cases of the listeriosis outbreak had been confirmed in four provinces. Three deaths in Ontario were officially tied to the deadly strain of the food-borne listeria bacterium, and a fourth death on Vancouver Island was also attributed to the strain. The public health agency also said a further 30 suspected cases remain under investigation.

On August 27, 2008, The Globe and Mail reported a leaked Conservative cabinet document which outlined plans for the Canadian Food Inspection Agency to give the food industry a greater role in the inspection process. However, some of the plans have been in place since March 31, 2008 according to a CFIA manager and an official from the union that represents the federal inspectors.

At the Maple Leaf plant behind the Listeria outbreak, a single federal inspector was relegated to auditing company paperwork and had to deal with several other plants, the manager and the union official said, contradicting the impression that officials had left last week that full-time watchdogs were on-site. Under the new system, federal inspectors do random product tests only three or four times a year at any given plant, and meat packers are required to test each type of product only once a month. Under the old system, inspectors had a more hands-on role on the plant floor, did more of the tests themselves and had more freedom to investigate, said former CFIA inspector.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper rejected any suggestions that the federal government is not doing enough. The Conservative government's changes are the subject of heated controversy as academics and the opposition express concerns over the few details that have emerged so far. The 2008 budget indicated the CFIA was asked to find savings to pay for new programs. The leaked document indicated savings would be found by transferring some meat-inspection duties to industry.

Since 2008, there have been:

• 38 confirmed cases of listeriosis across Canada (22 in Ontario, 4 in B.C., 2 in Quebec and 1 in Saskatchewan).
• 30 suspected cases (16 in Ontario, 10 in Quebec and 4 in Alberta)
• 9 confirmed deaths caused by the outbreak (all in Ontario)
• 11 suspected deaths (6 in Ontario, 2 in Alberta, 1 in B.C., 1 in Saskatchewan and 1 in Quebec)