According to the Canadian Press:
OTTAWA — A top-to-bottom scrubbing after a deadly listeriosis outbreak apparently didn’t fully cleanse a Maple Leaf Foods plant of mould, slime and meat debris, newly released documents show.
Inspectors found a troubling lack of hygiene at the company’s Toronto facility just weeks after it reopened last year from a temporary shutdown for cleaning, according to inspection reports.
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency has issued a Health Hazard alert for beef products sold at President’s Choice supermarkets. The company is called JBS Swift Beef Company. Additional information can be found at the following link:
http://www.inspection.gc.ca/english/corpaffr/recarapp/2009/20090630e.shtml
A new report by the union representing inspectors in the Maple Leaf food scandal places blame on the Canadian Food Inspection Agency.
The Toronto Star reported:
Inadequate resources, staff shortages and overtime bans on federal inspectors have prevented the mandatory annual safety audits from being completed, says the union, which has sent its briefing note to members of a federal subcommittee investigating the listeria outbreak.
The note by the union rep stated that to meet the requirements set by CIFA is, “mission impossible.”
Apparently, many overworked inspectors simply didn’t have the time to ensure adequate reviews and a great deal of the inspection was left to plant staff. The inspector responsible for Maple Leaf was also, “responsible for seven facilities at the time of the listeriosis outbreak.”
The Toronto Star also reported:
Cost-cutting measures at the food inspection agency included banning overtime for inspectors before last summer’s tragedy, the note says. “As a result, CFIA inspectors were unable to verify that pre-operation and sanitation inspections at ready-to-eat meat processing plants in Ontario and Quebec were properly conducted by plant employees, including at the Maple Leaf plant.”
In a civil action CIFA might also have to be named if not already done so in light of this new note by the union representative. While CIFA might set industry standards they are rendered useless if their own personnel are unable to comply.
This story will continue for sometime.
The Toronto Star article can be found here:
http://www.thestar.com/article/621085