Ottawa — Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz’s appearance before the Agriculture Committee this afternoon will be an opportunity for the Minister to set the record straight on inspection of ready-to-eat meats produced for Canadian consumers.

On Monday, the Minister misinformed the House of Commons.  He said that plants that make ready-to-eat meat exclusively for consumption by Canadians consumers is inspected on the same frequency as plants that produce for the US market.

“The inspection rate for domestic consumption, as well as for international trade, is exactly the same. It works on a 12-hour cycle,” Mr. Ritz said.

In fact, the CFIA practices two separate inspection frequencies for plants that produce ready-to-eat meat products:

• Plants that ship to the US are subject to a “daily inspection presence” requirement.  This is a standard set by the USDA which defines daily presence as once every 12 hours of production.  Until recently, the CFIA required a meat inspector to visit a meat processing facility licenced for export to the US once a day.  In November last year, the CFIA moved to close this standards gap after the USDA objected.
• Plants that produce only for domestic consumption are normally subject to an inspector’s presence only once a week.  This frequency of inspection for plants producing only for the Canadian market has not changed even since CFIA began inspecting to the USDA’s 12 hour requirement in November 2009.

Today’s appearance before the Agriculture Committee will also be an opportunity for the Minister to explain:

• Why the CFIA has failed to complete an audit of the controversial new meat inspection system called the Compliance Verification System or CVS eight months after Sheila Weatherill found the CVS was “implemented without a detailed assessment of the resources available to take on these new (CVS) tasks”.  Minister Ritz promised this review would be done months ago.
• Why nothing changed when it comes to the number of ready-to-eat meat processing plants inspectors are responsible for.  Pre-Maple Leaf, each inspector was responsible for an average of 4 – 5 plants.  The ratio remains the same today even though it means that the food inspection system is stretched so thin that inspectors don’t have enough time to do their jobs properly.
• Why no additional food inspectors have been added to the CFIA front lines almost two years after the Maple Leaf outbreak and 8 months after the Weatherill report.

In response to the inspection deficit, the federal government has given more responsibility to the food industry to police its own safety practices with less direct supervision from government inspectors.  The government’s approach may be changing, however.

Yesterday, Transport Minister John Baird said: it’s simply wrong for industry to regulate itself.”

Does Minister Ritz agree with his colleague?

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For information: Jim Thompson 613-447-9592

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
15 March, 2010

Ottawa – Canada has been quietly called out for inadequate inspection of meat processing plants by the US Food and Drug Administration which has demanded that Canada increase its inspection frequency in order to meet US safety standards and continue to have access to US markets, according to internal Canadian Food Inspection Agency documents.

The food inspectors union released the text of an internal staff memo today which discusses the Canadian Food and Inspection Agency’s approach to the additional USDA safety requirements.

According to the memo, “…the CFIA will be providing additional inspection coverage… to better meet the USDA’s technical requirements for products exported to the US.”

But because of a lack of resources, CFIA has been unable to hire new inspectors to comply with US safety requirements.  At the moment, the CFIA is meeting the US regulator’s safety standards by scheduling overtime among the existing inspectorate, an approach that is not sustainable.

The CFIA memo says “the Agency will need to hire additional inspection staff” but notes that “the CFIA continues to explore funding options as we refine how we deliver these food safety enhancements.  In the short term we will be looking to our current inspection staff to work hours in addition to their regularly scheduled shifts.”

“Unless the government makes new investments in food safety, the CFIA will face a choice: ignore the USDA’s demands and risk losing access to the US market for Canadian processed meat products, or elevate food contamination risks for Canadian consumers by diverting scarce resources away from other inspection programs,” said Bob Kingston, President of the Agriculture Union – PSAC which represents federal food inspectors.

Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz promised an additional $75 million for food safety including 70 new meat inspectors in September 2009 in response to the Weatherill Report on the Maple Leaf Foods listeria outbreak.  However, new inspector positions the CFIA may be creating have been more than offset by attrition.

“The lack of action in response to the Weatherill Report is bad enough.  Now the government has side-swiped real improvements to food safety inspection with the spending cuts it imposed in the budget,” Kingston said.

The only new funding received by CFIA for food safety since Ms. Weatherill released her report is $11 million contained in the 2010/11 Main Estimates that were tabled in the House of Commons on March 3rd, an amount that won’t come close to delivering on the Minister’s promise or addressing the safety standards gap with the US.

Until recently, Canada required a meat inspector to visit a meat processing facility once every 16 hours of plant operation, while the US standard requires an inspector visit once every 12 hours.

According to the memo, “…the CFIA will be providing additional inspection coverage starting in early November (2009), initially on each 12 hour processing shift in certain establishments processing meat products.  This will allow us to better meet the USDA’s technical requirements for products exported to the US.”

It is estimated that up to 50 additional meat inspectors are needed to meet the USDA requirements.

“Overtime dollars don’t grow on trees, especially at the CFIA.  In order to comply with US requirements for a daily inspector presence in meat processing plants, CFIA will be forced to bleed inspection resources once intended to safeguard Canadian consumers since the government has not delivered on its promise of more food inspectors to date,” said Kingston.

The food inspectors union regards this as the latest example of chronic and critical under resourcing of food safety and inspection in Canada.

The full text of the CFIA staff memo follows:

Memo to Inspection Staff
November 6, 2009

As part of Canada’s continued efforts to enhance food safety, the CFIA will be providing additional inspectional coverage starting in early November, initially on each 12 hour processing shift in certain establishments processing meat products.  This will allow us to better meet the USDA’s technical requirements for products exported to the US.

In order to carry out this initiative, the Agency will need to hire additional inspection staff.  The CFIA continues to explore funding options as we refine how we deliver these food safety enhancements.  In the short term, we will be looking to our current inspection staff to work hours in addition to their regularly scheduled shifts.  As much as possible, overtime hours will be assigned on a voluntary basis beginning in early November.

We continue to discuss these plans with PSAC and the meat industry.  We appreciate their cooperation in addressing this challenge.

Employees are encouraged to speak to their managers for more information on these new food safety enhancements and the requirement of overtime hours.  A set of Qs and As has been drafted and are attached for your use.

Please share them with your staff as you see fit.

Thank you for your ongoing support.

Cameron Prince
Vice-President, Operations

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For information: Jim Thompson 613-447-9592

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Ottawa – On behalf of the 11 to 13 million Canadians who are sickened every year by the food they eat, the food inspectors union delivered an electronic “sandwich” to every MP today which contains critical information about the risks Canadians face by eating everyday items like lettuce, tomatoes, crackers and cold cuts.

“MPs need to know that food contamination has never been so widespread. At the same time, our ability to inspect and oversee food imports and domestic production is strained to the breaking point,” says Bob Kingston, President of the Agriculture Union – PSAC, which represents federal food inspectors.

The “sandwich” highlights the potential hazards and health effects associated with everyday food items typically found in a child’s lunch bag.  Hazards like bacteria, parasites and viruses that can make a person very sick.

Along with the electronic sandwich, the food inspectors union has invited all MPs to vote for a food safety plan which calls for the Prime Minister to take these actions in the upcoming federal budget:

• Double the number of Canadian Food Inspection Agency food inspectors in the upcoming budget.
• Place an immediate moratorium on industry self-policing policies that have given food companies too much control when it comes to food safety.
• Restore the system of public audit reports which were canceled under pressure from the meat industry to ensure consumers have the information they need to make informed choices.

MPs can register their support for an action plan to protect Canadians from unsafe food at www.foodsafetyfirst.ca/vote4foodsafety.

“Canada imports food from all around the world.  In addition, hundreds of food factories and thousands of farms in Canada produce everything from cold cuts to salad, and dairy products to fish.  With the inspection resources currently available these demands are far too overwhelming to ensure the food we eat is safe,” Kingston said.

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For information: Jim Thompson 613-447-9592
To view the sandwich go to www.foodsafetyfirst.ca/take-action

WINDSOR – New Democrat Border Critic Brian Masse (Windsor-West) says disturbing new information about trucks carrying imported meats that are failing to report for inspections shows that the Harper government’s new food-safety regime simply isn’t working.[More...]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Ottawa – Inaction on food safety has earned the federal government a failing grade six months after the Prime Minister’s special investigator Sheila Weatherill tabled recommendations on how to prevent a repeat of the Maple Leaf Foods listeriosis outbreak which killed 22 people and sickened many more.

A mid-term report card on the government’s dismal performance was released in Ottawa this morning by the food inspectors union and Canada’s largest consumer organization, Option Consommateurs, giving the federal government a D-.
“Six months after Sheila Weatherill’s report, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency efforts to improve have been hamstrung by the absence of political will and commitment to improve on the part of the federal government,” said Bob Kingston, President of the Agriculture Union – PSAC, which represents food inspectors who work for the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA).

“Consumer confidence in food safety has been shaken to the core.  The absence of any visible action six months after the Weatherill report will do nothing to repair this,” said Option spokesperson Anu Bose.

Almost half of Ms. Weatherill’s recommendations to prevent another outbreak were directed toward the Canadian Food Inspection Agency.  With its mandate to inspect sanitation practices and enforce food safety requirements, the under-resourced CFIA was widely seen as failing to protect Canadian consumers.  Ms. Weatherill established these important findings of facts in her report:

• The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) failed to do mandatory safety audits of the Maple Leaf Foods plant which produced the tainted cold cuts for years prior to the outbreak.
• A new inspection system (the Compliance Verification System or CVS) implemented just before the outbreak was flawed and in need of “critical improvements related to its design, planning and implementation”.
• The CVS was “implemented without a detailed assessment of the resources available to take on these new (CVS) tasks”.
• A shortage of food safety inspectors was in play before the outbreak.  “In the lead up to the outbreak the number, capacity and training of inspectors assigned to Bartor Road (the tainted Maple Leaf plant) appear to have been stressed due to their responsibilities at other plants, the complexity of Bartor Road including its size and hours of operation, and necessary adjustments required by the implementation of the CVS.”

“In short, Ms. Weatherill found that there are too few inspectors covering too much territory, hobbled by a new inspection system that never worked properly,” Kingston said.

Weatherill called on the federal government to conduct an audit to determine the number of inspectors required to ensure food companies are complying with food safety requirements, and she recommended an overhaul of the new inspection system – the Compliance Verification System or CVS.

“Six months later, the federal government and the CFIA have yet to begin work on either of these key recommendations.  An audit has not even begun and the CVS remains unevaluated.  The inspector shortage is as acute as ever and we continue to be hobbled by an inspection system that is deeply flawed,” Kingston said.

According to the report card, the federal government and the CFIA have not begun to act on the vast majority of recommendations aimed at improving food safety inspection and enforcement.

“With Parliament prorogued, there is little that consumers can do to hold the government to account for this dismal performance,” said Kingston, who pointed out that Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz warned a few months ago that little progress on food safety improvements are possible if the opposition provoked the dissolution of Parliament.

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For information:

Jim Thompson 613-447-9592

Inspector shortage compromising food safety

Ottawa – Many of Sheila Weatherill’s recommendations make a constructive and valuable contribution to improving the safety of food in Canada and should be implemented immediately, even though it appears that the CFIA and others in government have either withheld information or misled her, according to the union representing federal food inspectors.

“It is stunning that the investigation was unable to determine the level of inspection resources at CFIA, even though she interviewed President Swan, Minister Ritz and others,” said Bob Kingston, President of the Agriculture Union – PSAC.

The parliamentary committee on food safety heard that inspectors were “grossly understaffed” during the period leading up to last summer’s outbreak.  According to the latest staffing levels assembled by the Union, federal meat inspectors continue to have an unmanageable workload which averages between 4 and 5 facilities per inspector.

Ms. Weatherill fails to call on the Prime Minister to address the shortage of inspectors and the inadequate level of inspection oversight.

“If the government fails to commit the financial resources to adequately staff food inspection, this report will be meaningless,” said Patty Ducharme, National Executive Vice-President.

According to senior management, CFIA was under political direction to keep a low profile during the height of the outbreak last fall and during the general election.  Ms. Weatherill’s report fails to call the government to task on this matter.

Ms. Weatherill is highly critical of CFIA’s new approach to food inspection known as the Compliance Verification System (CVS), declaring it “needs critical improvements related to its design, planning and implementation”.

“Ms. Weatherill condemns CVS as a hastily developed and implemented system that has yet to undergo a proper scientific evaluation,” according to Kingston.

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For information: Jim Thompson 613-447-9592

Following two months of public hearings, the parliamentary food safety committee expressed concern about the inspector shortage and CFIA’s inability to accurately report on the number of meat inspectors and how much time they devote to hands-on inspection activities.

As a result, the committee called on the federal government to “undertake a comprehensive review of the resources, including training, that Canadian Food Inspection Agency needs to properly implement, execute and enforce all food inspection activities and that the government make that review public”.

“I hope Minister Ritz acts without delay to implement this recommendation.  It is an essential first step to address the inspector shortage that is undermining food safety and consumer confidence,” says Bob Kingston, President of the Agriculture Union – PSAC.

The committee also called on the CFIA to co-operate with the Agriculture Union to “find the means and technology such that they can provide accurate, real-time evaluation of inspector resources”.

“Minister Ritz and his cabinet colleagues have every right to accurate and timely information they need to make informed spending decisions.  CFIA failed to meet this expectation,” Kingston said.

For example, Minister Ritz has publicly stated that 58 new meat inspectors had been hired in 2009, only to be contradicted later by the CFIA which wrote to the food safety committee that “Of these 57 full time resources or FTEs, none are dedicated to meat inspection”.

The committee’s concern about inspection resources was the result of compelling evidence and testimony:

• Don Irons, a meat inspection supervisor responsible for the Maple Leaf facility in Toronto whose product killed 22 Canadians last year, testified that “…we were grossly resourced, starved…” in the months prior to the outbreak.

When asked if anything has changed, does he now have the resources needed to ensure the food we eat is safe, Mr. Irons replied “no, I do not”.

• A CFIA briefing note to the Minister declared the “Inspection program (is) experiencing workload challenges in meeting delivery requirements”.
• Inspectors at the Maple Leaf Foods Bartor Rd. plant spent as little as 15 minutes a day at the plant according to timesheets released by the CFIA.
• Most inspectors are unable to verify that food companies are complying with safety requirements because they have too many facilities to inspect.

The Agriculture Union welcomes the CFIA’s new listeria policy and agrees with the Conservative MPs on the committee that it is important that CFIA inspectors conduct their own testing for the presence of bacteria in the environment of food factories, but cautions these new duties must be accompanied by new inspection personnel to carry them out.

The committee also recommended measures to restore some transparency to the food industry by calling for a return to the practice of making public meat establishment audits reports that were killed in 2006.  This recommendation is supported by the Agriculture Union.

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For information: Jim Thompson 613-447-9592

Ottawa – A new staffing survey shows the critical shortage of inspectors in meat processing plants in Canada continues to make it impossible for federal inspectors to verify industry compliance with safety rules.

“These numbers show an inspectorate staffed far below minimum levels.  With individual inspectors being in charge of five facilities on average it’s just not possible to verify that safety rules are being following in Canadian processed meat facilities,” said Bob Kingston, President of the Agriculture Union – PSAC, which represents CFIA food inspectors.

The union conducted a spot check in four metropolitan centres where meat processing facilities are concentrated.  Internal CFIA sources were consulted to determine the number of meat inspectors on staff as well as the number that would actually be available for duty after taking various forms of leave into account.

Meat Inspectors available to work in meat processing & cold storage facilities

Despite being briefed on the shortage and the fact that CFIA missed signs of trouble at the Maple Leaf plant in the months leading up to last summer’s deadly outbreak, Minister Ritz continues to deny the problem.

According to a CFIA briefing note, Mr. Ritz was briefed in January 2009 by the CFIA that the “inspection program (is) experiencing workload challenges in meeting delivery requirements”.  The Minister was advised during the same briefing that “in-depth assessment of the plant revealed that Maple Leaf Foods experienced challenges in environmental control and sanitation in May and June 2008”, just before the outbreak.

“Minister Ritz should admit the problem and get on with addressing it.  Until he does there is a very good chance we’ll see the same problems that led to the outbreak escaping the notice of harried inspectors.  There’s a shortage of meat inspectors, plain and simple,” Kingston said.

Facilities canvassed include meat processing plants where ready-to-eat and prepared meats are produced.  These kind of facilities range from very large businesses like the Montreal-based firm Olymel L.P. which employs more than 10,000 people, to much smaller companies.  The survey also includes cold storage facilities which are clearing facilities for the certification of food imports and exports.

The Agriculture Union has calculated that it is impossible for meat inspectors to complete verification tasks at more than two ready-to-eat meat processing facilities.

Without counting hours required for enforcement activities that must be launched when safety rules are breeched, or time required to travel between locations, the union estimates inspectors need approximately 800 hours a year to fully complete inspection tasks association with the new Compliance Verification System at each ready-to-eat facility for which they have responsibility.  Add to this hundreds of hours for import and export certification and various types of leave and it quickly adds up to mission impossible for inspectors assigned to five facilities.

“The inspector responsible for the Maple Leaf plant at the centre of last summer’s tragedy was responsible for six other facilities at the time.  This was a factor in the tragedy.  Our survey demonstrates most meat inspectors have workloads almost as heavy and certainly too heavy to properly do their jobs,” Kingston said.

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For information: Jim Thompson 613-447-9592

¹Most human resource experts allow for a 30% leave factor.

Ottawa (20 May 2009) – The vast majority of Canadians want government to step in and play a much more active role to ensure food safety because they don’t trust industry to do the job, according to a new Nanos survey.

Seven in ten Canadians believe Ottawa should invest more resources and be more hands-on in policing the safety of food, while only one in five believe the government should rely more on the food industry to police its own safety processes.

The survey also found that only 4% of Canadians have a high level of trust in food companies to assess themselves when it comes to compliance with safety rules.

“Public opinion is far ahead of Ottawa’s current approach to inspecting food companies for compliance with safety rules.  Currently, there simply are not enough inspectors to verify that processed meat producers are following the safety rules and that’s not good enough for Canadians,” said Bob Kingston, President of the Agriculture Union – PSAC, which commissioned the poll.

On Monday, May 25 at 4 pm, Bob Kingston will be testifying before the parliamentary committee investigating the listeriosis outbreak.

The survey found that sixty-four percent of Canadians either blame the government for turning over critical inspection duties to industry or business for cutting food safety corners to save money.  Only 27% subscribe to the view that the outbreak was simply an unfortunate and unavoidable accident.

“Canadians reject industry and government’s explanation that a unforeseen and unavoidable risk led to last summer’s food poisoning outbreak that left 22 people dead.  This was a failure of the inspection system, in spite of what business and government decision-makers would like us to believe, and Canadians want it fixed,” Kingston said.

Some MPs on the parliamentary committee investigating the listeriosis outbreak and food safety have been troubled that government officials including Minister Ritz and Canadian Food Inspection Agency President Carole Swann have refused to accept ultimate responsibility for what happened last summer.

On the question of who should be responsible, Canadians are very clear:  73% think the government should take the lead role in ensuring food safety standards are met, while only 18% think food business can ensure food safety standards are met for the foods they produce.

Nanos Research conducted a random telephone survey of 1001 Canadians 18+ years of age from April 25th to May 3rd to produce these data.  A sample of this size produces a margin of accuracy of plus or minus 3.1%, 19 times out of 20.

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For information: Jim Thompson 613-447-9592

Q1. Which group do you trust most to ensure that the food consumed by Canadians is safe: [Rotate] Government food inspectors and scientists, food company employees, grocery store employees?

Q2. Do you think that [ROTATE] the government should rely more on the food industry to police its own safety processes or that the federal government should invest more resources and be more hands on in policing the safety of food?

Q3. On a scale of 1 to 5 where 1 is not at all trust and 5 is very much trust, how much trust would you place in unverified safety compliance assessment reports food companies conduct themselves and provide to government?

Q4. Some people think that [ROTATE] food businesses can ensure food safety standards are met for the foods they produce, others think that the government should take the lead role in ensuring food safety standards are met. Which of these views best reflects your personal view?

Q5. As you may know, and outbreak of listeriosis last summer killed 22 people and left many others ill. Which of the following do you think best describes why these incidents occurred?

Ottawa – Michael McCain’s pitch today to retain food industry self-inspection with tougher and uniformly applied safety rules requires more government oversight and inspection, according to the food inspector’s union.

“Canadians want government safety inspectors verifying that companies like Maple Leaf are following the rules. After last summer, who can blame them for their doubts and concerns?” says Bob Kingston, President of the Agriculture Union – PSAC which represents food inspectors who work for the Canadian Food Inspection Agency.

In a speech today, Mr. McCain suggested that because “you can’t see bacteria” more visual inspections are not necessarily the answer to safer food.

“It’s true you can’t see bacteria but trained inspectors can see conditions in a plant that lead to contamination. In order to verify the Maple Leaf or any other meat facility is safe and following the rules, the CFIA needs inspectors on the plant floor doing visual inspections and physically confirming that all the safety protocols and requirements are being respected. Relying heavily on documents tells you only that a company knows how to complete paperwork. At the moment, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency does not have enough resources to achieve this,” Kingston said.

The Agriculture Union supports Mr. McCain’s call for more and tougher oversight of all food manufacturing companies including those that export their products to Canada. However, it is widely known that the CFIA cannot meet its import inspection requirements, a shortcoming that does put Canadian producers at a disadvantage.

“More rules and government oversight means you need more professional food inspectors at the border and with the skills and know how to detect conditions in Canadian food processing plants that encourage bacterial contamination of consumer food products,” Kingston said.

Kingston says the Union supports McCain’s call for a national food safety standard to be applied to both federally and provincially registered food companies. However, this would have little real impact for most consumers as the vast majority of meat on store shelves is produced by federally registered facilities.

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For information or to book an interview:

Jim Thompson
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