Posts tagged Maple Leaf Foods
Carole Swan resigns
Jun 21st, 2011
Posted by Jim Thompson in News Release
Ottawa (June 21, 2011) — Canadian Food Inspection Agency President Carole Swan is stepping down at the end of June, a full year ahead of the end of her appointment. “We wish Carole well. She had a tough job to do, made more difficult by chronic under funding, a reality that has prevented the CFIA [...]
Food safety: the forgotten issue?
Apr 20th, 2011
Posted by Jim Thompson in Media Story
By David McKie, CBC.ca In the 2008 election campaign, federal party leaders vowed to make the country’s food safer. [More...]
Canadian inspection agency gets additional $100 million
Mar 23rd, 2011
Posted by Jim Thompson in Media Story
Five-year plan calls for inspector training, technological support By Sarah Schmidt, PostMedia News The Conservative government pledged Tuesday to boost spending on Canada’s food inspection system by $100 million over the next five years. [More...]
Canadian bureaucrats shirked ‘duty to assist’ with listeria information request
Mar 22nd, 2011
Posted by Jim Thompson in Media Story
By Doug Powell, barfblog The 2008 listeria outbreak in Canada caused by Maple Leaf deli meats that killed 23 and sickened 56 was characterized by multiple failures amongst multiple players – primarily Maple Leaf, the Canadian government, and dieticians at assisted-care facilities. [More...]
Is this government red tape or Conservative control freakery?
Jan 16th, 2011
Posted by Jim Thompson in Media Story
By Sarah Schmidt, PostMedia News Yesterday, Prime Minister Stephen Harper made headlines by announcing his government’s pending war on government red tape to help small businesses (after a commission creates some paperwork of its own). [More...]
Paperwork delays listeriosis lawsuit settlement
Dec 2nd, 2010
Posted by Jim Thompson in Media Story
Joanna Smith, The Toronto Star It has been nearly two years since Maple Leaf Foods agreed to compensate victims of a deadly nationwide outbreak of listeriosis linked to its deli meats, but not a single cheque has been signed. [More...]
No audit of meat plant inspectors done: Ritz
Nov 18th, 2010
Posted by Jim Thompson in Media Story
By Sarah Schmidt, PostMedia News Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz on Thursday conceded the government has not conducted an external audit to determine how many inspectors are needed to police Canada’s meat plants. [More...]
CFIA deflects food safety criticisms
Nov 15th, 2010
Posted by Jim Thompson in Media Story
By Barry Wilson, The Western Producer Senior government officials responsible for food safety and inspection have a message: the system has never been better. [More...]
Audit finds sanitation problems at some Canadian meat, poultry plants
Nov 9th, 2010
Posted by Jim Thompson in Media Story
Allison Jones and Steve Rennie The Canadian Press Canadian Food Inspection Agency documents often painted an inaccurate picture of the conditions at some of Canada’s meat and poultry plants where sanitation problems persisted, an American audit has found. [More...]
Food safety watchdog still unclear on numbers
Nov 5th, 2010
Posted by Jim Thompson in Media Story
By Joanna Smith, The Toronto Star The federal food safety watchdog is still unable to say how many full-time inspectors work in ready-to-eat meat plants more than two years after a deadly nationwide outbreak of listeriosis traced to tainted deli meats. [More...]
Feds say food system safe, inspectors beg to differ
Nov 5th, 2010
Posted by Jim Thompson in Media Story
By Laura Payton, QMi Agency Government experts say Canada’s food system is one of the safest in the world, but the union representing food agency inspectors says that’s not true. [More...]
Canada still lacking inspectors at meat plants: CFIA
Nov 5th, 2010
Posted by Jim Thompson in Media Story
By Sarah Schmidt, PostMedia News The federal government doesn’t have enough inspectors at plants that make ready-to-eat meat to properly police the high-risk operations — and the situation won’t be rectified until next spring, according to internal staffing projections released to Postmedia News. [More...]
Government spins food safety
Nov 3rd, 2010
Posted by Jim Thompson in News Release
Ottawa (November 4, 2010) The federal government has failed to meet some of the most important recommendations for reform of Canada’s food inspection system made in the wake of the Maple Leaf Foods listeriosis disaster, in spite of claims to the contrary, according to the federal food inspectors’ union. The Agriculture Union – PSAC leveled [...]
New internal CFIA documents show meat inspection remains dangerously inadequate
Oct 25th, 2010
Posted by Jim Thompson in Briefing Note
Many of the shortcomings that contributed to the Maple Leaf Foods listeriosis disaster two years ago continue to plague the Canadian meat inspection system today, according to a trio of assessments of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency’s meat hygiene program quietly released last week. The government’s attempt to obscure this conclusion through a quiet release [...]
CFIA still moving on Listeria recommendations
Oct 25th, 2010
Posted by Jim Thompson in Media Story
By CBC News The Canadian Food Inspection Agency has made some changes to improve its monitoring of meatpacking plants but many of the recommendations made in the wake of the 2008 listeriosis outbreak that killed 23 people have yet to be implemented. [More...]
Union says food inspection still falls short two years after listeriosis
Oct 25th, 2010
Posted by Jim Thompson in Media Story
By The Canadian Press The Harper government says it’s making “considerable progress” implementing recommendations to prevent another deadly outbreak of listeriosis, but the union representing food inspectors isn’t buying it. [More...]
Meat inspection remains dangerously inadequate – Shameful Government spin seeks to hide the facts
Oct 22nd, 2010
Posted by Jim Thompson in News Release
Ottawa (22 October, 2010) – Many of the shortcomings that contributed to the Maple Leaf Foods listeriosis disaster two years ago continue to plague the Canadian meat inspection system today, according to a new assessment of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency’s meat hygiene program released today. The internal assessment found the number of meat inspectors [...]
How effective is Canada’s meat-inspection system? Insiders say Canada’s meat-inspection system isn’t keeping consumers safe from food-borne illnesses.
Oct 22nd, 2010
Posted by Jim Thompson in Media Story
By Alex Roslin, Georgia Straight At the end of a gravel road 20 kilometres east of Fort St. John, Arlene Laughren’s house used to be her little piece of heaven. Now it’s like a prison. [More...]
Listeria detected in 18% of B.C. fish products
Oct 6th, 2010
Posted by Jim Thompson in Media Story
CBC News Potentially toxic Listeria bacteria has been found in 18 per cent of ready-to-eat fish products tested in B.C, according to an unreleased study by the B.C. Centre for Disease Control. [More...]
Minister unsure how many Canadian inspectors watching animals bound for slaughter
Sep 22nd, 2010
Posted by Jim Thompson in Media Story
By Sarah Schmidt, PostMedia News The Canadian Food Inspection Agency cannot say how many inspectors are stationed across the country to make sure animal health rules are followed during the transport of animals destined for dinner plates, according to newly released information. [More...]
Most Canadians concerned over food safety: Poll
Aug 12th, 2010
Posted by Jim Thompson in Media Story
By Laura Stone, Postmedia News A majority of Canadians is concerned with the safety of their food and most say they trust food that comes from Canada more than imported food, results of a poll suggest. [More...]
Immediate action on food safety needs to be taken
Apr 21st, 2010
Posted by Jim Thompson in Media Story
By KIRSTY DUNCAN, CAROLYN BENNETT AND WAYNE EASTER Owen Sound Sun Times Canadians have been fed a new vocabulary by the federal government: “global synchronized economic downturn,” “recalibration,” and “listeria outbreak.” [More...]
Food Issues
Mar 24th, 2010
Posted by Jim Thompson in Media Story
Ottawa Citizen The federal government continues to have some explaining to do about Canada’s food-safety system. [More...]
Minister defends meat-inspection system
Mar 18th, 2010
Posted by Jim Thompson in Media Story
By Christina Spencer, Sun Media The federal government defended its ready-to-eat meat-inspection system Wednesday after charges that it upholds a higher standard for meats destined for the United States than for foods consumed only in Canada. [More...]
Reality Check
Mar 17th, 2010
Posted by Jim Thompson in News Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 17 March, 2010 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 [...]
Walkom: Tainted meat and red tape
Mar 17th, 2010
Posted by Jim Thompson in Media Story
By Thomas Walkom, Toronto Star In theory, everyone likes getting rid of red tape. When federal Finance Minister Jim Flaherty announced earlier this month that the Conservative government would set up a commission to do just that, many Canadians cheered. [More...]
U.S. had to force Canada to beef up meat inspections: union
Mar 17th, 2010
Posted by Jim Thompson in Media Story
The Canadian Press The union representing the country’s food inspectors says Canada increased its meat-plant inspection schedule only after complaints from the United States. [More...]
Questions raised about gap in food inspection standards
Mar 17th, 2010
Posted by Jim Thompson in Media Story
By Gloria Galloway, Globe and Mail As investigators probe an unusual number of listeriosis cases in Ontario this year alongside a new tainted-meat recall, food inspectors have raised fresh questions about gaps between Canadian and U.S. food safety regimes. [More...]
Another listeria scare at a Toronto meat processing plant
Mar 16th, 2010
Posted by Jim Thompson in Media Story
Listeriosis cases linked to deli meat
Mar 13th, 2010
Posted by Jim Thompson in Media Story
By Sarah Schmidt, Canwest News Service Ontario’s chief medical officer confirmed Friday a genetic match between listeriosis cases and contaminated deli meat produced at a federally regulated meat plant — the first match since Canada was rocked in the summer of 2008 with a deadly outbreak. [More...]
Listeria spike triggers hospitalizations
Mar 13th, 2010
Posted by Jim Thompson in Media Story
By Robert Cribb, The Toronto Star Two Ontarians were hospitalized — and another two deaths are being investigated — in relation to a listeria outbreak traced to a Toronto deli meat manufacturer. [More...]
Video: Chris Olsen on Maple Leaf recall
Mar 10th, 2010
Posted by Jim Thompson in Media Story
CTV British Columbia
Video: Inspecting Ottawa’s food inspector promise
Mar 9th, 2010
Posted by Jim Thompson in Media Story
Global National
Government gets failing grade on food safety
Jan 28th, 2010
Posted by Jim Thompson in Media Story
By Christina Spencer, Parliamentary Bureau SUN News Service OTTAWA — The union representing federal meat inspectors has given the government a failing grade for moving too slowly to boost food safety since the listeriosis outbreak of 2008 that killed at least 22 people. [More]
Food inspection agency hasn’t acted on safety recommendations: report
Jan 27th, 2010
Posted by Jim Thompson in Media Story
By Sarah Schmidt, Canwest News Service OTTAWA — The Canadian Food Inspection Agency on Wednesday received a failing grade from its own meat inspectors for not acting on the “vast majority” of recommendations made six months ago to improve food safety. [More]
Federal Government gets failing grade on food safety
Jan 27th, 2010
Posted by Jim Thompson in News Release
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 [...]
Mould, slime found at Listeria-stricken meat plant weeks after heavy cleaning
Nov 8th, 2009
Posted by Jim Thompson in Media Story
By: Steve Rennie, The Canadian Press OTTAWA – Newly released inspection reports reveal that 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, and that inspectors found a troubling lack of hygiene at the company’s Toronto facility just weeks after it [...]
Listeriosis report slams leadership
Jul 22nd, 2009
Posted by Jim Thompson in Media Story
Minister rules out any compensation for victims’ families By: Sarah Schmidt and Meagan Fitzpatrick, National Post A “void in leadership” within the federal government during last summer’s deadly listeriosis outbreak came after company officials and over-worked meat inspectors failed to identify a persistent listeria problem at the Maple Leaf Foods plant, according to a highly [...]
Food safety report leaves many questions
Jul 22nd, 2009
Posted by Jim Thompson in Media Story
Analysis catalogues succession of failures that led to troubling tragedy By: Robert Cribb, Toronto Star Twenty-two dead. Hundreds sickened. Six months of inquiry. Nearly $3 million in public money. The result: 57 recommendations for improving a food safety system that allowed listeria buried inside a meat slicer in a Toronto-area Maple Leaf plant to reach [...]
Food safety investigation falls short
Jul 21st, 2009
Posted by Jim Thompson in News Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 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 [...]
Meat inspections lasted less than 2 hours a day
Jul 11th, 2009
Posted by Jim Thompson in Media Story
Officials spent most of their time on paperwork at Maple Leaf plant leading up to listeria crisis By: Robert Cribb, Toronto Star Federal inspectors monitoring the Maple Leaf plant at the centre of Canada’s largest listeria outbreak spent less than two hours a day at the facility – often dropping in for as little as [...]
Tainted meat linked to shortage of inspectors
May 26th, 2009
Posted by Jim Thompson in Media Story
By: Joanna Smith, Toronto Star OTTAWA – The head of the federal food inspectors’ union said an outbreak of deadly bacteria traced to ready-to-eat meats might have been prevented if the Canadian Food Inspection Agency had hired twice as many watchdogs. “I think it’s likely that it might not have happened,” Bob Kingston, president of [...]
CFIA admits lack of inspections at Maple Leaf plant
Apr 26th, 2009
Posted by Jim Thompson in Media Story
By: Sarah Schmidt, Vancouver Sun OTTAWA — The Canadian Food Inspection Agency did not conduct required in-depth audits of the Maple Leaf plant in the year leading up to the deadly listeriosis outbreak last summer. Quarterly audits were supposed to be done until December 2007 at the Toronto meat plant, but the agency confirmed Sunday [...]
McCain’s food safety fix requires more inspectors
Apr 20th, 2009
Posted by Jim Thompson in News Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 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 [...]
How safe is your food?
Oct 29th, 2008
Posted by Jim Thompson in Media Story
Twenty dead. A company under siege. The unsettling truth about the Maple Leaf outbreak. By: MICHAEL FRISCOLANTI, Maclean’s The Clark family reunion was scheduled for the third weekend of July. Uncles and cousins and in-laws, from as far away as Utah and Florida, had marked the date on their calendars months before. Plane tickets were [...]
Food Safety segment on CBC Radio’s ‘The Current”
Sep 22nd, 2008
Posted by Jim Thompson in Media Story
Vote for better food safety policies, unions say
Sep 12th, 2008
Posted by Jim Thompson in Media Story
CBC News Canadians should vote for the candidate who commits to improving food safety, two unions urged as they launched a national advertising campaign on Friday. A single strain of listeria has been linked to 16 deaths traced to a Maple Leaf Foods meat processing plant in Toronto, prompting a nationwide recall of meat products. [...]
