Maple Leaf Plant’s Problems Persisted After Listeria Find

A Maple Leaf Foods plant that was scrubbed from top to bottom after a deadly listeriosis outbreak continued to have problems in the months that followed, 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.

Maple Leaf says inspectors were looking more carefully at the plant after the listeriosis crisis, so naturally they found more problems.

Maple Leaf put in place more than 200 new standard operating procedures after the listeriosis outbreak, but it took workers time to learn them, said the company’s chief food-safety officer, Dr. Randy Huffman. He said that through that learning process, the company has continuously improved its approach to food safety.

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