Ottawa – Canada’s meat processing industry supports the new safeguards for E. coli in beef that were announced earlier today by Agriculture and Agri-Food Minister Gerry Ritz as one component of the “Safe Food For Canadians Action Plan.”
“Canada’s meat processors work cooperatively with Health Canada and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency to improve food safety standards in Canada” said Canadian Meat Council President Ray Price. “We commit to work pro-actively with the Canadian Food Inspection Agency on the timely implementation of the new monitoring and control measures for E. coli that Minister Ritz has announced,” added Price.
E. coli enters beef processing plants on the hides or in the intestines of cattle. Federally registered establishments maintain stringent food safety management systems incorporating a series of hurdles designed to reduce the possibility that E. coli may be present in processed meat products. In-plant interventions include hide-on carcass washes, thermal pasteurization with hot water and/or steam, and antibacterial organic acid rinses. In addition, steam vacuuming is an effective tool for spot decontamination.
Although rare, when food safety incidents do occur, the industry cooperates with the Canadian Food Inspection Agency to gain insight into causes and to identify and implement measures to prevent a recurrence.
“That is why meat processors created an E. coli Working Group and that is why the industry supports the new measures for the control and monitoring of E. coli and for the labelling of mechanically tenderized beef cuts,” said Canadian Meat Council Executive Director Jim Laws. “We also welcome Health Canada’s proposal for mandatory labelling of all mechanically tenderized beef sold at retail outlets like supermarkets. This will provide consumers with better safe food handling and cooking information,” added Laws.
With annual sales of $24.1 billion, beef exports of $1.3 billion, pork exports of $3.2 billion and 70,000 jobs – the Canadian meat industry is the largest component of this country’s food processing sector. The Canadian Meat Council has been representing Canada’s federally inspected meat processing industry since 1919.
Source: Canadian Meat Council