US demands more meat-processing inspection in Canada
Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) is beefing up inspections after USDA inspectors found large meat-processing plants failed to meet US food safety standards.
The USDA requires the inspection cycle of at least one visit for every 12 hours of production. This was instituted last November 2009 so operators in Canada could continue to export their products to the US.
Increasing safety alarms come as one of Toronto processing plants, Siena Foods Ltd, stopped production after being blamed for producing salami and prosciutto carrying listeriosis that put two people in the hospital last December. This is the first time a facility has shut down since Canada was rocked with a deadly listeriosis outbreak associated to Maple Leaf Foods deli meats two years ago.
The CFIA said there is an additional C$13 million (US$12.7 million) in this year's budget to hire new inspectors in order to meet the USDA 12-hour rule. This can translate to approximately 100 new hires for conducting inspection on meat and poultry facilities over the coming year.
The USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service said it performs annual audits ''to ensure that any nation exporting meat to the US has a meat-inspection system that is equivalent to that in the US.''
