A Maple Leaf hasn't been near the Stanley Cup in 40 years; you're safe from listeria
Spirits were high Saturday night as the Toronto Maple Leafs opened their at-home hockey season night to the rhythms of the Smashing Pumpkins.
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Fresh off an unexpected victory against defending Stanley Cup champs, the Detroit Red Wings, on Thursday, and with a bad Def Leopard live performance following the game, things were looking up for the Leafs.
The Leafs lost horribly to Montreal on Saturday night and reality set in.
Companies, like hockey teams, can also show flashes of brilliance, only to revert to old ways.
Michael McCain, president and CEO of Toronto-based Maple Leaf Foods, was widely praised for his compassionate and heartfelt response to the deaths of now 20 people from Maple Leaf cold-cuts.
But now Mr. McCain has taken to lecturing Canadians on the realities – or at least Mr. McCain’s realities – of the inevitability of listeria in everything, reminding me of the Tragically Hip song that goes, “I thought you beat the death of inevitability to death just a little bit. …
“We don’t’ go to hell, the memories of us do.”
McCain is using the increased media spotlight not to call for increased warnings to vulnerable populations, like the 20 who died, and pregnant woman (because, after all, listeria is everywhere) but to say how unfair it is that McCain’s Maple Leaf Foods has to compete with small plants.
"Right now, we have two-tier system. It is clear to me and, I think, most scientists would agree with this, that the provincial standards are not at the same level as the federal standards. … Right now, saying it's acceptable for Canadian consumers to have one standard that applies to companies like Maple Leaf and another standard that is significantly below that for many, many others who are provincially inspected is not right for consumers. …
"That's actually the travesty. If they were aware and they made a conscious choice that's acceptable to them, everybody is free to make a good choice. But I think the travesty here is they're probably not even aware of different standards out there."
OK, Mr. McCain, give consumers the choice and, as Carl says, stop whining. Market food safety. Advertize your allegedly superior food safety protocols. Put it on the label. And warn those populations who are particularly vulnerable – and missing from your latest missives.
Below is a video clip from the Canadian band and hockey fanatics, The Tragically Hip, with some apt lyrics:
it's a monumental big screen kiss
it's so deep it's meaningless
Oh, and the joke making the rounds in Canada?
“Q & A's from Health Canada
“ Q: The Stanley Cup was recently on tour in my town, and I kissed it. Do I have to worry about being infected by listeria?
“A: You are safe. The Stanley Cup has not been in contact with any Maple Leaf in over 40 years.”
Canadian Thanksgiving dinner tonight - hopefully I won't make anyone barf
Thanksgiving has always been my favorite holiday – a celebration of the harvest with food, friends and family.
Canadian Thanksgiving is today, so in an effort to enhance Canadian Studies, or at least the ability of Kansans to be able to geographically identify Canada as that place up north, Amy and I host an annual dinner, for ex-pats and, this year, our students.
They never turn down food. We remember what it’s like to be students.
But the supermarket I frequent didn’t have whole turkeys – American Thanksgiving isn’t until the end of November. There was, however, a fresh, huge turkey breast, reduced for quick sale (which meant I couldn’t thaw my turkey on the kitchen counter). So I bought two, experimented, and will be using the trusty meat thermometer.
We’re going to go eat, when the other 10 people arrive.
A video will be up in a few days.
Maple Leaf says listeria happens; Carl says, stop whining
Michael McCain, president of Maple Leaf Foods, told a press conference yesterday that continuing to find listeria in the plant responsible for producing luncheon meats that have killed 26 and sickened 63 in Canada was no biggie.
“To suggest a shock at a positive environmental test is at best misguided and at worst fear mongering.”
As Toronto’s Globe and Mail reported this morning,
When the company's deli meats were first linked to an outbreak of the food-borne disease known as listeriosis last August, it was a humble Mr. McCain who stood before television cameras and reporters and apologized.
Yesterday, by contrast, he defiantly reproached those who have criticized Canada's food-safety watchdog, including the media, accusing them of undermining the public's confidence in the system and of potentially jeopardizing thousands of jobs.
“There's been a lot of criticism of the [Canadian Food Inspection Agency] in recent weeks,” he said. “While there's likely lots of blame to go around, I personally see no balance in the reporting.” …
He said it is unrealistic for the public to have zero tolerance for the bacteria because it is everywhere in the environment.
“Frankly, if that was the tolerance level of Canadians, then Canadians would starve. They wouldn't eat.”
Mr. McCain, this isn’t gotcha journalism and you’re not Sarah Palin. Yes, you have finally released some test results -- four out of 3,850 product samples and one environmental sample out of 671 tested positive for listeria in product that was never released to the public – but you refuse to release results prior to public notification of the outbreak.
Yes, this is the most scrutinized plant in North America. Apparently more inspectors, even with listeria goggles, won’t make the listeria go away. The political opportunism being practiced by the inspector’s union and various parties falling over themselves to promise the hiring of more inspectors in the lead-up to Canada’s federal election on Tuesday is breathtakingly offensive to the sick and dead – I think I just threw up a bit in my mouth.
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And yes, the risk is small -- Mansel Griffiths, an adviser to Maple Leaf, said the tiny fraction of products that tested positive, 0.1 per cent, was in the range that would be found in deli meats for sale in Canada, ranging from 0.1 to .03 per cent – but I’m sure glad you’re not advising pregnant women, like my wife, who are 20 times more susceptible to infection with listeria – a bug that has a 20-30 per cent kill rate.
Now that Mr. McCain is a listeria expert, telling Canadians to get over it, listeria happens, I wonder why he never issued such a warning about the risk of listeria in his products before 26 were killed. Would he serve cold cuts to the elderly in nursing homes where many of the 20 confirmed deaths occurred? What would he recommend to one of his pregnant family members? That listeria happens?
In response to the initial coverage of Mr. McCain’s statements yesterday, Carl, a former USDA guru e-mailed me, stating,
“Ummm, maybe someone ought to point McCain to Nebraska's series of webinars. It'll take more than the webinars but it could be a start. Eliminating listeriae in plants has been done but it takes effort and diligence not just whining.”
Here’s the info for the latest listeria webinar from Nebraska.
Free Web Seminars on Controlling Listeria monocytogenes on Ready-to-Eat Meat and Poultry Products and in the RTE Processing Environment
The Listeria monocytogenes is a foodborne pathogen and is most often transmitted through ready-to-eat (RTE) foods products contaminated with this pathogen. People at most risk for illness and infection due to this pathogen are young, elderly and those will weakened immune systems such as the immuno-compromised.
The USDA-FSIS requires the Ready-to-Eat (RTE) meat and poultry processors to control Listeria monocytogenes in the environment and on their products. The web-seminar is designed to help small and very small RTE meat and poultry businesses to address Listeria in their RTE environment and ways to reduce the Listeria risk in their products. The web-seminar is designed to update you and provide you an opportunity to ask questions and get answers from the experts.
The University of Nebraska along with its collaborating partners, Colorado State University, Cornell University, Kansas State University and The Ohio State University is conducting a series of free web seminars to inform and educate the RTE meat and poultry processors on various aspects of controlling the organism in the RTE processing environment and on the product. This web seminar series is funded through a grant from the National Integrated Food Safety Initiative (Special Emphasis Grant No. 2005-511110-03278) of the CSREES, U.S. Department of Agriculture.
The next session is scheduled for Oct 15, 2008 from 11:00 AM to 12:00 PM (CST). Those interested can participate in these free web seminars by logging in at the following website:
http://connect.extension.iastate.edu/nebraska/
To receive notifications and presentation materials ahead of the web seminar, please register by sending an e-mail to Nina Murray at nmurray2@unl.edu with your name and e-mail.
Topic: L. monocytogenes Control Strategies: Quality Effects on RTE Meat Products Speaker: Dr. Dennis Burson, University of Nebraska
Dr. Dennis Burson is a Professor of meat science in the Department of Animal Science at the University of Nebraska, Lincoln. He also serves as the Extension meat specialist for the state of Nebraska and assists the meat, poultry and egg industry with outreach activities. He received his B.S. degree from University of Nebraska and his M.S. and Ph.D. degrees from Kansas State University. His outreach focus is on improving quality, consistency and value of market animals, value addition and processing of meat products and food safety for meat and poultry processors. Dr. Burson has conducted numerous meat processing, harvesting and quality workshops in addition to food safety workshops including HACCP for the meat and poultry industry over the years and still is very active in the food safety outreach programs. He coordinates the four state consortium of Universities (UNL, KSU, SDSU, and Missouri) and holds several HACCP workshops within each of the states every year. He has taught several courses, including animal and carcass evaluation, principles of meat evaluation, grading and judging and advanced meat grading and evaluation. Dr. Burson is active in several professional organizations, including American Meat Science Association, Institute of Food Technologists and International Association for Food Protection among others.
Topic: Tracking Listeria in the RTE Meat and Poultry Processing Environment: DNA Based Methods Speaker: Dr. Kendra Nightingale, Colorado State University
Kendra Nightingale is originally from a small farming community in western Kansas. Kendra received a B.S. degree in Agriculture from Kansas State University, where she participated in the undergraduate honors program. Kendra also holds a M.S. degree from Kansas State University in Food Science, where her research evaluated the use of lactoferrin, a milk-derived protein, to decontaminate and extend the shelf-life of beef products. Kendra Nightingale completed her Ph.D. at Cornell University in Food Science with a concentration in Food Microbiology and minors in Epidemiology and Microbiology. Her Ph.D. work probed the molecular epidemiology, ecology, and evolution of the human foodborne and animal pathogen Listeria monocytogenes. Kendra also completed her postdoctoral training in the Department of Food Science at Cornell University. Kendra joined the Department of Animal Sciences at Colorado State University as an Assistant Professor in 2006.
More of the same from Maple Leaf, CFIA
Maple Leaf Foods president and CEO Michael McCain said last night that “consistent with normal findings and practices” listeria continues to be found at the same facility that produced cold-cuts linked to at least 20 deaths and 50 illnesses in Canada.
“Listeriosis is an exceptionally rare illness,” he said, “but we are taking every precaution possible.”
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I’m sure the illness didn’t feel exceptionally rare to the sick and the dead.
Mr. McCain also reiterated that,
“Listeria exists in all food plants, all supermarkets and presumably in all kitchens,”
which is exactly why my pregnant wife and Ben’s pregnant wife didn’t go near Maple Leaf or any other cold cuts during their pregnancies. So I’m sure Mr. McCain will put as much energy and resources into advising vulnerable populations to stay away from Maple Leaf cold-cuts and other refrigerated ready-to-eat foods as he is into re-opening the Toronto plant.
And if Maple Leaf is now “behaving in the most conservative way possible,” what were they doing before the listeria outbreak became public knowledge on Aug. 20, 2008?
Confidential data obtained by the Toronto Star and CBC and reported last night revealed that two-thirds of Maple Leaf meat samples collected from Toronto hospitals and nursing homes tested positive for a virulent strain of listeria just before the country’s largest food recall.
The test results show a dramatically high percentage of bacteria-laced ham, corned beef, turkey, and roast beef was being served to hundreds of vulnerable hospital patients and seniors. Experts say it’s more contamination than they have seen and further evidence of a health risk that should have reached the public’s attention sooner.
“There shouldn’t be any positives,” says Rick Holley, a food safety expert at the University of Manitoba. “The reality is if you did a survey in the market, you might find one or two at most out of this sample that are positive ... And it is a particularly virulent strain of listeria. It’s one of the bad ones.” …
“I’d never seen anything like this,” said Dr. Vinita Dubey, Toronto’s associate medical officer of health. “The fact that so many came back positive shows how contaminated the source was.”
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So given the high level of contamination, what did the Canadian Food Inspection Agency do? Insist on more testing, because epidemiology is not enough to protect the health of Canadians.
In a conference call with members of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency on Aug. 14, Toronto officials told the agency they had enough evidence to make a connection and pressed the CFIA to warn the public about Maple Leaf products.
CFIA officials, however, said they needed to wait for one more set of test results from unopened meat packages.
While the CFIA had identified listeria bacteria at the Maple Leaf Foods meat processing plant in Toronto and even begun an investigation of the company by that time, the federal agency said it wanted definitive test results to see whether it was the same strain as the one responsible for the outbreak.
The CFIA declined a request for an interview with CBC News. The agency maintained that it requires hard scientific proof before it can recall food or issue warnings to the public.
Toronto Public Health said it had gathered plenty of evidence during July and August that linked Maple Leaf meat products to the outbreak, including:
* two deaths linked to listeriosis
* more cases being reported
* meat samples from sandwiches tested positive
* samples from opened meat packages were taken
During a 2005 outbreak of salmonella found in bean sprouts in Kingston, Ont., regional health officials didn't wait for definitive proof to issue their own recall.
"I think it's a less desirable approach, from the point of view of the people we serve, to say, 'We'll have to wait and have confirmation before we can intervene,'" said Dr. Ian Gemmill, the medical officer of health for the Kingston Area Health Unit.
The locals sound increasingly frustrated with CFIA. Until there is a clear policy on when to go public, expect more failures and frustration in the future.
Asked for the listeria test results leading up to the outbreak, the Maple Leaf spokesthingy said last week that, in the spirit of open and transparent co-operation and a genuine desire to improve the safety of refrigerated, ready-to-eat foods, the company would not release them publicly.
Salmonella Poona outbreak in Canada and U.S.
The Public Health Agency of Canada, still smarting from criticism over its absence in the listeria outbreak, decided to show up Sunday night and advise Canadians about melamine, and a North American-wide Salmonella Poona outbreak
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In Canada to date, there have been 6 cases spread across Manitoba, Quebec and Nova Scotia with the same genetic fingerprint, and 14 other suspected cases in Ontario. No one has been hospitalized so far. There have been 48 cases reported in the U.S.
The cause of the potential outbreak is not known at this time. Provincial laboratories and the Agency's National Microbiology Laboratory are conducting ongoing analyses to determine if other Salmonella Poona cases share the same genetic fingerprint as those identified thus far. The number of cases associated with this outbreak may increase as the investigation continues. … The Agency will keep Canadians informed as new information becomes available.
Salmonella Poona has been associated with outbreaks in cantaloupes and turtles. Given the outbreak of Salmonella – strain not yet identified in U.S. reports -- involving pet turtles and up to 100 Americans announced last week, it’s probably the same outbreak.
But with the Public Health Agency of Canada who knows.
Don't kiss turtles.
Play cold-cut cannon and shoot down stupid listeria statements
CanWest is reporting that a new website that allows people to shoot down pictures of Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz with a cannon firing cold cuts has surfaced on the Internet, as calls for his resignation continue to grow over jokes he made during the deadly listeriosis outbreak.
Set against a backdrop of Parliament Hill, the satirical website - www.deathby1000coldcuts.info - invites participants to "fire salami slices from your cold cut cannon over the skies of Parliament to defend the honour of Canada and the sensibilities of your fellow citizens!"
Handling of the listeriosis outbreak is a disgrace
That’s the headline from this morning’s Globe and Mail, Canada’s self-proclaimed national newspaper.
Veteran medical reporter Andre Picard writes,
“In Canada, we have developed a perverse fondness for commissions of inquiry and their retrospective self-flagellation and contrition.
Inquiries are explicitly forbidden from laying blame, criminal or civil. They invariably make wonderful recommendations - most of them glaringly obvious - and many of which will never be implemented.
“What ever happened to people actually doing their jobs? What happened to taking responsibility? And what about the quaint notion that governments should govern?
Before we spend $10-million or $20-million or $50-million on an inquiry into luncheon meats, let's step back for a minute and examine what we know about what happened, what went wrong and how we can do better. …
Nor do you need an esteemed judge and hours of cross-examination by top-notch legal counsel to know that the response to suspected contamination of mass-produced meat products was far too slow and secretive.
People started dying in June, and it took until mid-August to trace the problem to the plant. On Aug. 13, when the Canadian Food Inspection Agency was in the plant looking for the source of listeria monocytogenes, Maple Leaf started warning distributors to stop shipping some meats. But nobody told the public to stop eating them.
By Aug. 17, there were positive lab tests and it was abundantly clear a number of deaths were due to the contamination. Yet it wasn't until Aug. 20 that the public was really warned of the extent of the problem. And products were still being recalled, in piecemeal fashion, into September. …
The way the CFIA warns the public of food-borne threats and manages recalls is a disgrace. Transparency and good communication are essential in responding to any public health threat but, at the CFIA, information is released in dribs and drabs, without coherence or context, and almost always on a voluntary basis by manufacturers.
In this case, thankfully, Maple Leaf was, after some initial foot-dragging, quite open. CEO Michael McCain gave the public more information and explanation than all government agencies combined. He also had the backbone and decency to apologize.
Federal cabinet ministers contented themselves with uttering a few platitudes.
Gerry Ritz, the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Foods, had this to say more than three weeks after the outbreak was discovered: "Our professionals are working to resolve this situation as quickly as possible." Instead of an apologia for second-rate work, he should have been kicking CFIA butts around the block.
Health Minister Tony Clement, for his part, was gushing with pride about the actions of the Public Health Agency of Canada even before the final body count was in.
We don't need more reports to gather dust on shelves. … And above all, you need to take responsibility for your actions (and inaction).
That is something government agencies like CFIA and PHAC, and in particular their political masters, seem unable to grasp.
That willful blindness and aversion to leadership is a bigger threat to the health of Canadians than bacteria in luncheon meats."
Playing politics with listeria in Canada
“In October, 1996, 16-month-old Anna Gimmestad of Denver drank Smoothie juice manufactured by Odwalla Inc. of Half Moon Bay, Calif. She died several weeks later; 64 others became ill in several western U.S. states and British Columbia after drinking the same juices, which contained unpasteurized apple cider --and E. coli O157:H7. Investigators believe that some of the apples used to make the cider may have been insufficiently washed after falling to the ground and coming into contact with deer feces.
“The Odwalla outbreak, and dozens of others, illustrate some basics about E. coli O157:H7 that have gotten lost in the rush --especially by some virulent columnists --to describe the Walkerton outbreak through the filters of political preference. E. coli O157:H7 is part of nature, a natural world that will change and adapt as humans alter their version of the world. But for all the railing against so-called factory or industrial farming, the links remain tenuous. In fact, such assumptions and finger-pointing can actually be dangerous as individuals become less vigilant, assuming that such problems only happen to other people in other places.”
That’s what I wrote in Canada’s National Post on June 3, 2000 in the wake of the Walerton, Ontario, E. coli O157:H7 outbreak which would kill seven and sicken 2,500 in a town of 5,000.
The person in charge of the municipal water system for Walkerton was found to add chlorine based on smell and criminally convicted; the farm was a cow-calf operation that was the poster farm for Environmental Farm Plans.
No matter.
The same mind-numbing politics is now dominating the listeria outbreak in Canada which has killed 19 and sickened dozens.
The cause of the outbreak appears to be the accumulation of listeria in meat slicers used at the Maple Leaf plant in Toronto. The feds have advised all registered establishments that manufacture ready-to-eat meat products to step up their cleaning protocols. Bill Marler noted some other examples related to listeria and meat slicers in a post this morning.
No matter.
A letter writer to the Toronto Star this morning says the only people affected by listeria are “those whose immune systems are low because they have been eating a nutritionally poor diet of mostly processed foods … we would all be better off if we bought fresh, unprocessed food from local farms. These foods would keep our immune systems strong so they could easily ward off a few harmful bacteria.
Guess the letter writer has never heard of pregnant women getting listeria (see next post).
On Saturday, Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper set the terms of reference for an investigation into the listeriosis outbreak:
• Examine the events, circumstances and factors that contributed to the outbreak.
• Review the efficiency and effectiveness of the response by federal agencies in terms of prevention, the recall of contaminated products, and collaboration and communication among partners in the food safety system and the public.
• Make recommendations aimed at enhancing prevention of future outbreaks and the removal of contaminated products from stores and warehouses.
No matter.
The report is due before March 15, 2009.
Harper then called a Canadian election for Oct. 14, 2008.
Bob Kingston, president of the Public Service Alliance of Canada's Agriculture Union, said in a news release,
"We already know the problem is too few inspectors . . . in a system that relies too much on the food industry to police itself.”
Apparently the union inspectors have super vision and can see listeria – especially in the depths of slicing machines.
Others are calling for a full-scale inquiry, like what happened after Walkerton and in Ontario after some dodgy meat slaughtering practices were uncovered (the Haines report). I participated in both inquiries. There is no need for another.
The Ministers of Agriculture and Health, or the Prime Minister’s office, need to call up the bureaucrats and say,
"People are pissed. Give me a clear accounting of who knew what when so I can give a clear accounting to the public. I want the report on my desk Monday at 7 a.m. I’ve got an election campaign going on."
17 confirmed and suspected dead in Canadian listeria outbreak
The listeria outbreak in Canada goes from bad to worse as authorities announced Sunday afternoon (Aug. 31/08) there are now 11 confirmed and 6 suspected deaths linked to consumption of Maple Leaf deli meats; further, 33 are confirmed ill and another 25 are suspected of being ill with the outbreak strain. However, no comprehensive timeline for the onset of illnesses has been provided.
The developments over the past week are difficult to keep straight. As journalists probe how this happened – how the risk of Listeria monocytogenes was managed – a number of revelations have emerged:
• employees are alleging that sanitation at the suspect plant was substandard prior to the outbreak and that daily cleaning procedures were not consistently followed or thorough enough;
• U.S. Department of Agriculture audits found that 19 of 20 Canadian plants were not complying with sanitation standards, while Canadian inspectors were not always aware of their duties, "and were not well trained in the performance of their inspection tasks;" Canadian regulators urged the Americans to soften their language;
• Rick Holley of the University of Manitoba said Canada lacks the surveillance systems that could lead to better detection of foodborne illnesses, in stark contrast to the United States, which takes a much more active approach to addressing food safety through the FoodNet system.
• until Friday, when David Williams, Ontario's chief medical officer of health, revealed that most of the fatalities in Ontario occurred in July, no details had been released on when individuals died or when they first became sick;
• a separate outbreak of listeria in cheese has emerged in Quebec sickeneing 47 people and leading to the suspension of product sales from the Île aux Grues cheese company;
• an additional separate outbreak of Salmonella in cheese in Quebec has killed one and sickened at least 87 others and lead to additional recalls of three cheeses manufactured by Fromages La Chaudiere Inc.; and,
• Canada’s minister of agriculture and agri-food, Gerry Ritz, held a news conference Thursday to assure Canadians "our food safety system is the best in the world" and that work will continue to improve it.
And now, a message from Canada's chief public health officer that went on youtube Thursday.
The shit that is listeria in Canada
The first time I met Amy, at a Canadian studies club meeting at Kansas State, I told Amy the French professor that French food was overrated and that sleeping with her cocker spaniel was a microbiological hazard.
She asked me out anyway.
Today we walked up to school and Sadie, the dog that saved our relationship, had a dump. And then there was this worm-like turd hanging out of her ass.
I thought and hoped and prayed it would go away.
It didn’t.
So I grabbed a stick and tried to knock the poop off her ass.
No luck.
So Amy gave me a tissue and I pulled the hanging turd out of her ass and there was another six inches of stick that came out.
Gross. Like when my daughter Courtlynn hurled as the plane landed in Atlanta – those airplane barf bags are fairly solid and I got it in time.
I really just needed a break from writing about the shit that is listeria in Canada.
Maple Leaf cold-cuts confirmed as listeria source in Canada: at least 5 dead, dozens ill
Canwest News Service is first out of the block, citing a senior government official as saying Saturday that testing has confirmed that an outbreak of listeriosis that has claimed at least four lives – and probably several more -- across Canada has now been positively linked to processed meats produced at Maple Leaf Consumer Foods.
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Earlier Saturday, the Public Health Agency of Canada upped to 21 the number of cases of a deadly listeriosis outbreak that have been confirmed so far in four provinces. The agency said in a statement that 16 of the cases were found in Ontario, three in British Columbia, and one each in Saskatchewan and in Quebec.
Three deaths in Ontario - St. Catharines, Hamilton and Waterloo - have been officially tied to the deadly strain of the food-borne listeria bacterium, and a fourth death on Vancouver Island has also been attributed to the strain.
The public health agency also said a further 30 suspected cases remain under investigation. Of those, 14 are in Ontario, eight are in Quebec, four are in Alberta and two each are in B.C. and Saskatchewan.
So, with the positive ID, will Canadian politicians and bureaucrats keep smugly bragging about their wonderful system for foodborne disease surveillance?
It’s impossible to tell from the various public statements who became sick when, and whether the system really worked or not. If you’re going to brag about how the system is working, you have to provide dates for onset of illness and deaths. Those dates have not been provided. Take a look at the updates from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control concerning the Salmonella Saintpaul outbreak and compare that with what comes out of various Canadian agencies. There is no comparison.
Tell the public what you know, what you don’t know, and what you’re doing to find out more.
Death toll from listeria in Canada climbs
Depending on what sources are cited, there are now four confirmed deaths in Ontario and one in B.C. from the same strain of listeria. Several more deaths are being investigated, and the number of ill will continue to rise.
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The spin that various social actors and politicians are putting on this listeria outbreak is beyond gross – it’s set a new low for unwarranted aggrandizing.
While preparing to do a live interview with CBC NewsWorld on Thurs., the host introduced the program by saying that the first case of listeria was in a 36-year-old pregnant woman in late June. As a pregnant Amy looked on – she’s very supportive of my media activities and viciously edits much of my writing, and vice-versa – I tried not to go, WTF, as the cameras were rolling.
So I’m baffled why various politicians and health types are bragging about how well the system worked to identify this outbreak.
Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty said Friday that it was Ontario that "blew the whistle," stating,
"We've put in place a new system that allows us to detect an outbreak and to see a pattern very early in the game. I'm glad we got hold of it early and now we'll take serious steps working with the feds to put it behind us."
Robert Clarke, the assistant deputy minister of the Public Health Agency of Canada, said Friday that the government's actions in this case were quite rapid and an illustration of success.
"The fact that it actually moved along, got investigated, ended up at CFIA and others finding samples that were positive in the food was actually quite fast in terms of how these things could progress.”
Premier and PHAC dude, two months after the first case is not an early warning system. And while you’re blowing yourselves, how about a little empathy for the sick and dead?
On Friday, Michael McCain, president of Maple Leaf Foods, published a full-page open letter in major Canadian newspapers, stressing the steps the company has taken, including a voluntary recall of 23 meat products.
In an internal e-mail to Maple Leaf employees Thursday morning, McCain said,
“I'm sure most of you have read the newspapers and listened to the TV or radio reports like I have. This isn't something we should ever want to be in the news about, but we have no reason to hang our heads - we're doing what is the right thing to do in this situation…acting responsibly and with extraordinary precaution.
“The headlines certainly suggest that our product are the cause of the illness and single death reported. It is important to note that:
• Listeria exists all around us in our environment, all the time. 10% of us carry it on us (according to some reports), and it exists in broad types of food in small percentages.
• Listeriosis, caused by Listeria Monocytogenes, occurs regularly (some 60 cases per year in Canada), and is mostly effecting the immune deficient (see previous descriptions), and very sadly people do die from this who are susceptible
• All we know factually is this….we have had three small samples of two items test positive for LM, and that Public Health tell us there is an increase in listeriosis illness all connected to a single DNA pattern, with one related death. We DO NOT have factual linkage that these are related to our product, although we could not say it is impossible, given our own positive (albeit small sample) test result. Again, there is no factual linkage we are aware of.
• That is why we took the dramatic action we did - recall all the product (ALL - not just the products in question) from these lines, and shut down the plant for a "deep clean". These were precautionary measures, all made with the most conservative view in mind - well beyond what the CFIA was asking of us.
• The CFIA and Public Health are continuing their investigation.
Of course the media will extend that, and we expected this.”
Did you expect that more people would die? Did you or do you warn pregnant women about the risks associated with consuming your products?
Also, the Globe and Mail reports in Saturday’s edition that four days before Maple Leaf Foods Inc. warned the public that two varieties of sliced meat may have been contaminated with listeria, the company told its distributors to stop shipping three different products and that federal health authorities were investigating its Toronto plant.
On Aug. 13, Maple Leaf sent a letter to its distributors requesting that, as a precautionary measure, they stop shipping the company's Sure Slice roast beef, corned beef and Black Forest ham because the processing plant in Toronto where the meat was produced was under investigation by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency.
On Aug. 17, Maple Leaf recalled its Sure Slice roast beef and corned beef after the roast beef tested positive for Listeria monocytogenes, a food-borne bacterium that can cause serious illness in pregnant women and the elderly.
Then on Aug. 20, after being informed that both the Sure Slice roast beef and corned beef tested positive for listeria in later tests, the company recalled more than 20 deli meats and shut down its Toronto plant for sanitization.
CFIA says they may have some DNA fingerprint results Saturday (its not that hard, some kids figured out half the high-scale fish in New York was bogus). This outbreak is not an early warning system working, it’s a mess. At some point, the politicians and bureaucrats may realize that several people died and dozens are sick unnecessarily. The advice to pregnant women in Canada remains shamefully inadequate.
5 deaths, 38 illnesses being investigated in Canadian listeria outbreak; sub spokesthingy says consumers are 'hypochrondriacs'
It’s been a bizarre day, answering questions about the U.S. moving ahead with approvals for irradiation on some leafy greens, and Canada moving backwards – really backwards – into political grandstanding while people suffer in an expanding listeria outbreak.
The latest news is that five deaths are now being investigated and dozens of illnesses. If you watch some of the media clips you’ll see that undeserved Canadian smugness shining through – ‘we figured this listeria thing out really fast, it took the Americans six months to figure out salmonella in jalapenos’(Maureen Taylor of CBC pokes some big holes in that theory).
My message was the same: Listeria is a dangerous bug, this is a serious outbreak, there were some serious shortcomings in informing the public and six-months pregnant Amy wouldn’t touch a cold-cut or other refrigerated ready-to-eat food whether it was inspected by government or industry or me.
No one was really interested in the sick people or potential risk.
I did a live interview with CBC Newsworld, the 24 hour news channel that is sometimes referred to as Wallyworld. The producer called to do a pre-interview and asked,
“What are your impressions of this listeria outbreak in Canada.”
I said,
“I’m sorry, I don’t do impressions.”
When it came time to do the CBC National News interview, I was chatting with the reporter, and she said I was in Kansas City, and I said,
“Manhattan. Kansas. Kansas State University.”
“Oh, right.”
“Not University of Kansas. Kansas State. People care about that shit down here. I’m from Ontario, I don’t’ get it, but they really care .”
“And they should. Yeah. Kansas State.”
On CBC National News, it said, ‘Doug Powell, University of Kansas.’
Sigh. …
This is a serious outbreak; there is going to be more dead and sick people, and it’s sorta gross that all the social actors quoted by the media seem to care about is advancing their political agendas. And kissing industry ass and providing pregnant Canadian women with lousy advice about listeria.
Most compassionate award of the day goes to Quiznos spokesman Kyle Holmes in Toronto who said,
"At the end of the day, it (this recall) could happen to anybody and fortunately, it didn't happen to us. Recently, we had a tomato recall and our tomatoes were not affected at all but it was still bad publicity. People are hypochondriacs.”
Headline hysteria: Food inspection 'disaster' looms
The reporter started in about how she had some document, and a guy got fired and would I review it.
I said, e-mail it, I don’t want to wake my wife, bye.Last week, it was reported that an employee with the Canadian Food Inspection Agency was fired after sharing a document that supposedly outlines changes to food inspection and labeling in Canada.
This reporter had an exclusive copy of the document and was seeking so-called expert opinion on its contents.
This is what I e-mailed the reporter (I rarely use capitals or proper grammar in e-mail messages)
I've reviewed the document; not sure what the big deal is
government will always being looking to save money, as they should; any proposed change would have to be measured against the potential impact to public health
the underlying principle is: Industry has a responsibility to produce safe food -- from farm to fork. Government is there to verify and enforce.
there are specifics to consider with each summary point -- for example, would eliminating funding for BSE testing encourage less testing?
but based on these summaries, it's difficult to say much; and as the (Ottawa) Citizen story says, there's no surprises here; the agency has been moving in this direction for years
In a subsequent message, I said,
sorry i couldn't have added more, but the real issue seems to be the termination of this person's appointment
CFIA does lots of insufficient food safety things, but they aren't covered in that document
The story that appeared Saturday was typically Canadian – long on speculation, short on substance.
One source, described as “a leading Canadian academic specializing in food risk management” spoke only on the condition of anonymity. What’s the point of having tenure if academics won’t go on the public record? Maybe the unknown academic was embarrassed by his or her comments.
"Reducing food safety controls at this time could be disastrous if there is an outbreak of a new food-borne disease.”
The document contained summary points about shuffling responsibilities – it said nothing about reducing food safety controls. For those who think government is in control when it comes to food safety, spend some time in the food safety world, not just when it’s fashionable.
After paragraphs of baseless speculation, my e-mail message was turned into a quote:
Douglas Powell, scientific director of the International Food Safety Network at Kansas State University, said, "Industry has a responsibility to produce safe food, from farm to fork. Government is there to verify and enforce."
But the best part is what isn’t in the story, A reporter from a national television news outlet called Ben for comment, and subsequently told Ben they had killed the story: not enough substance.
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Canada's surveillance system still sucks
"What is the Canadian Food Inspection Agency doing?""Nothing."
CFIA can speak for itself.
When asked if Canadians were safe from this outbreak, I said, maybe, depends on first figuring out where the contaminated tomatoes were grown, then depends on what was coming into Canada at that point in time.
That uncertainty would help explain why Canadian fast-food outlets pulled fresh tomatoes from their offerings -- at least until the source could be verified.
But, I added, even if someone did get sick, it would be difficult to notice because Canadian health surveillance sucks.
Apparently the Canadian Medical Association agrees, calling the system,
"a national embarrassment."
Dr. Kumanan Wilson writes in the Canadian Medical Association Journal that the Auditor General of Canada has warned 3 times, most recently in May, 2008, that Canada's failure to develop surveillance systems puts Canadians at risk.
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In an accompanying editorial, Dr. Amir Attaran of the University of Ottawa, writing on behalf of CMAJ's editorial team, calls upon the federal government to "legislate a way past the jurisdictional schisms" and make information regarding health epidemics readily available. Currently, "12 of 13 provinces are under no obligation to share information with the federal government or the rest of Canada during an outbreak," writes Dr. Attaran. "We at CMAJ believe this is a national embarrassment."Salmonella contaminated cantaloupe in Canada
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The affected cantaloupes, produce of the United States, were distributed under KingFisher brand name in cartons containing 6 or 9 cantaloupes. The individual cantaloupes may have a sticker with the following information:KingFisher Brand
Produce of USA
UPC : 0 33383 11600 6
#4050
Fisher Ranch Corp., Blythe, CA, 92225
These cantaloupes were distributed in Ontario and sold from May 16 up to and including June 2, 2008.
Consumers who have purchased whole cantaloupes or in-store products containing pieces of fresh cantaloupes and are not sure of the brand should inquire at the place of purchase to verify if the stores have received the affected product.
There have been no reported illnesses associated with the consumption of these cantaloupes.
A table of U.S. outbreaks related to the consumption of cantaloupe is available at: http://www.foodsafety.ksu.edu/articles/1183/cantaloupe_outbreaks_.pdf. We also have preparation tips at http://barfblog.foodsafety.ksu.edu/2008/04/articles/salmonella/safely-preparing-cantaloupe/.
Who has the safest food in the world?
Both require the ability to ask the right question. And both have to sell the same idea at least three times to make a living.
Yesterday, Bob Brackett, senior vice president and chief science and regulatory affairs officer for the Grocery Manufacturers Association, wrote in the Denver Post that "no other country in the world can claim a safer food supply than the United States."
Except that a couple of Canadian researchers at the University of Regina have done just that, issuing a report last week which purports to rank 17 industrialized countries.
The problem is, based on what is publicly available, it's impossible to tell how countries were ranked on various scores.
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For example, the report says,"Canada would be considered as one of the world’s leading countries in relation to consumer affairs in food safety. In terms of incidences of reported illness by food-borne pathogens, Canada is (in) the normal range since it has the incidence between 5,000 and 15,000 per 100,000 persons. Even if Canada has more incidences, it has a decreasing trend of late, which means that all levels of the government had begun to control the situation."
Based on a population of just over 33 million, that means 1.65 -- 4.95 reported illnesses by foodborne pathogens, I'm assuming per year. Nowhere near that many cases of foodborne illness are actually reported. And the best guess on the actual incidence of foodborne illness in Canada is 11-13 million cases per year, slightly higher that the World Health Organization's estimate of 30 per cent of citizens in developed countries getting sick from the food and water they consume each year.
The report authors also claim,
"Canada was also rated as a 'progressive' country based on its food safety education programs for consumers. Unlike other countries, the level of cooperation among the different levels of government in the country is significant and most programs target all segments of the population."
Apparently, no effort was made to assess whether such information was accurate.
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Canada finished fifth, and the U.S. came in seventh. The United Kingdom had the highest ranking of the 17 countries studied. Make mine piping hot.Who has the safest food in the world? Wrong question.
Canada's food not the safest in the world: prof
In the most appropriate use of the word "eh" I've seen today, Holley asked his audience in a March 19 seminar,
"So food in Canada is the safest in the world, eh?"
Every year, one in three people suffered a food-related illness, and around 500 to 1,000 cases were fatal.
Holley said if an outbreak does occur, only one in five people seek medical attention and, out of these, samples are only collected from 13 per cent of these cases. Twice as many Canadians are infected with salmonella and camylobacter when compared to Americans, and eight times as many Canadians than American report E. coli infections.
"These aren’t exactly results you would expect to see if Canada’s food is the safest in the world."
Holley also noted the United States has set targets to drastically cut the spread of these illnesses, which Canada has not.
Kosher certification is causing consumer confidence in processors
Doug begs to differ and wrote last week that "Fancy food does not mean safe food," even when the establishments are certified as kosher.
"The rabbi is more thorough than the guy from the Canadian Food Inspection Agency," insists a nut- and dairy-free snack producer in Victoria.
Another processor claims that the four annual surprise inspections by the rabbi to her facility have caused her to "be more careful about plant maintenance and cleanliness than any government [inspection]."
The Orthodox Union, North America's largest certifier of kosher foods, is now overseeing production at 6,000 facilities in 85 countries around the world. Real or imagined, consumer confidence created by producers' kosher certifications seem to be great for business.
Health Canada pulls holiday recommendations from its ass
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But,"You can help reduce the risk of foodborne illnesses for your family and friends during the holiday season by following some basic food safety tips."
If it's basic, why are so many people getting sick?
The Canadians at least have it right by saying,
"If cooking a turkey for a holiday meal, use a digital food thermometer to make sure it is cooked properly."
That's so much better than the Brits and the Irish.
But then, Health Canada says,
"The temperature of the thickest part of the breast or thigh should be at least 85 degrees C (185 degrees F)."
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No one knows where this recommendation comes from. In the U.S., the recommendation is 165 F, and anyone can figure out where it came from. Apparently no one asks such questions in Canada.World-class boredom: Canada talks about U.S. inspections
The statement below is even more baffling in that there is no mention of the 45 sick Canadians, including one dead person, probably linked to the same world-class meat. And Ted Haney, president of the Canada Beef Export Federation, said in the Toronto Star this morning that, "This is a disruption of trade, a disruption of price and a disruption of production. This simply can't be justified."
At some point, someone in charge -- they make the big bucks -- may explain what kind of testing goes on and provide some data to validate the claims of Canada's world-class status.
In the meantime, Canadian Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz, (exactly as pictured, left) said:
"I have every confidence in the strength and quality of Canada's food safety, and I have strongly stated our Government's disappointment with United States Department of Agriculture's (USDA) decision to temporarily hold and test Canadian beef, pork, and poultry exports to the U.S. We believe that the scope of these measures is not justified nor do they reflect established protocols.
The Government of Canada is committed to maintaining and strengthening Canada's world-class food safety system to ensure that Canadians and our trading partners can purchase our food products with total confidence.
Protecting and promoting the health and safety of Canadians is of paramount importance for this Government, and we highlighted our strong and continued commitment to deliver action on food and product safety in our recent Speech from the Throne.
The Government of Canada is taking an active role in resolving this issue as quickly as possible to minimize any disruption to the Canadian beef, poultry and pork industries. Canadian Food Inspection Agency officials and I are working closely with our American counterparts toward the normalization of cross-border trade.
The Government of Canada is delivering results to maintain and enhance Canada's world-class food safety system and make sure it meets the new challenges of a global marketplace."
Letter to Canada: This is what we're testing
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A letter from Dr. William Jam, Acting Assistant Administrator Office of International Affairs FSIS, USDA, to his Canadian counterpart, just released, says in part:This letter is to alert you that on Friday, November 9, 2007, the Food Safety and Inspection Service(FSIS) will begin increased productexams of exported Canadian meat and poultry products, and pasteurized egg products at import houses in the United States (US). FSIS will also increase testing of raw groundbeef for E. coli OI57:H7. Also, FSIS will begin testing of raw beef manufacturing trim, boxed beef, and subprimals normally sent for grinding for E. coli Ol57:H7. Additionally, FSIS will increase testing for Listeria monocytogenes and Salmonella in ready-to-eat products. The increase product exams, testing of raw ground beef for E. coli Ol57:H7, and for Listeria monocytogenes and Salmonella in ready-to-eat products will be at the rate of approximately double that of the past year for Canada.
These measures are consistent with the statement of Dr. Richard Raymond, USDA Undersecretary for Food Safety released on November 3, 2007 . The measures are a reflection of our concern about the Canadian inspection system based on the audit findings of May 1-Jtrne 6, 2007, and the circumstances related to the unsafe practices employed by Ranchers Beef, Ltd., Establishment 630.
The increase in tests for pathogens will continue while the two US teams currently in Canada complete their audits of Establishment 630, the six establishments that received Notices of Intent to Delist in the last US audit of Canada, the one establishment that was delisted in the last US audit of Canada, and beef slaughter establishments identified as similar to Est. 630 in terms of start-up and operations.
The complete letter is available at http://www.fsis.usda.gov/PDF/Canada_O157_Testing_Letter.pdf
U.S. to boost testing of imported Canadian meat
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The Canadians are jumping through so many hoops I'm not sure who can sort out this Topps Meat-Rancher's Beef recall mess. Talk about bureaucratic.On Oct. 26, 207, USDA, oh and CFIA, said that the multistate outbreak of E. coli O157:H7 infections linked to the Topps Meat Company has been traced back to a defunct Alberta company that apparently provided beef trim to Topps.
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency PR notes that,
"The investigation is examining 45 cases of E. coli O157:H7 that were found in New Brunswick, Quebec, Saskatchewan, Ontario and British Columbia. These cases were previously reported from July to September, 2007. As a result of these cases, eleven people were hospitalized and one elderly individual died."
By Nov. 3, 2007, USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service, perhaps befuddled by the Canadian approach, said it would increase testing for salmonella, Listeria monocytogenes and E. coli O157:H7 on meat and poultry products being imported from Canada after the Topps E. coli outbreak in several U.S. states was traced to beef from a Canadian company.
Dr. Richard Raymond said,
"Effective next week, FSIS will increase testing for Salmonella, Listeria Monocytogenes and E. coli O157:H7 and will require that shipments be held until testing is complete and products are confirmed negative for these pathogens. In addition, Canadian meat and poultry products will receive increased levels of re-inspection by FSIS to confirm they are eligible to enter commerce when presented at the U.S. border.
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"FSIS will also immediately begin an audit of the Canadian food safety system that will focus on Ranchers Beef, Ltd. and will include other similar establishments that export beef to the U.S. Based on information provided by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA), FSIS had previously identified this Canadian plant, which has ceased operations, as a likely source of the multi-state outbreak of E. coli O157:H7 infections linked to the Topps Meat Company. As the result of that recall investigation, FSIS delisted Ranchers Beef, Ltd., Canadian establishment number 630, on October 20, 2007. No product from that firm has been eligible to enter into the U.S. since that date.
"The audit and stepped up actions at the border are being conducted because of concerns about testing practices at Ranchers Beef, Ltd. that were discovered as part of the ongoing investigation."
Ted Haney, president of the Canadian Beef Export Federation, told The Canadian Press on Saturday,
"This is very serious, at least in the short term," and that major beef processing plants have already made the decision to either not operate for the next couple of days or to reduce processing volumes and not trade to the United States.
"This is excessive," he said of the audit, which he called an "excessive and capricious'' protocol. It was done without consultation, it was done unilaterally, it doesn't reflect the risk of E. coli O157:H7 in both Canada and the United States. … I think they have a born-at-home public relations issue that
they're attempting to deal with. … Our industry has been struggling with costs of regulation in Canada; it's struggled with a lack of market access in Asia .... This will be very, very disruptive, at least in the short term."
So instead of explaining what Canadian safeguards are in place, and the kind of testing that is currently undertaken at Canadian plants -- the kinds of things the Americans are looking for -- Haney essentially says the big Canadian meat plants are going home and won't play in the sandbox anymore and regulations are just too much.
Now tonight, a Canadian Press wire story says that even though the 40 sick people in the U.S. and the 45 people in Canada had the same E. coli O157:H7 genetic pattern, the product from the now defunct Rancher's Beef Ltd. of Balzac, Alta. had not been definitively linked to the Canadian sick folks; just the Americans.
Here's some questions: Why were the Americans -- again -- the first to notify Canadians about an outbreak of E. coli O157:H7? What's with all the rhetoric? Who knew what when?
Test away, America.
U.S. lawyer has eyes trained on Canadian E. coli meat backers
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After 45 illnesses including 11 hospitalizations and one death over the past three months from E. coli O157:H7 tainted beef, Canadian journalists have responded with … a yawn.No coverage at all, except for robotic re-readings of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) press release which didn't even identify the slaughter plant. The U.S. once again told Canadians they were sick.
One reporter, however, did manage to put some pieces together after talking with Seattle lawyer Bill Marler yesterday.
Neil Waugh of the Edmonton Sun notes today that the company that supplied the E. coli O157:H7 contaminated beef to the now bankrupt Topps Meats was Ranchers Beef Ltd. of Balzac, Alberta, which collapsed on Aug.15 after company president Tony Martinez reported in a court affidavit that his outfit was "in the midst of a severe liquidity crisis".
In other words it was broke. And likely would have stayed that way if the United States Department of Agriculture hadn't blown the whistle on what Ranchers and the feds' controversial Canadian Food Inspection Agency were doing - or apparently NOT doing -last summer.
The CFIA, in typical butt-covering mode, identified the dirty plant only as "a meat facility in Alberta."
But the Americans don't play by Stephen Harper's rules and fingered the fingerprints as coming from "Ranchers Beef Ltd, Canadian establishment 630."
And it gets even more confusing when you dig into the USDA notice, which reveals: "on one or more days Ranchers Beef may have retested, found negative, and exported boneless beef manufacturing trimmings that had originally tested presumptive positive for E. coli."
Waugh explains that the company business plan was "developed in the wake of the 2003 BSE crisis," Martinez told the court, as a result of the "near decimation" of the Canadian cattle industry when the U.S. border was closed.
And it wasn't just a brainwave of 45 unidentified ranchers plus Sunterra Foods and Pictu