Infectious Diseases)
meat products (including poultry) from a Maple Leaf-owned plant in Toronto were found infected with
listeria monocytogenes. In the end, thousands of Canadians became sick and at least 20 people died.
tested positive for listeria pathogens. And again just before publication of this report, a Maple Leaf-
owned plant in Hamilton, Ontario accidentally released listeria-infected wieners into the marketplace.
recent years. In 2007, meat from Cappola exported to the U.S. tested positive for listeria in a random
test done by the USDA. The meat was turned back by U.S. officials and destroyed. Audit documents
obtained by CBC, however, also revealed that U.S. inspectors raised health concerns three times about
the Cappola plant. Included in the U.S. officials' concerns was that Cappola's employees' work boots
were covered with "residues of products from the previous day's production" (CFIA Investigates After
Listeria Found in Meat from Toronto Plant, Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, January 24, 2009.
www.cbc.ca). In addition, Cappola was also forced to recall over 1,000 kilograms of sausage due to
salmonella infection in 2002.
report positive bacteria tests to CFIA inspectors were dropped four months prior to the Maple Leaf
listeria outbreak. After this was exposed, CFIA officials claimed the duty to report positive tests would
be re-established but whether this has been conveyed to companies is unclear.
conducted into the listeria outbreak. However, food safety experts, politicians and inspectors have
rightly criticized the investigation, claiming it falls far short of a full public inquiry in which evidence must
be produced and witnesses are compelled to testify. The investigation is being conducted under media
blackout and like the environment which fostered the outbreak, continues to be secretive.
Shortly after the listeria outbreak, Canadian food inspectors began speaking out with their concerns,
(see www.FoodSafetyFirst.ca). These concerns mirrored what CETFA inspectors had been hearing in
the field during meetings with CFIA inspectors and veterinarians, namely that: the system of food
inspection was increasingly moving towards industry policing itself, inspectors were spending more time
on paperwork than on actual inspections, most inspectors had double the work load than was
manageable, their working environments were inhospitable, their authority was not respected and most
did not have time to conduct ante-mortem inspections on live animals. If there was any doubt about the
veracity of what the inspectors said, all that was needed was to walk with them through the facility
where bloodied men sneered at or heckled them, witness how many did not know the way to the live
holding areas for the birds or animals and once arriving there, see their shock at how young the live
poultry were or that electric prods were being used on the animals in the kill line.
agriculture union that represents federal meat inspectors, stated: "In the old days, if a CFIA inspector
had placed a hold tag on the product, it wouldn't have moved until they were told it could move. Now,
1,100 cases go out the door. The more control industry has, the more we see this crap happen. It's
inevitable" (Cribb, Robert. Maple Leaf Foods sends tainted meat in 'error'. Healthzone.ca).