Statistics: Food Safety Investigations

Various triggers can initiate a food safety investigation, which is the first step in a food recall. One of these is a consumer complaint. Other triggers include reports by public health officials, company-initiated concerns, and reports from the CFIA's international partner organizations. The CFIA's regular inspection and testing/sampling programs can also trigger an investigation.

On average, the CFIA conducts 3,000 food safety investigations each year. The goal of a food safety investigation is to determine whether a food safety hazard exists, assess the nature and extent of the issue, and take appropriate actions to eliminate or minimize potential risks to consumers.

To find out more about food safety investigations, please consult our fact sheet.

Consumer Food Safety Investigations (April 2006 - March 2012)

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Description of Bar Graph for Consumer Food Safety Investigations

	Apr 06 - Mar 07	Apr 07 - Mar 08	Apr 08 - Mar 09	Apr 09 - Mar 10	Apr 10 - Mar 11	Apr 11 - Mar 12
Total Food Safety Investigations	3,104	3,040	3,439	2,904	2,956	2,808

Consumer Food Safety Investigations by Hazard (April 2006 - March 2012)

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Description of Bar Graph for Consumer Food Safety Investigations by Hazard

	Apr 06 - Mar 07	Apr 07 - Mar 08	Apr 08 - Mar 09	Apr 09 - Mar 10	Apr 10 - Mar 11	Apr 11 - Mar 12
Allergen Issues	365	254	230	238	351	397
Chemical Issues	386	479	473	354	293	276
Extraneous Matter Issues	1,329	1,321	1,587	1,263	1,305	1,180
Microbiological Issues	890	859	1,030	931	830	754
Other Food Safety Issues	134	127	119	118	177	201

Glossary

Undeclared allergen: A food product contains ingredients such as peanuts, milk or eggs that are not identified on the label and that can cause adverse reactions in people who are allergic to the item.

Chemical: A food product contains chemical residues such as lead, mercury or pesticides that, at certain levels, can affect human health.

Extraneous material: A food product contains material from an outside source, such as metal, glass or hair. These are not necessarily a risk to human health.

Microbiological: A food product is contaminated by micro-organisms, such as bacteria, viruses or parasites, which have the potential to cause illness.

Other: A food product is of concern due to the presence of marine biotoxins or non-permitted food ingredients; or due to nutrition concerns, irradiation or other health concerns; or tampering.