Listeria - Latest Information (Archive)

2008-10-08 - Current events at the Maple Leaf Foods Bartor Road Plant

As a result of ongoing testing and surveillance activities at the 97B Maple Leaf Foods plant in Toronto, four positive test results for Listeria monocytogenes have been found from over 2700 product samples reported to date.

All products produced to date by the 97B Maple Leaf Foods plant are under CFIA detention and control. No product from the 97B Maple Leaf Foods plant has reached the marketplace.

The CFIA and Health Canada will do a full and comprehensive assessment and further scientific evaluation of the new findings over the coming days.

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2008-09-17 - Phased-in Re-opening of Maple Leaf Foods Bartor Road Plant

Maple Leaf Foods will begin a phased-in approach to starting up operations at its Toronto plant on Bartor Road on September 17, 2008. The company suspended all operations at this meat processing plant on August 20, 2008 after the Canadian Food Inspection Agency initiated a recall of some of its products due to Listeria contamination.

What was the problem?

The contamination was most likely the result of a combination of factors including the potential for equipment to harbour organic material, employee and product movement, and the physical environment.

Listeria is a naturally occurring environmental hazard that cannot be completely eliminated from the environment. What is important is that surfaces in direct contact with food, such as slicers, must be 100% free of contamination.

What actions has Maple Leaf Foods taken to address the problem?

Maple Leaf Foods has completed six sanitization cycles of the plant under the supervision of external experts. They have done a complete tear down, cleaning and testing of the slicing equipment several times, and inspected all slicing machines in Maple Leaf Foods plants, including disassembly, sanitization and testing for bacteria. In addition, they have instituted improvements to sanitary practices and staff training, and enhanced the frequency of testing and monitoring.

What actions has the CFIA taken to ensure that this problem will not occur again in this plant?

• The CFIA completed an in-depth review of the facility, equipment and food safety plans that Maple Leaf Foods had in place at the Bartor Road plant.
• The CFIA stipulated a list of corrective actions to be undertaken by Maple Leaf Foods before plant operations could resume.
• The CFIA reviewed Maple Leaf Foods plans to address each correction required to ensure that they addressed all findings and were implemented as required.

What are the conditions for the resumption of operations at the Maple Leaf Foods plant?

• The CFIA will allow limited trial runs for a three-day period where product will be held and tested each day based on a rigorous sampling plan. The effectiveness of inspection and processing controls will also be validated.
• Production will stop until test results come back. Only if test results are negative and operating procedures are determined to be in compliance will the company be able to begin broader production.
• For the following six weeks all product will be held and tested in lots and will only be released if negative test results are received.

Throughout this period there will be an enhanced CFIA presence on site at all times during production to assess the operational controls.

The Way Forward

Over the next several weeks, Maple Leaf Foods will test with greater frequency both finished products and the overall plant environment for Listeria contamination. CFIA will only allow product to be released for sale if test results are negative.

Information collected during this period will be used by the CFIA to decide whether to continue with the increased frequency of testing.

• Questions and responses

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2008-09-05 - Advisory - Meat Slicing Equipment

The CFIA is advising all operators of federally registered establishments using meat slicing equipment to immediately do the following:

1. At the next scheduled line sanitation, disassemble and perform a systematic and thorough aggressive cleaning and sanitation procedure upon such equipment, including all internal non-electronic parts. Inform the CFIA inspector of all details of this exercise.
2. Perform Listeria environmental sampling of contact surfaces and re-sanitize such equipment prior to reuse. Inform the CFIA inspector of the results of this exercise upon receipt of the results.
3. If warranted, and in consultation with the CFIA inspector, review the standard cleaning and sanitation procedures for such equipment to ensure that internal working parts are being suitably cleaned and disinfected on an ongoing basis. This includes the introduction of routine Listeria environmental sampling of contact surfaces for such equipment, if such testing is not already being done.

• Advisory to : Federally Registered Establishments that Manufacture Ready-to-Eat Meat Products