Resumption of Operations at Maple Leaf Establishment 97B - Post Recall
Questions and Answers

Q1. What was the cause of the Listeria contamination of processed meat product from Maple Leaf Foods?

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 physical factors.

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 product, such as slicers, must be 100% free of contamination.

Q2. Why is Maple Leaf Foods being allowed to reopen now

The CFIA is permitting Maple Leaf Foods to initiate limited production in order to assess and verify the revised production procedures.

Maple Leaf Foods has taken all actions to address the potential for contamination, and has implemented the corrective actions identified by CFIA.

Q3. What do you mean by limited production?

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.

• Production will stop until test results come back. Only if test results are negative and all operating controls are determined to be fully and properly implemented 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

Q4. What has CFIA done since the Maple Leaf Foods recall in order to address the issue across the ready to eat processing industry?

We are addressing areas of highest risk by focussing on the meat processing sector first.

• A notice to all producers using slicers has been circulated and each establishment has been visited and their activities subjected to oversight by an inspector.
• Revised procedures for inspectors have been prepared and circulated related to the inspection of sanitization in plants.
• The CFIA in collaboration with Health Canada and the Public Health Agency of Canada has initiated a lessons learned process as part of its continuous improvement efforts.

Q5. Did CFIA work with Health Canada on the problems identified at the Maple Leaf Foods plant?

Yes. Health Canada provided their input, when requested, into some aspects of the sampling and testing plan put forward by CFIA to Maple Leaf Foods.