Progress on Food Safety

As of October 2010

A collaborative report prepared by:

Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada
Canadian Food Inspection Agency
Health Canada
Public Health Agency of Canada

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In the summer of 2008, an outbreak of foodborne illness caused by the presence of Listeria monocytogenes in ready-to-eat meat resulted in the deaths of 23 Canadians. The Government of Canada immediately took a number of preventive actions to reduce the risk posed by the possibility of similar outbreaks in the future.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) quickly tightened food safety controls in federally registered plants that produce ready-to-eat meat products. The Agency also strengthened its directives regarding the control of Listeria, based on Health Canada's policy on Listeria monocytogenes in ready-to-eat foods. These directives include the requirement that processors of ready-to-eat meat conduct environmental testing in all plants and to immediately report any positive findings to CFIA.

CFIA, Health Canada and the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) - the federal organizations with responsibility for food safety - each examined their operations and their actions during the outbreak. Each organization produced a “lessons learned” document and implemented action plans to strengthen their response to outbreaks of foodborne illness.

Because of the serious nature of the listeriosis outbreak, the Government of Canada also asked Ms. Sheila Weatherill to lead an independent investigation into its circumstances and to make recommendations to strengthen the food safety system.

In July 2009, the Report of the Independent Investigator into the 2008 Listeriosis Outbreak (the Weatherill Report) was submitted to the Government and publicly released. The Report outlines the events that led to the outbreak, describes the Canadian food safety system and the responsibilities of industry and government, examines what went wrong, and proposes 57 recommendations to help prevent future outbreaks.

In September 2009, the Government committed to act on all of the recommendations of the Weatherill Report. In the past year, the Government has made considerable progress in response to the Weatherill Report recommendations. This interim report at the one-year mark provides information on action that is being taken to implement the recommendations of the Report in relation to three key aspects of the food safety system - reducing food safety risks, enhancing surveillance, and improving emergency response. Collectively, these actions continue to improve the food safety system in Canada.

Reducing Food Safety Risks

Food sources and food production and distribution methods are continually changing. Regulators, along with industry, must be vigilant in order to manage new and emerging risks to food safety. The Government of Canada continues to review and adjust its food safety standards, policies, operational procedures and legislative framework, to ensure that its oversight responsibility for food safety remains effective.

Health Canada Listeria policy revision

The Weatherill Report noted that when Health Canada's Listeria policy was first published in 2004, it put Canada at the forefront of food safety policy. However, by 2008, the policy had not kept pace with rapid advances in scientific knowledge and technology. In order to provide better guidance to food processors, the Report recommended that the Health Canada policy be updated.

In response, Health Canada completed the revised and strengthened Policy on Listeria monocytogenes in Ready-to-Eat Foods in March 2010. Consultation with stakeholders closed on May 3, 2010. The finalized policy will be posted on the Health Canada website in the near future. Health Canada and CFIA will continue to work with stakeholders to phase in its implementation.

Faster approvals

Health Canada is also responsible for the approval of food safety interventions such as additives that reduce the growth of pathogens like Listeria. The Weatherill Report found that the approval process should be reviewed so that additives of this kind can be evaluated more quickly.

Through a pre-market submission project, Health Canada has already reduced the time required to assess the safety and efficacy of food additives and is working to further streamline the regulatory process.

Health Canada is developing guidelines to assist industry in identifying the type of food safety intervention that it submits for pre-market approval. These submission guidelines will in turn help Health Canada to give higher priority to submissions of food safety interventions with proven health benefits. The guidelines will be posted on the Health Canada website by the end of 2010.

Health Canada is also reviewing current submissions to identify those with a potential to contribute to food safety for possible prioritization.

Improved processes

The Independent Investigator found that agreement among government partners was needed regarding the weight of the scientific evidence required to inform food recall decisions. In response, Health Canada is developing a federal guidance document on the weight of evidence needed to take action to protect consumers during foodborne illness outbreak investigations. The weight of evidence takes into consideration the microbiological information gathered through food sample testing and human illness reports, as well as the information collected from the follow-up investigation at food processing plants. Federal, provincial and territorial (F/P/T) partners have been consulted on the draft guidance document. Health Canada also shared the document with selected international counterparts in June 2010. Once finalized, the document will be used by Health Canada, CFIA and PHAC during outbreak investigations.

The Weatherill Report also noted some limitations in the capacity of Health Canada to carry out human health risk assessments in a timely way.

The Department is hiring additional specialized experts and training more staff to conduct health risk assessments so that it can provide 24/7 coverage and be capable of meeting the extra demand in the case of a national foodborne illness event. In addition, it is clarifying timelines in the health risk assessment process it uses in order to support CFIA during its food safety investigations. Health Canada is also enhancing the quality of its risk assessments through improved methodologies in line with the latest scientific developments.

Engagement and consultation with stakeholders

Building on existing mechanisms to consult the public and stakeholder groups, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) has collaborated with industry representatives from the Value Chain Roundtables to establish the Agri-Subcommittee on Food Safety (ASFS), which also includes members from CFIA, Health Canada, and PHAC. The purpose of the Subcommittee is to strengthen relationships among all federal food safety partners and the food industry to ensure a common understanding of the roles and responsibilities of all partners, and to contribute to the continuous improvement of food safety policies and standards. The Subcommittee, which has met twice since June 2010, will develop an industry-government work plan that takes into account key recommendations from the Weatherill Report.

The Independent Investigator recommended that, as a regulatory agency, CFIA should create a formal and transparent consultation strategy which will define its required engagement with stakeholders. In response, CFIA has developed an Agency-wide consultation framework. The framework provides an integrated, coordinated and consistent approach to consultation which will facilitate increased transparency and more informed decision-making. The implementation strategy is under development.

With regard to the Weatherill Report's recommendations that are directed to the meat processing industry, CFIA sent a letter in March 2010 to all federally regulated meat processing facilities, informing them of the industry-specific recommendations and their resulting food safety responsibilities.

Inspectors and their tasks

Each federally registered meat processing plant must have a food safety plan. The Compliance Verification System (CVS) sets out the procedures to be used by inspectors to verify the design and implementation of a plant's food safety plan. The Weatherill Report noted that although CVS is regarded as a sound system and has broad support, improvements need to be made in relation to its design, planning and implementation. The Weatherill Report also recommended that CFIA should have a review conducted by third-party experts to accurately assess the number of inspectors required to implement the CVS.

In response, the Government of Canada has undertaken a comprehensive review of the CVS and the number of inspectors required to implement it. This review, which includes several components, will assist the Agency in aligning resources to respond to workload requirements.

Review of inspection tasks

First, CFIA established an Expert Panel to review the technical requirements of CVS, in particular the details of CVS tasks, the frequency of task assignment, and the amount of time allocated to each task. The panel found that on the whole CVS is an excellent inspection tool for providing a system to document an inspector's verification activities. More flexibility in conducting task verifications was recommended to improve efficiencies and effectiveness in reacting to non-routine and emergency situations.

Second, CFIA worked with the Agriculture Union component of the Public Service Alliance of Canada, the union representing meat inspectors, to conduct a front-line assessment to evaluate how CVS is implemented at the field level. The report found that overall CVS is a good inspection tool and brings consistency to conducting tasks. More attention was recommended on issues such as information management systems, ongoing training and workload management.

The recommendations made by the Expert Panel and the front-line assessment report will be used to further improve CVS.

Third, as recommended in the Weatherill Report, CFIA has explored opportunities to further encourage inspector enterprise and accountability. CVS provides flexibility for inspectors to pursue any food safety situation that they may encounter during inspection. CVS procedures have been strengthened to ensure that the inspector is aware of current conditions, processes, and any areas of concern that may have an impact on food safety.

In addition, streamlined human resource processes and a national recruitment strategy are under development to support inspection managers and supervisors by providing more time for inspection managers and supervisors to focus on oversight of inspection staff. Since March 2006, CFIA inspection staff have been increased by 538 net new inspectors.

Required inspectors

PricewaterhouseCoopers provided a third-party review of the CFIA's calculation of the resources required by the Agency to deliver CVS in federally registered meat establishments. The conclusion of this study was that the minimum CVS resource requirement is equivalent to the work time of approximately 260 full-time employees. This number represents the estimated resource demand placed on the CFIA meat inspection workforce to fully deliver the requirements of all CVS tasks, including new tasks and an increased frequency of existing tasks introduced in 2009-2010 as part of the revised Listeria directive. In comparison, the actual level of resources applied by CFIA in 2009-2010 to deliver CVS tasks was equivalent to the work of approximately 176 full-time employees.

The Government has already responded to the need for additional CFIA inspection resources.  In September 2009, funding was made available to hire 70 inspectors to implement enhanced Listeria controls.  In addition, Budget 2010 committed funding to hire an additional 100 inspectors to ensure multi-shift presence in registered meat processing facilities.  Taken together, these investments are expected to address the increased need for additional inspection resources in federally registered meat establishments, including the delivery of CVS tasks.

• Comprehensive Review of the Compliance Verification System (CVS)

Training plan

Another of the Weatherill Report recommendations was that improvements be made in the training delivered to inspectors. CFIA has completed an assessment of training needs and has developed a new national training plan for meat processing inspectors. The plan includes a new course curriculum that addresses required skills and provides continual training to both new and existing inspectors.

The curriculum includes such topics as regulatory requirements for sanitation, equipment and registered premises; control measures for Listeria in ready-to-eat meat products; and understanding food allergens and foodborne diseases. The enhanced training will be delivered on an ongoing basis within available resources.

Better equipment

The Independent Investigator suggested that inspectors will be more effective in their jobs if they are equipped with new tools and technologies. As a result, CFIA has increased the use of technologies such as laptops, cell phones and faster network connectivity.

To make it easier for inspectors, particularly those in remote locations, to access the information they require to do their jobs, new wireless technologies have also been evaluated. A pilot project was completed on April 1, 2010 to assess whether wireless technology could enable inspectors to securely access the CFIA computer network and applications.

The results of the pilot project have informed CFIA's plan to roll out the first phase of a new system to improve connectivity by March 31, 2011. This system will increase CFIA's ability to connect program areas and inspectors across the country, as well as increase inspector efficiencies by having better access to information for informed decision-making and communication. Further analysis into inspector technological needs will also be completed in this timeframe. The next phase of this project will be considered in the context of a broader information technology investment strategy for the Agency.

Updated CFIA manuals and policies

The Weatherill Report indicated that out-of-date manuals and policies contributed to weakened government oversight. In response, CFIA has completed an update of the Meat Hygiene Manual of Procedures and has distributed and posted the updated Manual on the CFIA website. The Agency has also reviewed the process for updating the Manual to ensure that updates are made on a regular and continual basis. To help ensure that the food industry is aware of significant changes to the Manual, an email subscription service is available on the CFIA website, which alerts subscribers when changes are made.

In February 2009, the CFIA published an amendment to the Listeria directive to require new environmental monitoring of food contact surfaces to verify the presence of Listeria. In August 2009, the directive was amended to allow for additional test methodologies. In addition, for 2011-2012, the CFIA will amend its sampling frequencies for testing of ready-to-eat meats and contact surfaces, so as to tailor the frequency of testing to the level of risk associated with the type of product and production controls. Under the revised plans, CFIA will increase the level of sampling required of establishments producing high-risk products. CFIA is also in the process of developing its capacity for trend analysis. This includes gathering and analyzing test results from plants in order to better identify trends and areas of concern in establishments where risks are the highest.

The CFIA Food Safety Enhancement Program (FSEP) Manual has also been clarified and updated to better communicate to food processors the requirements they must meet. In the FSEP, senior management of food processing establishments are designated with the responsibility to ensure that the establishment complies with all regulatory and CFIA program requirements, and that all standard operating procedures are included in their food safety management system. Other requirements include bringing all information with potential consequences for food safety to the attention of their assigned inspector in a timely manner and, when products are recalled, providing product distribution records to CFIA in a format that is readily accessible and legible.

The Food Safety Investigation and Response Manual (FSIRM) provides guidance to CFIA staff on food safety investigations and response processes. The FSIRM is being revised to include policies and protocols for inspectors when they share information with provinces and territories for post-recall verification activities.

In addition, CFIA has amended the form, “Checklist for Gathering Implementation Information and Verifying the Firm's Recall Plan”, to include additional information which is designed to ensure consistency in how the distribution industry responds in the event of a product recall.

Better communication

The Weatherill Report makes a number of recommendations to improve communication between government and the public on food safety and foodborne illness. The Government has taken steps to improve how and when it communicates with Canadians in general and with at-risk populations and key stakeholders, specifically. These steps take into consideration how it communicates food safety information in periods when there is no outbreak as well as during a national foodborne illness event.

In February 2010, the Government of Canada launched an online Food Safety Portal that offers a one-stop source for information about food safety and foodborne illness (www.foodsafety.gc.ca). The food safety and foodborne illness information initiatives developed by CFIA, PHAC and Health Canada and described in this report can now be found on the Portal.

To raise awareness of the Food Safety Portal, CFIA sent out a social media news release that encourages individuals to share information about the Portal online by using social media book-marking and tagging options, thus ensuring the broadest possible outreach.

CFIA has also been using social media tools, such as Twitter, to reach a wider audience on food safety issues and recalls. The Agency has gained over 400 followers on Twitter, including representatives from the media, health organizations, consumer groups and cooking/food allergy bloggers. In addition, CFIA has developed a recall widget to automate further distribution of notices. Food safety stakeholders have been invited to embed the CFIA widget on their websites, blogs, or social media pages to display live content from CFIA on food recalls.

The Consumer Centre section of the CFIA website has also been redesigned to clearly explain the roles that consumers, government and industry play in food safety, and to provide more information on important food safety issues. In addition, CFIA is participating in six food-related events between May 2010 and March 2011 to promote the Food Safety Portal and raise awareness of safe food handling practices and recall procedures.

And to ensure that Canadians are informed when serious foodborne illnesses are traced back to a food production establishment regulated by the Agency, CFIA now provides information to the public regarding the review of the establishment and the corrective actions taken.

PHAC has developed a risk communications strategy that will guide how the Agency communicates to Canadians during a national foodborne illness outbreak. PHAC has begun to implement various components of the strategy so that it can communicate to the public, key stakeholders, and targeted at-risk populations (older adults, pregnant women and those with weakened immune systems) more effectively. The strategy uses a variety of traditional and innovative formats, such as media events, web- and audio-casts, the Food Safety Portal, and stakeholder briefings. PHAC also collaborates with Health Canada to ensure that PHAC's information for Canadians during a national outbreak is consistent with the food safety information that Health Canada provides.

As well, the PHAC-led update of the Foodborne Illness Outbreak Response Protocol (FIORP (2010)) includes improvements to how the Government coordinates public communications among federal, provincial and territorial offices. The Protocol guides the federal government response to, and management of, a national outbreak. This update is explained more fully in the “Outbreak coordination and communication” section, below.

Informing consumers

The Government recognizes the importance of informing Canadians, and in particular, those Canadians who are at higher risk, about safe food handling practices to help them avoid foodborne illness. In March 2010, Health Canada launched the first stage of a marketing campaign targeting those populations that are at greater risk of complications from foodborne illness. The campaign included the publication and distribution of booklets and posters for each of the at-risk groups. The Department contacted media and stakeholder groups to distribute the information, and in late March aired a series of national radio ads aimed at older adults.

Since April 2010, two new interactive web communication tools were added to the Health Canada site to provide consumers with food safety practices that can be used both at home and the grocery store. In addition, a targeted magazine campaign was launched in late September and includes full-page advertisements, advertorials and the inclusion of booklets with the magazines. A web advertising campaign and further distribution of posters are also planned to be under way by the end of December 2010.

Health Canada collaborates with PHAC and the Chief Medical Officers of Health to develop communication messages and consistent guidance for at-risk populations and their caregivers on how to minimize the risk of developing foodborne illness. The guidance document, Prevention of Listeriosis: Considerations for the Development of Public Health Messages, was made available to the provinces and territories in July 2010 for their use in creating communication messages within each jurisdiction. This document offers basic information on foodborne listeriosis and provides common sense prevention advice that may be used to communicate with the general public, at-risk populations, and food service providers serving food to these populations.

Enhancing Surveillance and Early Detection

The Independent Investigator found that surveillance and detection of Listeria monocytogenes in food and subsequent cases of foodborne illness could be improved. In particular, the Weatherill Report suggested that governments should proceed to establish a national integrated laboratory network (a network of networks). In response, the Government is strengthening national surveillance and early detection of foodborne illness through improvements to operational, laboratory and disease reporting networks. These measures are key to ensuring that we are better prepared in case of a future outbreak.

Enhanced surveillance

The Independent Investigator recommended that governments should continue to use and support surveillance and monitoring systems such as the Canadian Integrated Outbreak Surveillance Centre (CIOSC), and consider the development of next generation public health surveillance systems like Canada Health Infoway's Panorama system, a pan-Canadian health surveillance software application.

F/P/T governments continue to use and support CIOSC, an internet-based monitoring system that allows outbreak alerts to be shared with public health professionals across Canada. In addition, PHAC has initiated plans for a pilot implementation of Canada Health Infoway's Panorama system in order to test the system for managing multi-jurisdictional outbreaks of foodborne illnesses, including the feasibility of integration with existing alerting systems, such as CIOSC. This test is scheduled to take place before the end of March 2011.

PHAC has also made improvements to the national surveillance of listeriosis by adding Listeria monocytogenes to the National Enteric Surveillance Program (NESP), bringing it in line with other enteric pathogens for which weekly surveillance is conducted. In addition, an Enhanced Listeriosis Surveillance Pilot project has been established to collect timely case-based information on listeriosis cases.

The resulting NESP data and case information from the pilot project can be integrated with the detection of clusters of the Listeria pathogen, resulting in an improved approach to detecting and providing public health responses for sporadic cases and outbreaks of invasive human listeriosis.

PulseNet Canada

Progress has been made in linking public health laboratory networks through PulseNet Canada, an electronic laboratory network that identifies clusters of foodborne pathogens, including Listeria monocytogenes, based on their DNA fingerprints. PulseNet Canada allows DNA fingerprints to be compared in real time so that foodborne illness from a common source can be identified. PulseNet Canada is an established, active partnership between PHAC, CFIA, Health Canada and the provincial public health laboratories as represented by the Canadian Public Health Laboratory Network (CPHLN).

PHAC has led the standardization and ongoing certification of Listeria molecular subtyping (DNA fingerprinting) within PulseNet Canada.

Since the 2008 listeriosis outbreak, the number of provincial and federal laboratories and laboratory staff that are certified by PulseNet Canada for work with Listeria monocytogenes has increased from nine staff in four laboratories prior to the listeriosis outbreak to twenty-seven staff in nine laboratories across Canada. CFIA, for example, has established a fully accredited and certified Pulse Field Gel Electrophoresis (PFGE) laboratory with the capability to undertake DNA fingerprinting of foodborne pathogens such as Listeria.

In order to further increase the number of certified laboratories and staff, PHAC is developing a training curriculum on the standardized DNA fingerprinting methodology which will be delivered to federal and provincial laboratory staff. This will include the distribution of materials, protocols and controls to PulseNet Canada member laboratories. The end goal is to increase the number of locations and staff trained and certified to use PulseNet Canada laboratory and informatics modules (genetic fingerprinting, BioNumerics software, information sharing with the Canadian Network for Public Health Intelligence).

The capacity for DNA fingerprinting and the use of epidemiological evidence has greatly improved Canada's ability to detect contaminated food products and identify laboratory linkages to human diseases related to consumption of those products. Through coordination and communication between clinical and food laboratories, participating laboratories collect evidence (DNA fingerprints) of clusters of human disease with a linkage to foodborne pathogens. PulseNet Canada now identifies and notifies health partners whenever there are two or more matching Listeria DNA fingerprints within a period of 120 days.

In addition, work is being done by Health Canada, CFIA and PHAC to create an inventory of the capabilities of federal laboratories (e.g., capacity, staffing levels, scientific expertise, available equipment/technologies) and to identify what partnerships have been established to increase the capacity for rapid detection of and response to potential foodborne illness outbreaks.

A network of networks

CFIA has established a Network of Networks Federal Committee (NNFC) with members from CFIA, Health Canada and PHAC. The NNFC was formed to initiate the development of a national laboratory network that will promote the exchange of food, public health and animal health data to inform proactive surveillance programs and responses to foodborne illness outbreaks. A draft work plan and defined project phases have been developed.

The first phase of development, to link food laboratories, entails working with all relevant federal and provincial stakeholders to develop an implementation plan, including appropriate cost sharing mechanisms. The other phases, which include the development of technology and a data platform, as well as the integration of food, public health and animal health data, will contribute to the implementation of a fully functional Network of Networks and will be dependent on funding.

Surge capacity

The Independent Investigator observed that most organizations involved in the response to the 2008 outbreak had limited pre-planned capacity for a surge in the demand for expertise and laboratory testing related to a foodborne illness event. PHAC has created an office to coordinate the establishment of surge capacity to ensure that it has qualified experts who can be called upon in the case of foodborne and other public health outbreak response situations.

Federal surge capacity is also being provided through cross-training, laboratory certification and partnership among PHAC, Health Canada and CFIA. PHAC has also cross-trained staff between its program areas to provide surge capacity to PulseNet Canada technical staff when needed. As well, PHAC provides personnel and capital resources to provinces and territories, including sharing of full-time staff and laboratory and informatics equipment, as needed.

Novel detection technologies

During the 2008 listeriosis outbreak, PHAC implemented novel laboratory technologies to obtain the definitive characterization of the outbreak Listeria strains. PHAC can now use these technologies to perform whole genome sequencing for outbreak-associated Listeria strains that have caused disease across Canada in the past two decades.

Health Canada is developing improved detection methods for Listeria monocytogenes and other hazards in food to reduce testing time and enable more rapid response during food safety investigations. An enhanced method for the isolation of Listeria (results in 3 - 5 days instead of the former 7 - 10 days) has been developed and is currently being validated for different food commodities and categories by Health Canada and CFIA. When the validated method is published in the Microbiological Methods Committee's Compendium of Analytical Methods, by the end of March 2011, industry and other stakeholders will be notified.

PHAC and Health Canada are conducting joint studies which use the latest generation of nucleic acid-based technologies and employ a diverse set of Listeria isolates associated with significant public health events in the past. The purpose of these studies is to investigate the distribution and characteristics of Listeria populations that have been associated with outbreaks of human disease. This will include investigating the ecology of the organism to better understand how it survives, why it is challenging to detect it and how it can be better monitored. The findings made through the use of these novel and emerging technologies will allow for improved assessment and monitoring of Listeria.

Improving Emergency Response

The Weatherill Report observed that management of the listeriosis outbreak was a challenge to the multiple jurisdictions (federal, provincial and municipal) and the many sectors of the federal government who were involved. The Government has taken steps to improve governance of foodborne emergency events by clarifying accountability and ensuring coordination of action among all responsible federal partners.

Governance

CFIA, Health Canada, PHAC and AAFC have put in place the necessary internal governance mechanisms to be better positioned to share information and provide a more cohesive and forward looking approach to food safety. In addition, the Deputy Minister of AAFC chairs a special committee of deputy heads from CFIA, Health Canada and PHAC which provides recommendations to improve the ways the organizations work together to deliver their food safety mandates.

PHAC is working to increase its capacity for flexible and timely responses to public health threats. The appointment of an Executive Vice-President and Chief Operating Officer (Associate Deputy Minister) in September 2009 allows the Chief Public Health Officer to focus on his executive duties and responsibilities as the lead public health professional in Canada. The responsibilities associated with this new position include providing leadership on all matters related to central agencies; leading and assuring high quality PHAC planning, execution, reporting and accountability; and assuring that PHAC has a robust emergency preparedness and response capability. Consistent with this objective, the Chief Public Health Officer also announced the creation of a new Assistant Deputy Minister position responsible for managing the Centre for Emergency Preparedness and Response, as well as Corporate Affairs. An appointment to that position was made in May 2010.

On May 25, 2010, the Prime Minister announced the appointment of a Chief Food Safety Officer and the appointment of a new Executive Vice-President of the CFIA. In June 2010, CFIA completed a review of governance in relation to the Office of Food Safety and Recall (OFSR). The report recommended measures to strengthen and clarify accountabilities related to the OFSR, and these actions are now under way. The OFSR now reports directly to the Vice-President of Operations and the newly appointed Chief Food Safety Officer will chair a senior level recall committee to oversee critical Agency recalls. The Office of the President is fully engaged in emerging food safety issues through daily status briefings.

In addition, CFIA has completed a review of its organizational structure and decision-making processes, and has implemented improvements to its governance structure. Taken together, these changes will help to ensure a strengthened focus on Agency management including enhanced leadership in the area of food safety.

Further to the advice of the Independent Investigator, CFIA has begun the establishment of an expert advisory committee to provide the Agency with objective and technical advice on key issues related to the evolution of its three core business lines (food safety, animal health and plant health).

As suggested by Ms. Weatherill, the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food is establishing a Ministerial Advisory Board to advise the Minister on issues that are relevant to CFIA activities and consistent with the Minister's responsibilities for the Agency's overall direction. Members will be appointed by March 2011.

Taken together, these changes will help to ensure a strengthened focus on Agency management including enhanced leadership in the area of food safety.

Finally, in inter-governmental discussions, F/P/T Health Ministers have agreed that food safety is a priority area for the health sector and that collaboration is needed with the agriculture sector in order to have a more integrated Canadian food safety system. They have asked their officials to review and improve the current food safety governance structure within the health ministries to assist health officials in working together and with their agriculture counterparts in order to enhance the food safety system.

Outbreak coordination and communication

At the time of the 2008 listeriosis outbreak, a protocol to guide the response to outbreaks of foodborne illness was in place. However, the Weatherill Report found that although the Foodborne Illness Outbreak Response Protocol (FIORP) existed, it was rarely used, required updating, and was not well understood by signatories. Following extensive consultation with F/P/T partners, FIORP (2010) was finalized in June and is ready to be used in the case of multi-jurisdictional foodborne illness outbreaks.

FIORP (2010) identifies PHAC as the lead in the centralized coordination of an investigation and response to a multi-jurisdictional outbreak involving more than one province/territory or country and multiple agencies at all levels of government. It also establishes PHAC as the usual first federal point of contact for partners wishing to notify the federal government of issues related to foodborne illness outbreaks, or requesting content expertise/support.

While PHAC assumes the lead coordination role, different parts of the outbreak investigation are led by different agencies. For example, within the Government of Canada, CFIA leads the food safety investigation, PHAC leads the epidemiological investigation, and Health Canada leads the health risk assessment process that guides risk management decisions.

Other key elements of FIORP (2010) are the inclusion of provisions for the sharing of information, including epidemiological data, as needed to identify the foodborne illness outbreak, (taking into account privacy and confidentiality issues). In addition, the communications section includes clearer language and guidance for improved coordination among F/P/T partners. There is also an annex on communicating with the public and those at greater risk.

The Weatherill Report noted that there should be periodic exercises of the FIORP to ensure that it is fully understood by all federal, provincial and territorial partners. In accordance with this recommendation, PHAC has made a commitment to conduct exercises with each province and territory during fall 2010 and winter 2011. Initial plans are for meetings to take place between federal partners and each individual province and territory, followed by a national exercise in the spring of 2011.

In order to improve communication with Canadians during an outbreak of foodborne illness, PHAC worked with Health Canada and CFIA to develop the Federal Communications Protocol on Food Safety Issues. This protocol has been implemented and will be tested with a series of table-top exercises (group discussions guided by a simulated emergency), in the coming months. In the protocol, PHAC assumes the lead (non-ministerial) role in communicating to the public during national foodborne illness emergencies. PHAC works with partners in the provinces and territories to ensure that food safety messages are communicated to at-risk populations on how they can protect their health during a national foodborne illness outbreak.

The Communications Protocol contains an annex called “Foodborne Incident Federal Risk Management Scenarios”, which describes a range of scenarios that may arise during a food contamination event or a foodborne illness outbreak in Canada, and guides federal action among CFIA, Health Canada and PHAC, as well as providing guidance on public communication for each situation.

In addition, PHAC is developing a Food-borne Illness Emergency Response Plan, including an incident command structure. Health Canada and CFIA will be closely consulted in this process. This Plan will be designed to support the enhanced coordination and capacity among food safety partners that may be required during major foodborne illness outbreaks.

Current work includes upcoming consultations with F/P/T partners; planning for future implementation of the Plan, including identification of training needs; and development of model protocols and criteria for their utilization.

During any national foodborne-related emergency, all necessary CFIA resources are dedicated to managing the emergency response. In 2006, CFIA implemented an Incident Command Structure (ICS), which is an international model for the command, control, and coordination of emergency response. It combines facilities, equipment, personnel, procedures and communications operating within a common organizational structure. In line with the ICS, the Agency's Incident Commander is the primary point of contact with Health Canada and PHAC, as well as other partners, during a national foodborne emergency.

Conclusion

One year following its acceptance of the Weatherill Report, the Government of Canada has made considerable progress in addressing the recommendations of the Independent Investigator. The $75 million announced by the Government in September of 2009 attests to its commitment to move quickly on these recommendations. Budget 2010 committed an additional $13 million annually for 2 years to CFIA to increase inspection capacity for meat and poultry processing facilities. These investments build on the Government's 2008 commitment to invest $489.5 million over five years for the Food and Consumer Safety Action Plan.

With regard to the Independent Investigator's call to simplify and modernize federal food-safety related legislation and regulations, the Government of Canada confirmed its commitment to enhancing the legislative and regulatory basis for food safety in the 2010 Speech from the Throne. Legislative options to simplify and modernize federal food-safety related legislation and regulations are being developed and analyzed jointly by Health Canada and CFIA.

In September 2011, a final report will be shared with Canadians on the implementation of Ms. Weatherill's recommendations, together with an assessment of their impact on improving Canada's food inspection and food safety emergency response systems. Canadians can expect that much will have been achieved in meeting the recommendations of the Independent Investigator.

The Government recognizes, however, that there is always more work to be done. The food safety system is complex and requires collaboration among government partners, industry and consumers. Collective effort and sustained action are necessary to reduce the constantly changing risks that foodborne illnesses pose to Canadians. Strengthening the food safety system is a continuous process to which the Government of Canada is fundamentally committed.