Salmonella Chester Investigation - G. Brandt Meat Packers Ltd.

As part of its commitment to the continual improvement of Canada's food safety system, and in response to one of the recommendations of the Report of the Independent Investigator into the 2008 Listeriosis Outbreak (known as the Weatherill Report), the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) will disclose the results of its investigation of the implicated food processing plants and the corrective actions taken, where serious illness or human deaths have occurred due to foodborne causes.

G. Brandt Meat Packers Ltd., Est 164

In July 2010 the CFIA collaborated with the Public Health Agency of Canada, provincial health authorities and Health Canada in a multi-provincial outbreak investigation of Salmonella Chester.

The source of the outbreak was identified as Freybe brand headcheese manufactured by G. Brandt Meat Packers Ltd., Mississauga, Ontario (Establishment 164).

The CFIA, Freybe Gourmet Foods and G. Brandt Meat Packers Ltd. warned the public not to consume certain products made at Establishment 164, due to concerns that they may be contaminated with Salmonella.

A food safety investigation was immediately launched at the establishment by the CFIA. As the investigation progressed, additional health hazard alerts were issued relating to products produced in Establishment 164, culminating in the CFIA and G. Brandt Meat Packers Ltd. issuing a health hazard alert on July 31, 2010, to advise the public not to consume a variety of ready-to-eat cooked products produced by G. Brandt Meat Packers Ltd. because they may contain foodborne pathogens.

CFIA Review of the Brandt Facility

Action

As part of the food safety investigation, the CFIA undertook an in-depth review of the establishment’s operations and controls, and took samples, including a range of finished products, to determine the extent of any potential food safety risk.

The investigation revealed that there was a risk that some of the products may not have been cooked to a temperature required to kill foodborne pathogens that may be present in raw meat products.

Following the completion of a health risk assessment by Health Canada, the CFIA and G. Brandt Meat Packers Ltd. issued a health hazard alert on July 31, 2010, to advise the public not to consume a variety of Brandt ready-to-eat cooked products from Establishment 164 because they may contain foodborne pathogens.

G. Brandt Meat Packers voluntarily ceased production and shipment of all products on July 31, 2010.

The CFIA’s food safety investigation included sending a Review Team to the Brandt establishment to undertake an extensive review of:

• operating protocols;
• processing and packaging of product;
• cleaning and sanitation practises in the establishment; and
• product and environmental test results for foodborne pathogens over the past six months.

Findings

The main findings of the CFIA’s Review Team related to the validation of the cooking process, record-keeping practices relating to the cooking process and the frequency of environmental sampling.

G. Brandt Meat Packers Ltd. has taken action to address these issues and engaged independent experts to validate the cooking processes to be used in the cookhouses to produce their ready-to-eat products.

The CFIA continues to work with the company to ensure that the corrective actions are effectively implemented and that the company satisfies their responsibility to produce safe food.

Outcome

On August 30, 2010, G. Brandt Meat Packers Ltd. resumed operations at Establishment 164 with the CFIA maintaining an enhanced inspection presence as operations resume.