Bacterial Pathogens and Indicators, Viruses and Parasites in Various Food Commodities – April 1, 2017 to March 31, 2021
Food microbiology – Targeted surveys – Interim report
Summary
From April 1, 2017 to March 31, 2021, a total of 11,840 food samples were tested in a suite of ongoing targeted surveysFootnote 1 to investigate the presence of bacterial pathogens and indicators, viruses and parasites.
Of the samples tested, 99.3% were satisfactory, 0.7% were investigative and 0.02% were unsatisfactory. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) conducted appropriate follow-up activities and no illnesses have been reported related to any of these samples.
Final reports, which will include a detailed analysis of the results, will be published over the next few years as the surveys are completed.
What is an interim report
An interim report provides preliminary results related to on-going targeted surveysFootnote 1 which can vary in duration from several months to several years depending on the objective of each survey.
Will final reports be published
Yes, upon conclusion of the surveys, final reports or scientific publications will be published.
What foods were tested
The presence of bacterial pathogens and indicators, viruses and parasites were investigated in a variety of foods of the following commodities:
- raw and pasteurized cheese
- non-cow dairy milk
- fresh fruits and vegetables
- frozen-cut fruits
- plant-based foods
- frozen seafood
- powdered infant formula
- tahini
Why were these foods tested
The selected foods are all commonly consumed by Canadians of all agesFootnote 2. Unfortunately, most of these commodities have been associated with recalls and outbreaks of foodborne illnesses. Contamination with pathogens can occur at any step in the food supply chain such as during production, processing, packaging, distribution and/or at retail. Given that most of the commodities covered by this report are consumed without further preparation, the presence of pathogens creates the potential for foodborne illness.
When were the samples collected
The samples were collected from April 1, 2017 to March 31, 2021.
Where were the samples collected from
Samples were collected from national retail chains and local/regional grocery stores located in 11 major cities across Canada:
- Halifax
- Saint John or Moncton
- Quebec City
- Montreal
- Toronto
- Ottawa
- Vancouver
- Kelowna or Victoria
- Calgary
- Saskatoon
- Winnipeg
A sample consisted of a single or multiple consumer-size packages from the same lot weighing at least 250 g. The planned number of samples to be collected from each city was based on the population of the province in which the city was located relative to the total population of Canada.
What methods were used to test the samples
Samples were analyzed using analytical methods published in Health Canada's Compendium of Analytical Methods for the Microbiological Analysis of FoodsFootnote 3 and CFIA internally-developed methods.
How were the samples assessed
The samples were assessed using criteria (tables 1, 2, 3) based on the principles of the following Health Canada documents: Health Products and Food Branch (HPFB) Standards and Guidelines for Microbiological Safety of Food – An Interpretive SummaryFootnote 4, Policy on Listeria monocytogenes in Ready-to-Eat FoodsFootnote 5 and the Food and Drugs Act (Section 4 (1))Footnote 6. In the absence of Health Canada standards, policies or guidelines, the assessment criteria are based on guidelines developed by international food safety authorities. Detailed information about the assessment criteria used for each commodity will be provided in the final reports which will be published after the surveys have concluded.
Analysis | Product(s) | Satisfactory assessment | Investigative assessment | Unsatisfactory assessment |
---|---|---|---|---|
Aerobic Colony Count (ACC) |
|
≤ 106 CFU/g or mL | > 106 CFU/g or mL | Not Applicable (N/A) |
Total coliforms |
|
≤ 103 CFU or MPN/g or mL | > 103 CFU or MPN/g or mL | N/A |
Generic Escherichia coli (E. coli) | Non-cow pasteurized dairy milk cheese | ≤ 102 CFU or MPN/g | > 102 and ≤ 2x103 CFU or MPN/g | > 2x103 CFU or MPN/g |
Generic E. coli | Fresh fruits and vegetables | ≤ 102 MPN/g | > 102 and ≤ 103 MPN/g | > 103 MPN/g |
Generic E. coli | Ready-to-eat (RTE) plant-based meat | ≤ 102 CFU or MPN/g | > 102 and ≤ 103 CFU or MPN/g | > 103 CFU or MPN/g |
Generic E. coli |
|
≤ 102 CFU or MPN/g | > 102 CFU or MPN/g | N/A |
Generic E. coli | Raw dairy milk cheese | ≤ 5x102 CFU or MPN/g | > 5x102 and ≤ 2x103 CFU or MPN/g | > 2x103 CFU or MPN/g |
Analysis | Product(s) | Satisfactory assessment | Investigative assessment | Unsatisfactory assessment |
---|---|---|---|---|
E. coli O157 | All products tested for E.coli O157 | Not detected/25 g | N/A | Detected |
Non-O157 Shiga-toxigenic E. coli (STEC) | All products tested for non-O157 STEC | Not detected/25 g | Detected | N/A |
Listeria monocytogenes (L. monocytogenes) | Category 1 products Table Note a | Not detected/25 g | N/A | Detected |
L. monocytogenes | Category 2A and B products Table Note a | Not detected/25 g | ≤ 102 CFU/g | > 102 CFU/g |
L. monocytogenes | Microgreens | Not detected/25 g | Detected | N/A |
Salmonella | All products tested for Salmonella | Not detected/25 g | N/A | Detected |
Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) |
|
≤ 104 CFU/g | > 104 CFU/g | N/A |
S. aureus | Raw dairy milk cheese | ≤ 103 CFU/g | > 103 and ≤ 104 CFU/g | > 104 CFU/g |
S. aureus | Non-cow pasteurized dairy milk cheese | ≤ 102 CFU/g | > 102 and ≤ 104 CFU/g | > 104 CFU/g |
Enterobacteriaceae | Powdered infant formula | Not detected/10 g | Detected/10 g | N/A |
Cronobacter | Powdered infant formula | Not detected/125 g | N/A | Detected/125 g |
Analysis | Product(s) | Satisfactory assessment | Investigative assessment | Unsatisfactory assessment |
---|---|---|---|---|
|
All products tested for parasites and viruses | Not detected | Detected | N/A |
What were the survey preliminary results
Details about each targeted survey and test results (as of March 31, 2021) can be found in table 4.
Fiscal year(s) | Product | Microorganisms tested | Number of samples tested | Satisfactory (S) | Investigative (I) | Unsatisfactory (U) | Comments |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2020/2021 | Imported raw dairy milk cheese |
|
486 | 486 | 0 | 0 | All satisfactory |
|
Non-cow pasteurized dairy milk cheese |
|
316 | 316 | 0 | 0 | All satisfactory |
|
Non-cow dairy milk |
|
309 | 247 | 62 | 0 |
|
2020/2021 | Domestic fresh-cut RTE prepackaged vegetable salads |
|
15 | 15 | 0 | 0 | All satisfactory |
2020/2021 | Imported fresh-cut RTE prepackaged vegetable salads |
|
193 | 193 | 0 | 0 | All satisfactory |
2020/2021 | Domestic fresh whole vegetables |
|
91 | 91 | 0 | 0 | All satisfactory |
2020/2021 | Imported fresh whole vegetables |
|
196 | 196 | 0 | 0 | All satisfactory |
2020/2021 | Domestic fresh whole fruits |
|
81 | 81 | 0 | 0 | All satisfactory |
2020/2021 | Imported fresh whole fruits |
|
194 | 194 | 0 | 0 | All satisfactory |
2020/2021 | Domestic whole leafy vegetables |
|
76 | 76 | 0 | 0 | All satisfactory |
2020/2021 | Imported whole leafy vegetables |
|
102 | 102 | 0 | 0 | All satisfactory |
|
|
|
457 | 457 | 0 | 0 | All satisfactory |
|
Imported romaine lettuce hearts |
|
682 | 681 | 1 | 0 | I=Generic E. coli |
|
Imported fresh-cut romaine lettuce |
|
516 | 516 | 0 | 0 | All satisfactory |
|
Fresh seed sprouts |
|
457 | 455 | 1 | 1 |
|
2019/2020 | Fresh microgreens |
|
75 | 73 | 2 | 0 |
|
2020/2021 | Imported tahini | Salmonella | 71 | 70 | N/A | 1 | U= Salmonella |
2020/2021 | Powdered infant formula | Cronobacter Enterobacteriaceae | 122 | 122 | 0 | 0 | All satisfactory |
2020/2021 | Imported prepackaged leafy greens and salads |
|
352 | 350 | 2 | N/A |
|
|
Imported fresh berries |
|
1396 | 1395 | 1 | N/A | I=Cyclospora |
2019/2020 | Imported green onions |
|
197 | 197 | 0 | N/A | All satisfactory |
|
Imported fresh leafy herbs |
|
771 | 771 | 0 | N/A | All satisfactory |
|
Imported fresh leafy herbs (seasonal focus on cilantro and basil) |
|
589 | 587 | 2 | N/A | I= Cyclospora (2) |
2017/2018 | Imported fresh leafy herbs |
|
799 | 798 | 1 | N/A | I=NoV (GII) |
2020/2021 | Domestic leafy greens and herbs |
|
122 | 122 | 0 | N/A | All satisfactory |
2020/2021 | Imported leafy greens and herbs |
|
138 | 138 | 0 | N/A | All satisfactory |
|
Imported frozen- cut fruits |
|
484 | 484 | 0 | N/A | All satisfactory |
2020/2021 | Imported frozen scallops |
|
112 | 112 | 0 | N/A | All satisfactory |
|
Plant-based cheese |
|
358 | 357 | 1 | 0 | I=Generic E. coli |
|
Plant-based ice cream |
|
518 | 515 | 3 | 0 |
|
|
Plant-based milk |
|
714 | 710 | 4 | 0 | I=ACC |
2020/2021 | Plant-based RTE sausages / burgers |
|
563 | 563 | 0 | 0 | All satisfactory |
2020/2021 | Plant-based Raw sausages / burgers |
|
288 | 286 | 2 | 0 | I= Generic E. coli |
Total (%) | - | - | 11,840 | 11,756 (99.3) | 82 (0.7) | 2 (0.02) | - |
What is done with the survey results
All results are used to:
- inform risk management decisions
- support program design and re-design
While no illnesses were linked to the investigative and unsatisfactory samples, these results triggered appropriate follow-up actions such as:
- facility inspections
- additional sampling and testing
- removal of affected products from the marketplace
Can I access the survey data
All of the results reported herein are considered preliminary, as the targeted survey are still ongoing. Therefore, the data will only be accessible to the public on the Open Government portal following the publication of the final report or scientific publication.
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