Sutherland, Ian R.

English

Research Papers in Economics

Invited Presentation 
Food Safety Issues in Canada 
lan R. Sutherland 
Canadians enjoy the highest possible level of food 
safety. Despite this fact, there is a public perception 
and concern about the potential presence of chemical 
residues in foods and the possible presence of 
bacteria, such as salmonella and Hsteria. 
In recent years, significant developments have 
influenced the perceptions that consumers have about 
food safety. A technological explosion has pro-
vided a capacity to detect bacterial contamination 
and chemical residues in increasingly small amounts. 
At the same time, there has been an increasing 
awareness of the possible effects of man-made sub-
stances on the air we breathe and the food we eat 
and drink. This awareness has resulted in a shift 
in emphasis among consumers from concern over 
visible defects and grading of food products to con-
cern about invisible chemical residues and bacterial 
presence in food products. Since consumers cannot 
see for themselves that food is free of residues, 
they expect the inspection services to provide this 
assurance. The fact that the consumer's perceptions 
about the relative risks of food additives, veterinary 
drugs, pesticides, environmental contaminants, and 
microbiological hazards are the exact reverse of the 
opinions of scientists points out the need to consult 
with and provide better information to the public. 
The public would then be better able to assess the 
relative importance of food safety issues and make 
informed decisions. 
Reviews of Canada's Food Inspection System 
In 1985 a Ministerial Task Force reviewed the food 
inspection program in Canada and determined that 
there was an effective food inspection system and 
there was justification in the public having a high 
level of confidence in that system. The review did 
indicate that while the Department of Health and 
Welfare Canada has primacy for the safety and 
nutrition of food, there was a broad range of shared 
accountability involving the four federal food de-
partments. A further review of the Canadian food 
inspection system was conducted in 1988, and the 
lan R. Sutherland is director of Agri-Food Inspection Strategies, Agri-
culture Canada. 
need to share accountability for the health and safety of 
food, the management of risks, and the imple-
mentation of appropriate monitoring techniques was 
emphasized. The auditor general's report (1988) of 
the Food Production and Inspection Branch of 
Agriculture Canada again provided a positive 
summary but indicated that there was need for 
strengthening of certain areas of activity. 
In 1989 Mr. Mazankowski, the minister of ag-
riculture, initiated a broad agricultural policy re-
view based on four principles: (1) that the developed 
policy should stimulate self-reliance within industry; 
(2) that the policy should create an atmosphere of 
market responsiveness; (3) that there should be a 
recognition of the regional diversity of the various 
areas of Canada; and (4) that the policy should 
reflect the need for agricultural and environmental 
sustainability. 
Food safety was one of the aspects of activity 
of the department that was reviewed under this 
general policy review and the resulting committee 
developed recommendations on the basis of the 
minister's four principles. Specifically, the com-
mittee recommended that Canada's inspection and 
food safety systems should ensure that responsi-
bility is properly shared by all participants in the 
food chain, from input supplier through the pro-
ducer and the processor to and including the con-
sumer. The system should be more open, allowing 
for the direct involvement of both consumers and 
industry through not only a broad consultative 
mechanism, but also by providing improved access to 
reports of inspection and audit reports that are 
generated within the system. The committee rec-
ognized that Agriculture Canada's food safety stan-
dards and inspection methods must meet all 
internationally recognized levels and that, in fact, 
this also gave further opportunity for Canada to 
provide input to the deliberations of bodies such as 
the Codex Alimentarius Commission, which has the 
objective to establish high uniform standards 
internationally. 
Another specific recommendation of the com-
mittee was that Agriculture Canada must continue 
to improve the system of assessing agri-food prod-
ucts and processes of foreign countries and com-
panies shipping to Canada. In point of fact, this Sutherland 
for the assessment of the legal authorities and in-
spection systems of those countries exporting to 
Canada after which time the reported systems and 
procedures could be verified by on-site inspections. 
The process is designed to ensure the highest level 
of safety of imported products, but would enable 
the department to concentrate inspection resources, 
including monitoring through laboratory testing, to 
the highest areas of risk. 
In supporting the food safety endeavours of the 
department, significant emphasis has been placed 
on intensifying the monitoring through laboratory 
testing. This has called for the development of an 
accreditation system of private laboratories and the 
contracting out to these accredited laboratories of 
particular tests, be it for pesticides or for bacterial 
determination. In addition, the department has moved 
into the development of rapid tests and where rapid 
tests have been confirmed as being valid, the use 
of such tests has been extended to the field in-
spection staff. An example of the application of a 
rapid test is the one applied for the determination 
of sulfa drug residues in meat products. Currently, 
there is active research into the development of a 
rapid test for the detection of salmonella bacteria. 
The department takes the position that the 
development of rapid tests and the subsequent 
application at the field level provide an effective 
and cost-beneficial alternative screening process, 
Food Safety Issues in Canada    69 
and preserves sophisticated laboratory testing for 
confirmation of the residue or contamination level. 
Conclusion 
In conclusion, it is evident that consumer sensitivity 
and concerns for food safety and quality have 
increased in recent years. At the same time, it is 
also evident that there has been substantial progress in 
quality assurance systems and processes. Industry 
and government have been responding to consumer 
health concerns. There has been improved 
cooperation and coordination among all partners 
and players in the food chain, and the decision-
making systems within government are becoming 
more open and transparent. Notwithstanding these 
developments, which are assuring Canadians of the 
safety of the food supply, it must still be appre-
ciated that since food production and consumption 
are part of biological processes, perfection cannot 
be 100 percent guaranteed. The Department of 
Agriculture—and, indeed, the Government of 
Canada—is continuing to address the concerns 
of consumers in all respects and will continue to 
provide not only effective inspection systems, 
but provide information to the consumer on all 
issues pertaining to food safety and quality, so 
that the consumer can develop an improved basis 
for making informed consumption decisions. 

FOOD SAFETY ISSUES IN CANADA

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