TORONTO - Listeria is an inherent reality in food and eliminating it from processing plants is an "impossible expectation," Maple Leaf CEO Michael McCain said Thursday after a plant linked to a deadly listeriosis outbreak again tested positive for the bacteria despite an intense cleaning process.
"The Canadian Food Directorate believes that the incidence of Listeria monocytogenes in all ready-to-eat foods, everything from vegetables, smoked fish, cheese and prepared meats, ranges from one to 10 per cent," McCain said.
"It's reasonable to assume we consume it every day and we have for thousands of years."
Maple Leaf undertook a massive recall two months ago after Listeria detected at a Toronto facility was linked to outbreak of listeriosis that resulted in 20 deaths.
The plant stopped production on Aug. 20, was intensely sanitized, and began producing meat on Sept. 17 so samples could be tested before resuming shipment to the public.
Four out of 3,850 product samples and one environmental sample out of 671 tested positive Wednesday for Listeria.
McCain called those results "exceptionally low" numbers, but said the facility will not resume production for consumption until both the company and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency are satisfied that the product is safe.
He said the latest batch of contaminated meat at the Toronto plant never left the company's "control."
Maple Leaf spokeswoman Linda Smith said some of the product made it as far as a distribution centre.
"What occurred two months ago is not what's happening today," he said.
"What's happened yesterday is routine -- no risk to the Canadian public, happens every day in the Canadian food industry."
McCain suggested much of the worry over the latest positive findings is due to media attention, and comes because the Toronto facility is in a "fishbowl."
"Listeria is everywhere in our environment. ... It is impossible, impossible to eliminate," McCain said during a news conference.
"While this plant has undergone intensive sanitization, we will never, never eliminate it. This is an impossible expectation. It exists in all food plants, all supermarkets, and presumably all kitchens."
McCain also turned his attention to the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, which has been criticized for a delay in informing the public about the listeriosis outbreak and about inspection methods.
"Canada has one of the highest standards of vigilance in food safety in the world, yet we are not perfect," McCain said.
"The recent outbreak of listeriosis has shone a spotlight on our food safety system. Some people have seized the opportunity to advance their own agenda at the expense of public confidence."
Rick Holley, a food science professor at the University of Manitoba, said Canada's food safety system has a long way to go. He said proper risk management cannot be done until the food-borne surveillance system is improved, and that a co-ordinated food inspection system should be put in place.
"I don't see any real groundswell of support within government to address the issue appropriately," he said.
"We're going to just sit here and knee-jerk react to outbreak after outbreak unless some serious consideration is given to investing dollars in improving the food safety system in Canada."
