The U.S. Food Safety and Inspection Service told Canadian officials increased food import inspections of Canadian products would begin Friday
William Jam, acting FSIS assistant administrator of international affairs, sent a letter to Bill Anderson, director of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency’s meat program, informing him of the start of the program.
The more intensive inspections were to include Canadian meat, poultry, pasteurized egg and ground beef products for E. coli OI57:H7, Listeria monocytogenes and salmonella at a rate of approximately double that of the past year.
The measures are a reflection of our concern about the Canadian inspection system based on the audit findings of May 1-June 6, 2007, and the circumstances related to the unsafe practices employed by Ranchers Beef Ltd. … said Jam in the letter.
Ranchers Beef products were involved earlier this year in the second-largest E. coli-related beef recall in U.S. history. A total of 22 million pounds of frozen hamburger were recalled, forcing the Topps Meat Co. of Elizabeth, N.J., out of business.
Jam told Anderson the increased testing for pathogens would continue while Ranchers Beef and otheU.S. inspectors complete audits involving r Canadian food producers.
Via: Webindia
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