Better scrutiny of test results showing an increased presence of harmful bacteria at a Toronto meat-processing plant would have prevented a nationwide outbreak linked to 21 deaths, says the head of Maple Leaf Foods.
“What we didn’t do then, and what we do now, is apply sophisticated investigative and pattern-recognition science to analyze test results to better determine root cause,” Maple Leaf Foods CEO and president Michael McCain told MPs at the parliamentary agriculture committee yesterday.
The MPs have formed a subcommittee on food safety to study how a strain of listeria monocytogenes linked to ready-to-eat meats produced at the Maple Leaf facility on Bartor Rd. played a role in 21 deaths and an unknown number of illnesses across the country last August.
For the complete news item, please visit http://www.thestar.com/article/621618
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