CMAJ 2011 election survey: food safety.

sprouts tainted by Salmonella. In 2006, it was Escherichia coli-laced spinach imported from the United States. Two years later, at least 20 Canadians died after eating Ontario-made cold cuts permeated with Listeria monocytogenes. The list of unsafe foods ingested by Canadians goes on and on, which has prompted many health experts to call for the federal government to improve Canada’s food inspection and safety system. Neither the public sector nor private companies do an acceptable job of preventing food-borne illnesses, according to critics, who say Canada lacks an adequate active surveillance system and is unable to effectively trace tainted foods to their source (www.cmaj.ca/cgi/doi /10.1503/cmaj.110453). As a result, annual episodes of food-related gastroenteritis total at least 11 million, and that may be a low estimate considering how many cases go unreported. Canada performs particularly poorly in the area of traceability, the measure of how well a country can track food items along the pathway from “farm-tofork.” In a recent analysis of food safety in 17 countries, Canada ranked last in this category (www.schoolof publicpolicy.sk.ca/_documents/_public ations_reports/food_safety_final.pdf). “Canada was the only country to earn a lower grade in 2010 compared with 2008,” the report states. “While it does have tracking systems for its livestock industry, it is still developing a farm-tofork traceability system.” So it is perhaps no surprise that the political parties that participated in CMAJ’s 2011 election survey claimed, if elected, that they would make changes to ensure fewer Canadians fall victim to food-borne illnesses. The Liberals vowed to review how effectively the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) coordinates its efforts with other health regulators to minimize risks in the food safety system, while investing an additional $50 million to improve that system, particularly in the area of food imports. The New Democrats would hire 200 new food inspectors, improve labels on food to relay nutritional information and enhance traceability. They would also introduce a national food strategy that would “combine health goals, environmental goals, food quality objectives, local and organic choices for consumers across the country.” The Bloc Québécois expressed concerns about the influence that the food industry has in managing food inspection, and about the CFIA’s conflicting roles as protector of public safety and promoter of trade. The Bloc would push for the hiring of more food inspectors and veterinarians, and would call for the removal of barriers that prevent inspectors from quickly taking action when potential hazards arise. The Conservatives, meanwhile, declined to participate in the CMAJ survey. The party said all policy questions can be answered by perusing its platform. While their platform does make passing reference to strengthening food safety, almost all mentions of food are with respect to commercial matters, such as expanding international markets for farmers and revising “burdensome approval processes” to provide farmers easier access to fertilizers, pesticides and veterinary drugs. — Roger Collier, CMAJ