Canadians Cautious of Food Imports
A poll conducted exclusively for CanWest News service has revealed that the majority of Canadian consumers report being suspicious of foreign food, particularly that from countries outside the US and Europe.
The report reveals that two-thirds of Canadians are concerned about the safety of their food and are willing to pay higher prices to ensure imports are faced with increased screening and tighter inspections.
Third Case of Foot and Mouth Suspected In UK
A third case of Foot and Mouth has been suspected on a farm in the village of Normandy, Surrey, UK. The third case was found within a three-kilometer radius protection zone previously established after DEFRA confirmed two other cases earlier this month. A mix of cattle and sheep have been ordered to be killed after "suspected clinical signs" were spotted.
Chief Veterinary Officer, Debby Reynolds, decided that the spread of the disease was sufficiently limited as all cases had occurred within a nine kilometer surveillance radius, and as such live stock movement restrictions have been relaxed.
Seven New E.Coli Cases Surface in Calgary
Following a July 13 warning issued by the Calgary Health region regarding higher than normal cases of E-coli, seven more patients have fallen ill from the infection. The new cases bring the total to 24 – well above the levels reported in July 2006 of only 5 cases.
“That’s certainly higher than we typically see in any given month, even in a summer month when we see more cases”, said Dr. Judy MacDonald, deputy medical office of health for the CHR.
The reason behind the spike in cases remains a mystery. The 24 cases appear to be from at least four different strains of the bacteria which make it difficult to pinpoint a single source of infection.
Cadbury Fined £1 million For Salmonella Offences
The multinational confectionary giant Cadbury was fined £1 million after being found guilty of several food safety and hygiene offences following a 2006 national salmonella outbreak in England. Forty-two people contracted the virus as a result of contaminated chocolate bars.
The company was forced to recall over a million chocolate bars last June, after changing its policy to testing for the bacteria from permitting none to allowing a “tolerance level”.
The judge in the case said that Cadbury accepted that the “testing system introduced in 2003, which was based on a misunderstanding of scientific literature was badly flawed and wrong”. He added “I do not believe that at the time of the introduction Cadbury consciously thought they were taking a risk with people’s health”.
Safeway Recalls E. coli Tainted Burgers
Canada Safeway has voluntarily recalled its “Butcher’s Cut” frozen ground patties and “Sunny Dawn” frozen ground beef patties in Alberta and BC. This recall stems from 5 reported cases of E. coli 0157:H7 bacteria in undisclosed locations. Davendra Sharma of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency says that an investigation is underway but also notes that “This being Stampede season, it’s a good chance to remind people to cook hamburgers thoroughly”
E. coli 0157:H7 does not change the smell, taste or look of ground beef, however consuming the contaminated meat can cause serious illnesses, and in some cases death.
Farmers Advised To Keep A Watchful Eye On Bluetongue
With an increased risk of bluetongue, The British Veterinary Association (BVA) has urged livestock farmers to be vigilant when importing cattle into the UK.
Although at present the current risk to UK livestock is low, the BVA stressed that a constant risk of infection exists from the importation of infected animals.
At present there is no vaccine available against the strain presently found in Northern Europe and no insecticidal treatment has proved to be effective in controlling the disease- carrying midge.
Re-emergence of Bluetongue Triggers Fear
The Institute of Animal Health has warned that the re-emergence of the bluetongue virus in Northern Europe could increase the risk of the disease spreading to the United Kingdom this year.
The German National Reference Laboratory for Bluetongue reported that the virus has re-emerged on a German cattle farm which tested positive last year – triggering fears that the virus could have survived through the winter.
The UK is most at risk when there are easterly winds that could blow infected midges (insects that carry the disease) from continental Europe. As such, a close watch is being kept on both the disease situation and the meteorology and Defra is being updated daily.