Food safety to go: Guelph researchers are a crucial link in food-safety information chain

June 28, 2010 
Joey Sabljic
guelphmercury.com

GUELPH — Canadians are fortunate to enjoy one of the safest food supplies in the world. 

However, on those rare occasions where a contaminant makes its way into the food system, the effects can leave people suffering from food poisoning, or even cause death. 

To help ease food-related fears, a team from the University of Guelph’s Kemptville Campus is working in partnership with a team of Health Canada scientists to learn how to identify and monitor contaminated foods, so government officials can take appropriate action when necessary. 

People working behind the scenes, such as Liz Forbes, a senior college lecturer in food preparation techniques at the Kemptville campus, are on the food-safety front lines. She is part of a team of researchers involved in Health Canada’s Total Diet Study, which has been conducted in cities across the country, such as Quebec City, Calgary and Toronto, since 1969.

The study’s main purpose is to determine how many and what contaminants the average Canadian — from infant to senior — consumes in their diet. 

These contaminants — such as mercury, lead, arsenic or chemical pesticides — can sometimes sneak into the food supply, especially with so many of our foods passing through a long and complex supply chain. The diet study seeks to ensure that any contamination that may be present remains at a level low enough not to cause health risks. 

But if a certain age group is found to be consuming potentially dangerous amounts of a certain contaminant — say, higher-then-normal mercury levels in fish — the study can help authorities identify the source of the problem.

“We can follow our food supply and have an idea of what we’re eating,” says Forbes. “If there is a concern, it can be found, traced and followed-up on. It’s about information management right from the get-go.” 

In the first part of the Total Diet Study, Health Canada assembles a list of about 210 food items that were the most-purchased by Canadians over the past year. Forbes reviews the sample preparation techniques for each food item and makes recommendations as required. 

She trains the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) employees on how to shop according to the average Canadian buying habit’s list and what specific food items need to be purchased. Over a five-week period, CFIA employees will purchase each food item from three to four local grocery stores. Then, they catalogue each food item as to the brand, lot number and from the store it was purchased. This way, if any contaminants are discovered, Health Canada is able to trace the affected food back to where it was originally purchased, processed or grown. 

Afterwards, the CFIA employees are taught the proper food shipping and handling procedures — such as using dry ice — so that the food making its way to Kemptville doesn’t become contaminated or spoiled. 

From there, these foods — anything from roast beef to raisin pies — are prepared as they would normally be in the household, by Forbes’ staff. Once the food is prepared, composite samples are bottled, labelled, and catalogued. After this, they’re packed and taken to Ottawa to be analyzed for contaminants as necessary by a team of scientists at Health Canada’s headquarters. 

Teaching safe food preparation techniques extends into other areas of Forbes’ professional life. She coordinates the food service workers certificate program at Kemptville, designed for caregivers preparing food in long-term care facilities. The program meets the requirements of the Ministry of Health, and teaches students about food safety, basic food preparation, diet, nutrition and customer service. 

“The idea here is to have a safe food supply and keep people informed and educated along the way,” says Forbes. 

This project is funded by Health Canada.