Audit raises food safety concerns

By DOMINIQUE LA HAYE, QMI Agency
September 24, 2010
The Toronto Sun Newspaper

OTTAWA — Federal International Trade Minister Peter Van Loan says Canada has one of the best food inspection systems in the world, even though an internal audit revealed that the security of food imported into the country was far from guaranteed.

“The safety of our food inspection system is one of our top priorities and I believe we have one of the most vigorous systems in the world,” he said.

But an internal audit by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, studying the period between April 2005 and April 2008, concluded the safety management system had a number of gaps.

The audit showed the agency, which is responsible for inspections, can’t guarantee that imported food meets federal standards.

In the House of Commons on Friday, opposition parties accused the government of not doing enough to ensure the food Canadians consume is safe.

“I don’t understand why the government would allow there to be fewer inspections for products consumed in Canadian homes than there are for those we export to other countries,” said NDP food safety critic Malcolm Allen.

But Pierre Lemieux, the parliamentary secretary for the agriculture minister, countered that the food agency has tightened its measures since the inspection.

The Bloc Quebecois called on the government to ensure so-called ‘reciprocity agreements’ are put in place to avoid Canadian products being penalized.

“We agree with having strict standards, but we want to be sure things are equal between Canadian and Quebec producers and those who export products to Canada,” said Bloc MP Pierre Paquette.