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Statistics: Food safety investigations

The food safety investigation and recall process is initiated when there is reason to believe that a potentially contaminated food has reached the marketplace.

The Canadian food supply is one of the safest in the world. However, no food safety system can guarantee zero risk. At any point in the production system, food can become contaminated with bacteria, viruses, parasites, chemicals, undeclared allergens or material such as glass or metal fragments.

Food safety investigations are complex and involve several essential steps to determine if a food recall is required and what food to recall. When dealing with potentially unsafe food, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) acts as quickly as possible to collect information and make decisions. Food safety investigations are carried out by a variety of experts at the CFIA, including inspection staff, and will continue until complete and sufficient information is gathered to determine if a risk exists and develop a strategy to mitigate the risk.

There are several triggers that start a food safety investigation, which could lead to a food recall. These include, but are not limited to:

The objectives of a food safety investigation are:

On average, the CFIA conducts approximately 2,845 food safety investigations each year.

Food safety investigations

Food safety investigations from April: April 2017 - March 2022. Description follows.
Description for bar graph – April 2018 – March 2023 table
Food safety investigations from April 1, 2018 – March 31, 2023
- Apr 18 – Mar 19 Apr 19 – Mar 20 Apr 20 – Mar 21 Apr 21 – Mar 22 Apr 22 – Mar 23
Total food safety investigations 3278 3222 2569 2529 2642

Food safety investigations by hazard

Food safety investigations by hazard: April 2017 - March 2022. Description follows.
Description for bar graph – April 2018 – March 2023 table
Food safety investigations by hazard from April 1, 2018 – March 31, 2023
- Apr 18 – Mar 19 Apr 19 – Mar 20 Apr 20 – Mar 21 Apr 21 – Mar 22 Apr 22 – Mar 23
Allergen 379 323 269 331 337
Chemical 230 275 220 165 154
Extraneous material 1484 1378 1267 1223 1237
Microbiological 1047 1093 660 701 802
Other 201 210 153 109 112

Glossary

Allergen
A food product may contain ingredients such as peanuts, milk or eggs that are not identified or are incorrectly identified on the label and that can cause adverse reactions in people who are allergic to the item.
Chemical
A food product contains chemical residues such as lead, mercury or pesticides that, at certain levels, can affect human health.
Extraneous material
A food product contains material from an outside source, such as metal, glass or hair. These are not necessarily a risk to human health.
Microbiological
A food product is contaminated by micro-organisms, such as bacteria, viruses or parasites, which have the potential to cause illness.
Other
A food product is of concern due to the presence of a hazard that does not fall within one of the above categories. Examples include non-permitted ingredients, nutrition concerns and potential tampering.
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