Bacterial Pathogens and Indicators, Viruses and Parasites in Various Food Commodities - April 1, 2018 to March 31, 2023

Food microbiology - Targeted surveys - Interim report

Summary

From April 1, 2018 to March 31, 2023, a total of 30,674 food samples were tested in a suite of ongoing targeted surveys^{Footnote 1} to investigate the presence of bacterial pathogens and indicators, viruses and parasites.

Of the samples tested, 99.4% were satisfactory, 0.5% were investigative, and 0.1% were unsatisfactory. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) conducted appropriate follow-up activities including the oversight of industry led voluntary food recalls. There were no reported illnesses related to these products.

Final reports, which will include a detailed analysis of the results, will be published over the next few years as the surveys are completed.

What is an interim report

An interim report provides preliminary results related to on-going targeted surveys^{Footnote 1} which can vary in duration from several months to several years depending on the objective of each survey.

Will final reports be published

Yes, upon conclusion of the surveys, final reports or scientific publications will be published.

What foods were tested

The presence of bacterial pathogens and indicators, viruses and parasites were investigated in a variety of foods of the following commodities:

• raw dairy milk cheese
• fresh and frozen fruits and vegetables
• seafood
• powdered infant formula and baby food
• tahini
• guacamole
• fresh herb paste
• seaweed salad
• raw shelled nuts
• ready-to-eat (RTE) meat sausages
• kimchi

Why were these foods tested

The selected foods are all commonly consumed by Canadians of all ages^{Footnote 2}. Unfortunately, most of these commodities have been associated with recalls and outbreaks of foodborne illnesses. Contamination with pathogens can occur at any step in the food supply chain such as during production, processing, packaging, distribution and/or at retail. Given that most of the commodities covered by this report are consumed without further preparation, the presence of pathogens creates the potential for foodborne illness.

When were the samples collected

The samples were collected from April 1, 2018 to March 31, 2023. This report covers a period of 5 fiscal years (2018-2019, 2019-2020, 2020-2021, 2021-2022 and 2022-2023) with a fiscal year being a 12 month period from April 1 to March 31 of the following year.

Where were the samples collected from

Samples were collected from national retail chains and local/regional grocery stores located in 11 major cities across Canada:

• Halifax
• Saint John or Moncton
• Quebec City
• Montreal
• Toronto
• Ottawa
• Vancouver
• Kelowna or Victoria
• Calgary
• Saskatoon
• Winnipeg

A sample consisted of a single or multiple consumer-size packages from the same lot weighing at least 250g. The planned number of samples to be collected from each city was based on the population of the province in which the city was located relative to the total population of Canada.

What methods were used to test the samples

Samples were analyzed using analytical methods published in Health Canada's Compendium of Analytical Methods for the Microbiological Analysis of Foods^{Footnote 3}, CFIA internally-developed methods, methods from other organizations such as ISO or FDA BAM, and methods that detect the presence of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) of Cyclospora and Giardia.

How were the samples assessed

The samples were assessed using criteria (tables 1, 2, 3) based on the principles of the following Health Canada documents: Health Products and Food Branch (HPFB) Standards and Guidelines for Microbiological Safety of Food – An Interpretive Summary^{Footnote 4}, Policy on Listeria monocytogenes in Ready-to-Eat Foods^{Footnote 5} and the Food and Drugs Act (Section 4 (1))^{Footnote 6}. In the absence of Health Canada standards, policies or guidelines, the assessment criteria are based on guidelines developed by international food safety authorities. Detailed information about the assessment criteria used for each commodity will be provided in the final reports which will be published after the surveys have concluded.

What were the survey preliminary results

Details about each targeted survey and test results (as of March 31, 2023) can be found in table 4.

What is done with the survey results

All results are used to:

• inform risk management decisions
• support program design and re-design

All investigative and unsatisfactory results triggered appropriate follow-up actions such as:

• on site visit of the manufacturer
• follow-up with the importer
• review of hygiene and sanitation procedures
• review of production and distribution records
• review of previous laboratory test results
• additional sampling and testing
• food recalls

Can I access the survey data

All of the results reported herein are considered preliminary, as the targeted surveys are still ongoing. Therefore, the data will only be accessible to the public on the Open Government portal following the publication of the final report or scientific publication.