Bacterial Pathogens and Indicators in Ready-to-eat Non-Soy Plant-based Meat Alternatives – April 1, 2020 to March 31, 2023

The survey was conducted to generate baseline information on the quality and safety of RTE non-soy plant-based meat alternatives sold at retail in Canada. A similar survey was conducted from 2013 to 2014 and 2015 to 2016^Footnote 2 which included RTE plant-based meat alternatives, however all of the samples were soy-based while those tested in this survey were derived from other plant-based sources such as peas, beans, grains, and vegetables.

The consumption of plant-based meat alternatives has a long history in many parts of Asia^Footnote 3. However, in recent years they have grown in popularity and a wide variety of products is now available on the Canadian retail marketplace^Footnote 4. Unfortunately, plant-based meat alternatives have been associated with recalls^{Footnote 5Footnote 6}, and foodborne illness outbreaks^{Footnote 7Footnote 8Footnote 9}.

Contamination with bacterial pathogens can occur at any step in the food supply chain such as during production, processing, packaging, distribution, at retail, and/or during preparation for consumption. Consequently, if pathogens are present, there is a potential for foodborne illness.

The survey was conducted over a 3-year period from April 1, 2020 to March 31, 2023.

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

• Halifax
• Moncton
• Quebec City
• Montreal
• Toronto
• Ottawa
• Vancouver
• Victoria
• Calgary
• Saskatoon
• Winnipeg

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.

A total of 1026 refrigerated plant-based meat alternative samples were collected. Soy-based products were excluded from this survey and sampling was focused on plant-based burgers, patties, and sausages. All products collected under this survey were labelled as being fully cooked or RTE. A sample consisted of a single or multiple consumer sized packages of the same lot weighing at least 250 g.

All samples were tested for Salmonella spp., L. monocytogenes, S. aureus, and generic E. coli. Salmonella spp., L. monocytogenes, and S. aureus are pathogenic bacteria while generic E. coli is an indicator of the overall hygienic and sanitary conditions under which the samples have been produced, processed, stored, and transported.

Samples were analyzed using analytical methods published in Health Canada's Compendium of Analytical Methods for the Microbiological Analysis of Foods^Footnote 10 that were appropriate for the testing of plant-based meat alternatives.

The samples were assessed using criteria based on the principles of Health Canada's Health Products and Food Branch (HPFB) Standards and Guidelines for Microbiological Safety of Food – An Interpretive Summary^Footnote 11, Policy on Listeria monocytogenes in Ready-to-Eat Foods^Footnote 12, the Food and Drugs Act^Footnote 13 (Section 4(1)), and guidelines developed by international food safety authorities^{Footnote 14Footnote 15}.

No assessment guidelines had been established in Canada for the presence of Salmonella spp., S. aureus or indicator organisms in plant-based meat alternatives at the time of writing this report.

As Salmonella spp. is considered pathogenic to humans, its presence was assessed as unsatisfactory as it is considered to be a violation of the Food and Drugs Act^Footnote 13 Section 4(1)a.

S. aureus can produce toxins capable of causing foodborne illness and therefore their presence at elevated levels was assessed as investigative, possibly resulting in further follow-up actions.

Unlike bacterial pathogens, most strains of generic E. coli are harmless. Generic E. coli is considered to be an indicator organism as their levels present in a food product are used to assess the overall sanitation conditions throughout the food chain from production to the point of sale. Their presence at some levels is tolerated, however elevated levels were assessed as investigative, possibly resulting in follow-up actions. High levels of generic E. coli were assessed as unsatisfactory as it may indicate a breakdown in sanitation controls, and therefore warranting follow-up actions.

All of the samples tested were found to be satisfactory. Salmonella spp., L. monocytogenes, S. aureus (> 10⁴ CFU/g), and generic E. coli (> 10² CFU/g) were not found in any of the samples.

Survey results are also presented by the product's format (table 3), production practice (table 4), country of origin (table 5), and main ingredient(s) (table 6).

No previously published studies on the microbiological quality or safety of RTE non-soy plant-based meat alternatives were found at the time of writing this report. An earlier targeted survey^Footnote 2 was conducted on the microbiological quality and safety of RTE soy-based products which included RTE soy-based meat alternatives. In both the current and previous^Footnote 2 studies, all samples tested were found to be of satisfactory microbiological quality and safety.

Overall, our survey results indicate that RTE non-soy plant-based meat alternatives sold in Canada are generally safe for consumption. However, as with all foods, and especially with those that are RTE, good hygienic practices are recommended for producers, retailers and consumers.

All results are used to:

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

Yes. The data will be accessible on the Open Government Portal.