TORONTO - The idea of irradiating more of Canada's food supply in light of the deadly E. coli crisis in Europe was raised with federal agriculture officials Thursday during a round-table discussion on food safety.
The Consumers Association of Canada brought up the issue at the meeting attended by Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz and representatives of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency.
"The matter of irradiation and some of the problems leading to the German outbreak were discussed," said association president Bruce Cran, who attended the two-day discussion in Ottawa.
The outbreak in Europe has killed at least 29 people and sickened more than 2,900. German officials continue to warn against eating cucumbers, tomatoes, lettuce and sprouts even though they have not been able to determine the cause of the outbreak, which has cost EU farmers US$611 million as European consumers shun fruit and vegetables.
People in a dozen European countries, Canada and the U.S. have fallen ill. An Ontario man who became sick ate salad produce during a visit to Germany in May.
"Recognizing the situation in Germany, we are pleased that the consumer round table continues to be a forum where food industry members are welcome to bring forward ideas around how to strengthen Canada's food safety system," Ritz said in an email following the meeting. "I was pleased to meet with them today and express our government's commitment to the shared goal of making the food safety system stronger for all Canadians."
While the CFIA has said there's no reason to believe any contaminated from Europe has been imported into Canada and it has stepped up testing of imports, Cran said he was glad options were being left open.
"It's sort of a good reaction from our point of view," said Cran. "I guess that's the way that CFIA are going to proceed, they're having to look at whatever they can do, including radiation, if needed, to create a better system for protecting us from E. coli and other things."
Forty countries currently zap some of their food with gamma rays or electron beams to kill dangerous bugs such as E. coli and salmonella.
Only onions, potatoes, wheat, flour, whole wheat flour, and whole or ground spices and dehydrated seasonings are approved for irradiation in Canada. In the U.S., the list includes beef, poultry, raw spinach and iceberg lettuce.
Health Canada wanted to expand its food irradiation list to include other foods, such as mangoes, in 2002, but the idea didn't proceed due to a lack of demand and public distaste for the idea. Use on additional products would depend on applications from industry, the agency said.
While irradiation can be a useful tool to eliminate foodborne pathogens in foods, it's not a substitute for proper safe handling and production practices, the agency added.
While grocers such as Wegman's in the U.S. sell irradiated hamburger, American consumers haven't exactly been stocking their carts with irradiated food, said Jeffrey Barach, a spokesman with the Washington D.C.-based Grocery Manufacturers Association.
Barach will be speaking about advancing the technology of food irradiation when he attends a meeting of the International Irradiation Association in Montreal next week, and expects the E. coli outbreak will be a hot topic at the meeting.
"I certainly expect some questions will come up," Barach said.
