Canadian food recalls are increasing both in frequency and in complexity, researchers at Brock University have discovered.
A team led by Michael J. Armstrong, a professor of quality management at Brock in St. Catharines, Ont., compiled the number of food recalls and allergy alerts issued by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency between 2004 and 2009.
Excerpt:
In 57 per cent of the recalls, the source appeared to be Canada, 12 per cent were from the U.S., three per cent were from other countries, and 18 per cent were of unclear origin.
"I see good news and bad news in that," Armstrong said. "Those are bacteria that have been around forever, and are pretty well understood by the scientific community. They're not 21st-century exotic chemicals or superbugs," he said.
"And most came from Canada. So the bad news is that it's our own fault, but the good news is we have the control to be able to clean it up."