The U.S. government’s new protocols for testing Canadian meat imports no longer include holding the shipment while test results are confirmed, the Manitoba Co-operator reported Thursday.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced earlier this month that its Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) would increase its testing of Canadian meat at the border for E. coli O157:H7, salmonella and listeria, and that it would “require that shipments be held until testing is complete and products are confirmed negative for these pathogens.”
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The “test and hold” policy was put in place Nov. 8 and had the potential to delay any meat shipments that were tapped for inspection for at least three days. Canadian meat exporters either cut back or completely stopped shipments for the week during which the measure was in place.
“They’re still with the increased level of testing but product doesn’t have to sit and wait until the answers come back,” John Masswohl, director of international relations for the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association, told the Co-operator in its Nov. 22 issue.
FSIS announced it would increase testing of Canadian meat after it implicated the ill-fated Ranchers Beef packing plant near Calgary in one of the largest E. coli-related recalls of beef in U.S. history.
New Jersey burger maker Topps Meat, which went out of business after a number of E. coli-related illnesses were tied to its product, was found to have bought beef trim from the Alberta plant for its burgers. FSIS said the specific strain of E. coli O157:H7 was linked to samples from Ranchers Beef.
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency is also looking at Ranchers Beef as it investigates cases of E. coli-related sickness across Canada this summer. While CFIA has since announced several product recalls related to the Ranchers Beef investigation, it has not yet specifically linked those illnesses to the plant.
FSIS also said Nov. 3 that Canadian meat and poultry products would face “increased levels of re-inspection to confirm they are eligible to enter commerce when presented at the U.S. border.” The U.S. agency will also continue to test beef trim, which it hadn’t previously done.
FSIS is preparing a report on its recent safety audit of Canadian meat packing plants, and said it plans to use that report to decide whether to maintain the raised level of inspections.
While FSIS provided no reason for lifting the “test and hold” requirement, Masswohl suggested to Co-operator reporter Ron Friesen that either FSIS saw what kind of effect its move had on shipments from Canada, or the FSIS safety audit shows no compelling reason for the measure to continue.
