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Trump administration aims to make faster meat processing permanent

Agency plans rulemaking to formalize speed increases

Chicago/Washington | Reuters – The Trump administration said on Mar. 17 that it plans to permanently allow U.S. poultry and pork processing plants to operate more quickly, raising concerns among advocacy groups about worker health and food safety. The U.S. Department of Agriculture decision is a victory for meat companies and industry associations such as the National Chicken […] Read more

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Feds lift ‘pause’ on increases in crop chemical MRLs

New set of rules also calls for 'cosmetic' pesticide use to be banned on federal lands

Proposals to increase a crop chemical’s maximum residue limits (MRLs) on foods and food crops in Canada can again seek federal approval, after being put on temporary hold two years ago. Among several other changes, a planned new package of federal regulatory amendments will put a gradual end to a “pause” imposed in August 2021 […] Read more


File photo of a provincial border marker in Lloydminster. (Michele Gervais/iStock/Getty Images)

Borderline city hosts interprovincial food trade pilot

Trade barrier on pause for two years for food businesses serving Lloydminster

The idea of loosening interprovincial trade in certain foods made by provincially-inspected processors will get a major test in one of Canada’s very few province-crossing municipalities. The Saskatchewan, Alberta and federal governments on Jan. 19 announced the start of a two-year pilot project within the limits of Lloydminster, a city of over 31,000 people straddling […] Read more



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Hepatitis A outbreak linked to organic strawberries

Cases reported in two provinces, three states

Washington | Reuters –– Food safety regulators in both Canada and the U.S. are investigating a hepatitis A outbreak potentially linked to tainted organic strawberries that has sickened 17 people in the U.S. and 10 in Canada, the agencies said. Fifteen illnesses were reported in California, and one each in Minnesota and North Dakota, the […] Read more

Core biosecurity principles and accompanying practices linked to livestock production now envelop all aspects of food production, preparation, manufacturing and human health.

Planes of biosecurity

Vet Advice with Dr. Ron Clarke

Simply defined, biosecurity encompasses procedures intended to protect humans and animals from disease or harmful biological agents. Animal biosecurity is a general description for measures designed to protect Canada’s animal resources from foreign and endemic infectious and parasitic disease agents at national, regional and farm levels. Many of the concepts related to biosecurity formally started […] Read more


(File photo)

U.S. rolls back inspection rules for egg products

New rule to affect 83 U.S. facilities

Chicago | Reuters — The Trump administration said Wednesday it will stop requiring U.S. plants that produce egg products to have full-time government inspectors, in the first update of inspection methods in 50 years. Under a new rule that takes effect immediately, the U.S. Department of Agriculture will allow companies such as Cargill and Sonstegard […] Read more

The pandemic has boosted interest in Canada’s food system, and beef industry stakeholders see an opportunity to build relationships with the non-farming public.

Food system transparency vital in post-pandemic world

Industry stakeholders see a window of opportunity to build public trust, but the industry must act before the public’s attention on food production wanes

The importance of transparency isn’t a new concept at Chop Steak­­house, but it’s certainly become amplified this year. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, Canadian consumers were already asking more questions about food production, something Marcel Blais, president of Chop Steakhouse, anticipates will become more common. “We’ve always had really strong practices on food and safety; we’re […] Read more


A customer shops at a pork meat hall at the Yuegezhuang wholesale market in Beijing on June 17, 2020. (Photo: Reuters/Tingshu Wang)

Food exporters to China asked to declare produce coronavirus-free

Declaration puts onus on exporters for product safety

Beijing | Reuters — China’s customs authority has asked food exporters to the country to sign a declaration their produce is not contaminated by the novel coronavirus, three people who received a letter said on Friday. The declaration, seen by Reuters, may be an effort by China to reduce the additional testing it has carried […] Read more

Researchers develop new method to detect E. coli

Researchers develop new method to detect E. coli

Research: News Roundup from the March 2020 issue of Canadian Cattlemen

Kansas State University researchers have cut the time required to detect Shiga toxin-producing E. coli, or STEC, in ground beef. “While the current, commonly used testing method is considered to be the gold standard, it is tedious and requires many days to obtain results that adequately differentiate the bacteria,” said Gary Anderson, director of the […] Read more