OTTAWA ¯ Earlier this week, Canada sent one of its top food-safety officials to Washington, D.C., to seek clarification on the “additional import requirements” announced over the weekend by Dr. Richard Raymond, the U.S. Department of Agriculture undersecretary for food safety.
The new requirements were imposed by the USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service FSIS as a result of meat exported to the U.S. by Canada’s Ranchers Beef Ltd. being recently identified as a likely source of the Topps Meat Co. E. coli O157:H7 ground beef recall.
As part of the effort, the FSIS will increase testing for Salmonella, Listeria monocytogenes and E. coli O157:H7, and require that shipments be held until testing is complete and products are confirmed negative for these pathogens. In addition, Canadian meat and poultry products will receive increased levels of re-inspection by the FSIS to confirm they are eligible to enter commerce when presented at the U.S. border.
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