Tag Archives: Canada

Sick vacationers from Cuba continue to land in Canada

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This is sounding a lot less like norovirus.

Elizabeth Church of Toronto’s Globe and Mail reports that for the fifth time in less than a week, a Canadian airline is reporting several ill passengers on a flight returning from the vacation destination of Holguin in Cuba.

Although many travellers on each flight reported staying at the same resorts, at least four resorts have been identified amongst the travellers onboard the first four affected flights, according to the Public Health Agency of Canada.

But those resorts could have the same food suppliers; and at least one commenter to barfblog.com said he or she was tested upon arriving in Canada and tested positive for salmonella.

Michelle Larabie said she got sick on a plane returning to Toronto from Holguin on Jan. 13, a week earlier than the other flights. She said she began feeling nauseous while in the air, and her sickness and diarrhea lasted nearly a week.

Visitors to Cuba returning to Canada with gastrointestinal illnesses

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The Ottawa Citizen reports three flights from Cuba to Canada had at least 39 passengers returning with a variety of gastrointestinal illnesses.

The Public Health Agency of Canada said Friday two flights that arrived in Ottawa from Cuba on Tuesday and Friday had 19 passengers suffering from symptoms such as vomiting, diarrhea, nausea and fever, while a Thursday flight from Cuba to Toronto had 20 passengers suffering from the same symptoms.

“In all cases, quarantine officers assessed the situation, determined that the passengers did not have a disease listed in the Quarantine Act and thus did not pose a significant public health risk and passengers were released,” said Sylwia Gomes in an email reply to the Citizen.

The sick passengers on the three flights came from at least four different resorts, she said.

Early Friday morning, an Air Transat flight from Cuba carrying 260 passengers was detained at the Ottawa International Airport after 12 people complained of a stomach illness. The ill passengers were all from the same resort, so the concern forced Ottawa’s fire HAZMAT team to respond to the early morning incident.

Passengers were assessed and then cleared after nearly 20 minutes of examination, said a spokesman for the Ottawa ambulance service.

Recalls and questions grow because of E. coli O157 in walnuts in Canada

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The creepy, crawly recall of walnuts and walnut-containing products continues in Canada because of E. coli O157:H7.

But no one is saying how the E. coli O157:H7 was detected, whether it is genetically the same strain as the E. coli in walnuts that sickened 13 Canadians and killed one earlier this year, and there has been nary a peep from California where the walnuts were apparently grown.

After declaring on Sept. 1, 2011 there were “no confirmed illnesses,” the Canadian Food Inspection Agency announced expansions to recalled walnut products on Sept. 6, 7 and 8 (actually 9, about two hours ago), 2011, and has switched the lingo to, “There have been no reported illnesses associated with the consumption of these products.

In the latest notice, CFIA says Johnvince Foods of Toronto is voluntarily recalling the affected products from the marketplace for example, see right), but yesterday mentioned Andersen and Sons Shelling, Vina, California, USA.

Earlier this year, 14 people were sickened after eating E. coli-contaminated walnuts distributed by Montreal-based Amira Enterprises.

One patient in Quebec with an underlying medical condition died during the outbreak, which also affected people in Ontario and New Brunswick.

Claiming organic when it’s not (in Canada) and getting caught is ‘like getting caught for driving so fast you lose your licence, but aren’t fined’

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Auditors, certifiers, validators, grease monkeys, soil farmers, they’re all supposed to make things better.

But claims are nothing more than claims in the absence of data.

And anyone who has to say, “trust me,” is immediately untrustworthy.

So when Laura Telford, executive director of the Canadian Organic Growers, told Canadian news types a couple of weeks ago, “I’m not certain the world needs to know the exact reason why this company lost its certification. I personally feel that its enough to know that CFIA is doing its job … and when a company is not following the rules, there will be consequences,” howls of cynical guffawing ensued among those familiar with the Canadian Food Inspection Agency.

A few weeks ago, Lynne Moore reported in the Montreal Gazette that on June 30, 2009, the Organic Products Regulations came into effect under the Canadian Food Inspection Agency.

The regulations provided for a transition period, a two-year span that would allow everyone to align their operations to the new reality and take care of practical matters such as using up existing packaging.

In a July 27, 2011, notice, the Canada Organic Office said Jirah Milling and Sales Inc., of Ormstown, Que., was no longer authorized to market organic products or use the Canada Organic logo (the logo that would now be recognized by the U.S. and the EU).

The notice of suspension of organic certification was sent to industry and certification bodies, but the document was not publicly disseminated by the federal body on a website or via a media release.

The Montreal Gazette found the government’s suspension notice about one of Eastern Canada’s most significant international organic dealers on the "newsroom" page of U.S. Department of Agriculture’s website. It wasn’t deemed newsworthy in Canada, but it was in the U.S.

Michel Saumur, the office’s national manager and program spokesman, would not provide information about the scope of Jirah’s corporate activities, wouldn’t discuss complaints received about the company, wouldn’t say why its certification was suspended – and subsequently cancelled – and would not even disclose which certifying body had accredited Jirah.

Email inquiries to CFIA’s media office finally generated a response on Friday afternoon. The Organic Products Regulations "do not have provisions for fines and additional penalties at this time."

So it’s something like getting caught for driving so fast you lose your licence, but aren’t fined.

 

The byzantine world of government speak; E. coli O157 again in walnuts in Canada

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In CFIA-speak, ‘no confirmed illnesses’ means there are sick people, but we can’t say so until we’re super-duper sure through testing, no matter how many more people get sick. It’s part of a disturbing trend where government agencies are pressured to downgrade the findings of epidemiology and rely only on positive test results. It’s on display in the Del Monte vs. Oregon lawsuit, and was on full display in the Maple Leaf listeria outbreak of 2008 that saw 23 people die and 53 others sickened; CFIA led with a press statement then “There have been no confirmed illnesses associated with the consumption of these products.”

So no one should be comforted after the Canadian Food Inspection Agency reported this morning that certain prepackaged raw shelled walnut products described below are being voluntarily recalled because they may be contaminated with E. coli O157:H7.

“There have been no confirmed illnesses associated with the consumption of these products.”

Uh-oh.

When no one is sick, CFIA says, “there have been no illnesses associated with the consumption of these products.”

It’s the kind of wiggle-room bureaucrats thrive on – and shows the overall importance of public health.

The following raw shelled walnut products, imported from USA and packaged in Canada, are affected by this alert.

President’s Choice
Raw California Walnut Halves Unsalted 250 g 0 60383 87185 7 Best Before 2012 OC 07
Reddi Snack Hand Selected
California Walnuts 350 g 0 64777 28695 1 16581

Earlier this year, 14 people were sickened after eating E. coli-contaminated walnuts distributed by Montreal-based Amira Enterprises.

One patient in Quebec with an underlying medical condition died during the outbreak, which also affected people in Ontario and New Brunswick.
 

Canada-wide outbreak of E. coli O157:H7 linked to veal liver; feds won’t say how many are sick

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Once again, the communication geniuses at the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) have buried the lede, announcing halfway through a recall of veal liver that “there have been reported illnesses associated with the consumption of this product.

“This is an ongoing food safety investigation. The Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) is investigating a multi-provincial outbreak of E. coli O157:H7 illnesses in collaboration with provincial health authorities as well as federal health partners including CFIA and Health Canada.”

That’s a lot of agencies. I wonder how many people are sick and where?

CFIA and White Veal Meat Packers Ltd. (Est. 412) of Toronto are warning the public not to consume the grain fed veal liver described below because the product may be contaminated with E. coli O157:H7.

The following White Valley brand Grain Fed Veal Liver products, sold in boxes weighing approximately 5 kg or approximately 25 kg are affected by this alert:

Format UPC Lot Distributed to:
1 individually vacuum packaged or 5 individually poly packed pieces per box 90059441201142 110601 British Columbia, Ontario and Quebec
1 individually vacuum packaged or 5 individually poly packed pieces per box 90059441201142 110603 British Columbia
5 individually poly packed, 1 pieces per box 90059441101145 110601 Quebec **

Retailers are advised to check the lot code on the packaging or with their supplier to determine if they have the affected product. Retailers may have sliced and sold the veal liver prepackaged or through the store’s meat counter.

Consumers who have purchased grain fed veal liver in British Columbia, Ontario and Quebec or beef liver at the one identified Quebec retail location, between June 1st and June 14, 2011 inclusive, are advised to contact their retailer to determine if they have the affected product. Consumers who may have purchased this product and still have it in their freezers are advised not to consume it.

Genetically engineered foods and human health: I get bored easily

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“I got tired of talking about hypothetical risks.”

That’s what I told Maclean’s and the Medical Post today in a brief story about genetically engineered foods.

And I agreed with a spokesthingy who said, “To date, Health Canada has not identified health risks associated with GM foods that have been approved for sale in Canada.”

As the journal Nature reported in 2009, “No one gets into research on genetically modified (GM) crops looking for a quiet life. Those who develop such crops face the wrath of anti-biotech activists who vandalize field trials and send hate mail… [Those] who suggest that biotech crops might have harmful environmental effects are learning to expect attacks of a different kind. These strikes are launched from within the scientific community and can sometimes be emotional and personal…”

Dr. Douglas Powell, a professor in food safety at Kansas State University who sat on the Canadian Biotechnology Advisory Committee (CBAC) in the early 2000s,, said, “(CBAC) reviewed everything that was out there and there was nothing to show GMOs present a risk to health. In fact, Dr. Powell has since moved away from researching the subject because, he says, “I got tired of talking about hypothetical risks.”

With at least 48 million suffering from foodborne illness each year in the U.S., I got plenty of work.
 

New CFIA head named; Will and Kate rejoice

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 As Prince William and Kate entertain one of the colonies on this Canada Day (right, not exactly as shown), the former head of the Coast Guard was named to lead the Canadian Food Inspection Agency.

George Da Pont, currently the executive vice-president of the agency, will become its president. Da Pont was appointed as the food inspection agency’s executive vice-president about a year ago. Before that he served in various departments in senior positions dating to the 1990s, including, among others, that of commissioner of the Canadian Coast Guard and assistant deputy minister in Fisheries and Oceans and Human Resources and Corporate Services.

Mary Komarynsky, currently an assistant deputy minister in Transport Canada, replaces Da Pont to become executive vice-president of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency.

Mr. Da Pont holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in History and Political Science and a Master of Arts degree in History, both from the University of Saskatchewan.

Canadian E. coli outbreak linked walnuts appears to be over; 1 dead 13 sick

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Canadians rejoice: the E. coli O157 outbreak that sickened 14, apparently linked to walnuts, is over.

The Public Health Agency of Canada says other than walnuts distributed by Montreal-based Amira Enterprises, there’s no indication that raw, shelled walnuts pose a health risk and therefore it is no longer recommending that Canadians roast raw, shelled walnuts before eating them.

One patient in Quebec with an underlying medical condition died during the outbreak, which also affected people in Ontario and New Brunswick.

The agency says that based on the information available, raw, shelled walnuts are still the suspected source of the outbreak, although it was never confirmed by laboratory testing of walnuts.

"Although positive laboratory findings would confirm, negative findings do not disprove walnuts as the suspected source of the outbreak."

I look forward to the scientific report on this outbreak that will be available … probably never.

Child disabled due to tainted meat sues Winnipeg grocery chains

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A Winnipeg child who ate ground beef tainted with deadly E. coli bacteria — commonly known as hamburger disease — will never see again or be able to look after himself. The nine-year-old child, who is a permanent ward of Winnipeg Child and Family Services, is suing Westfair Foods, Superstore and XL Foods for general damages, including care costs throughout his life and loss of future income.

"This is a child with catastrophic injuries," lawyer Norm Cuddy said on Monday.

Cuddy said the child was hospitalized in June 2004, but all of his injuries weren’t known until a few years later.

Another lawyer working on the lawsuit, Chris Wullum, said the child is a permanent ward of Winnipeg CFS because the mother wasn’t able to look after him with all of his special needs.

According to the statement of claim, filed in Manitoba Court of Queen’s Bench last week, the child’s mother bought the ground beef at the Superstore on McPhillips Street.

The child suffered hemolytic uremic syndrome, received a kidney transplant, has spastic triplegia, severe and ongoing pain and has developmental delays, including not being able to take care of himself.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency initiated a recall of the ground beef products in August 2004 after two people in Manitoba were poisoned with E. coli bacteria in July 2004 and after tracing back those and other cases across the country to find the source of the meat.