Re-labeling worsens food safety confusion

What’s in a label?

Not much, and it’s been shown to be a lousy vehicle for food information, but in the absence of any food safety marketing, it’s one of the only tools available.

Dr. Richard Schabas, Medical Officer of Health for Hastings and Prince Edward (that’s in Ontario, Canada) is calling for federal OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAfood inspection changes following a local case of listeriosis this summer that was caused by blue cheese.

Public health officials say the Belleville resident, who went to hospital, became ill after eating some blue cheese purchased at Bibs Wholesale Meats.

Schabas says the store owner had changed the label on the cheese and purchasers did not recognize a recall of the original label, since the cheese wasn’t marked as “re-labelled.”

Schabas met with officials of the Canadian Food Inspection agency this week and is writing to the federal government calling for a requirement that re-labelled products be identified as such.

Ex-workers confirm date-changing on BC Superstore meat; required to use smell-test; feds say consumers are on their own

After an investigation revealed a B.C. grocery store changing the best-before date on fish, former Superstore employees have come forward to claim that it wasn’t the first time this happened.

CTV News reports that former Langley Superstore employee Sylvia Taylor claims that changing best-before dates isn’t something new for the grocery chain. She worked in the deli department during the 1990s.

"Part of our duties, as directed by our manager, was to check our meat packages in the display cases for their best-before dates. If they were expired, we were to pull the meats, open up the packages, smell them, and if they smelled okay, we re-wrapped them and put a new best-before date, extending usually by about five days. When we were told to change the best-before dates, I stopped buying any meat products from the Real Canadian Superstore."

Jason Paxton claims he had a similar experience when he worked in the seafood department at the Duncan Superstore.

"Every time the meat was re-packed, the best-before date was changed. The majority of it we could wash off, re-package it and get a couple of more days out of it."

Paxton says he has since told his friends not to shop at Superstore.

Ken Randa of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency says there are no laws against changing the best-before dates on packaged food, adding,

"If they change the best-before date, there may not be anything wrong with it, and maybe no legislative issue with us. Ultimately, they have to answer to you, the consumer.”

Superstore says employee are not allowed to change best-before dates and are required to sign a policy stating as much when they’re hired. The store says they’re also required to review and re-sign on a regular basis.

Uh-huh.