Canada to Launch New Listeria Policy for RTE Foods in 2011

OTTAWACanada is gearing up to launch a new policy regarding Listeria monocytogenes and ready-to-eat (RTE) food sold in Canada, produced both domestically and imported on April 1, 2011. The new policy, "Policy on Listeria monocytogenes in ready-to-eat foods", was developed as a joint effort between Health Canada, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency and the Public Health Agency of Canada.

The new policy replaces the 2004 policy on Listeria monocytogenes in RTE foods, and is the result of an independent inquiry into a 2008 outbreak that killed 23 Canadians who ate food containing the Listeria bacteria traced to a Maple Leaf Foods plant in Toronto.

The policy will provide guidance to stakeholders regarding verification and control, as well as regulatory oversight and compliance activities of RTE foods with respect to their potential to support the growth of Listeria. The policy is based on Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs) and the principles of HACCP (Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point). The policy was developed using a health risk assessment (HRA) approach and uses as its foundation a combination of inspection, environmental sampling and end-product testing to verify control of Listeria in RTE foods.

Changes to the existing policy include:

New end-product compliance standards more in line with International Codex Alimentarius Commission standards;

Modifications of the definitions of RTE foods in which Listeria can occur;

Environmental monitoring in all RTE food plants; and

More outreach with the federal/provincial/territorial community to increase awareness of the risks of foodborne Listeria and to provide guidance on how to reduce the risks of acquiring Listeria to personnel in institutions where high-risk people may be exposed.