Sludge Watch ==> CFIA finds Ecoli O157:H7 in Dole lettuce bags

[Maureen Reilly]

Sludgewatch Word for the Day:  CFIA

CFIA - Canadian Food Inspection Agency.
This is the agency that has carriage of food safety and fertilizers and 
supplments in Canada.


In Canada, the CFIA has conditions imposed on the importation of leafy 
greens, particularly leafy greens from California.

The requirements, and the CFIA website that outlines them, is underneath the 
lettuce story posting. Looks like the voluntary growers agreement may  not 
be good enough.
....................................................

Bagged Lettuce Is Recalled


By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published: September 18, 2007

A division of the Dole Food Company issued an international recall of bagged 
salad after a sample taken from a store in Canada tested positive for E. 
coli, the company said. There have been no reports of illness, company 
officials said. The voluntary recall affects all packages of Dole’s Hearts 
Delight salad mix sold in the United States and Canada with a “best if used 
by” date of Sept. 19 and a production code of A24924A or A24924B, Dole said. 
The romaine, green leaf and butter lettuce hearts that went into the blend 
were grown in California, Colorado and Ohio, and processed at a Dole plant 
in Springfield, Ohio. The company acted came a day after the Canadian Food 
Inspection Agency warned consumers not to eat Hearts Delight. The Food and 
Drug Administration discussed the problem with Dole, a spokesman for the 
agency said.

...................................................

http://www.inspection.gc.ca/english/plaveg/fresh/safsal/califore.shtml


Import Requirements for Leafy Green Vegetables from U.S. and California

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Introduction
Californian leafy greens have been associated with several outbreaks of 
foodborne illnesses over the past ten years. In September 2006, a large 
multi-state outbreak of E. coli O157:H7 illnesses associated with 
contaminated fresh Californian baby spinach resulted in 205 confirmed cases, 
including one confirmed illness in Canada, and three deaths in the US.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) undertook immediate activities in 
Canada in response to the spinach outbreak including verifying the effective 
recall of product that had been distributed in the country, and establishing 
import alerts. Since October 2006, CFIA officials met with the US officials 
to gain information on the findings of investigations into the spinach and 
other outbreaks relating to leafy greens grown in California and on measures 
taken to address the food safety risks associated with these products.

The California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA), in consultation 
with the US Food and Drug Administration, the US Department of Agriculture, 
other California officials and the Western Growers Association, developed 
the California Leafy Green Products Handler Marketing Agreement (Handler 
Marketing Agreement) which requires signatory handlers of leafy greens grown 
in California to get their supply from growers that apply the Commodity 
Specific Food Safety Guidelines for the Production and Harvest of Lettuce 
and Leafy Greens (Leafy Green GAPs).

The Leafy Green GAPs were developed by the Western Growers Association, in 
collaboration with the US Food and Drug Administration and the California 
Department of Health Services, and have been peer reviewed by academia. It 
incorporates best practices to address the risk factors associated with 
leafy greens.

Upon review of the Leafy Green GAPs, the CFIA determined that hazards have 
been appropriately identified and addressed. The CFIA will limit entry of 
products into Canada to those handled by shippers that have signed the 
Handler Marketing Agreement.

Definitions
Handler: in the Handler Marketing Agreement, means any person who handles, 
processes, ships or distributes leafy green product for market whether as 
owner, agent, employee, broker or otherwise. This definition does not 
include a retailer.

Leafy green products or vegetables: mean iceberg lettuce, romaine lettuce, 
green leaf lettuce, red leaf lettuce, butter lettuce, baby leaf lettuce 
(i.e., immature lettuce or leafy greens), escarole, endive, spring mix, 
spinach, cabbage, kale, arugula and chard. Products not identified above are 
excluded from these new import requirements (e.g., Bok Choy and other Asian 
greens).

Import Requirements
The CFIA will allow the importation of leafy green vegetables from USA if:

The shipper declares in Box 22 of the Confirmation of Sale's document (COS) 
whether the product was grown in California or in a State other than 
California;
Product grown in California has been handled by a signatory handler of the 
California Leafy Green Products Handler Marketing Agreement (Handler 
Marketing Agreement) and the name of the signatory handler is noted in Box 
22 of the COS.
The Handler Marketing Agreement, the list of signatory handlers and the 
Leafy Green GAPs can be found at: http://www.caleafygreens.ca.gov/

Scope of the Import Requirements
The requirements apply to all US shipments of leafy green vegetables either 
sold in bags, in bulk, or combined with other food items, in a fresh state.

Implementation Time Lines
US shippers should start implementing these requirements by May 21, 2007 so 
that compliance is achieved at the Canadian border by June 1, 2007. 
Enforcement actions by the Canadian Border Services Agency (CBSA) and CFIA 
will be initiated on June 1, 2007.

Enforcement of the Import Requirements
When a shipment of leafy greens from USA arrives at the border, the CBSA 
will review the documentation specifically for the declaration made under 
Box 22 of the COS form and will accept or refuse entry based on answers to 
the following questions:

Do the leafy green vegetables originate from California?

If "no", release shipment;
If "yes", go to next question

Has it been handled by a Californian handler that is signatory of the 
Handler Marketing Agreement?

If "no", refuse shipment;
If "yes", release shipment.

Examples of declarations in Box 22 of the COS for which shipments would be 
accepted:

"Leafy green vegetables were not grown in California"

"Leafy green vegetables were grown in X" (X is a State other than 
California)

"Leafy green vegetables were grown in California and handled by Y, signatory 
of the Handler Marketing Agreement" (Y is the name of the Californian 
handler)

"Leafy green vegetables were handled by Y, signatory of the Handler 
Marketing Agreement" (Y is the name of the Californian handler)

Note: the term "leafy green vegetables" can be interchanged with leafy 
greens or any other vegetable included in the definition for leafy greens.

If the requested information does not appear in box 22 of the COS, CBSA will 
refuse the shipment.

CBSA will forward a copy of the COS and custom invoices to CFIA inspection 
offices as per normal procedures.

Legislative Authority
The import requirements are based on the following legislative authority. 
Failure to comply with the requirements will result in product being refused 
entry into Canada, destroyed or re-exported to USA.

Section 3.1 (1) of the Fresh Fruit and Vegetables Regulations and Section 4 
of the Food and Drugs Act.

Section 3.1 (1) of the Fresh Fruit and Vegetables Regulations states: 
"Subject to subsection (2), no person shall market in import, export or 
interprovincial trade as food unless it:

a. is not adulterated;
b. is not contaminated;
c. is edible;
d. is free of any live insect, scorpion, snake, spider or other living thing 
that may be injurious to health;
e. is prepared in a sanitary manner;
f. where irradiated, is irradiated in accordance with Division 26 of Part B 
of the Food and Drug Regulations
g. meets all other requirements of the Food and Drugs Act and Food and Drug 
Regulations with respect to the produce."

Section 4 of the Food and Drugs Act states: "No person shall sell an article 
of food that:

a. has in or on it any poisonous or harmful substance;
b. is unfit for human consumption;
c. consists in whole or in part of any filthy, putrid, disgusting, rotten, 
decomposed or diseased animal or vegetable substance;
d. is adulterated; or
e. was manufactured, prepared, preserved, packaged or stored under 
unsanitary conditions."

Issued on:
May 4, 2007, amended May 31, 2007.

Distribution
Canadian Produce Marketing Association
Canadian Federation of Independent Grocers
Canadian Council of Grocery Distributors
Canadian Association of Importers and Exporters
Canadian Horticultural Council
US Embassy in Ottawa
US Food and Drug Administration
US Department of Agriculture
California Department of Food and Agriculture
California Department of Health Services
United Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Association
Western Growers Association
Health Canada, Bureau of Microbial Hazards
CFIA Area Network Specialists
CFIA Operation's Branch, including CFIA Import Service Centres

Contact
René Cardinal
A/National Manager
Fresh Fruit and Vegetables Program
Agrifood Division
Office: 613-221-7214