Anyone who has experienced a bout of food poisoning thinks twice about where they eat out. They peek into kitchens, scan dining rooms for cleanliness, scrutinize how often food handlers wash their hands… But, the reality is that danger often lurks behind closed doors and from a consumer perspective, it can be difficult to see the contamination coming. According to Health Canada, up to 4 million people suffer from foodborne illnesses every year. A recent CBC Marketplace investigation looked at some of Canada’s most popular restaurant chains, examining just how careful the professionals are when it comes to protecting the.. READ MORE »
The safety debate over food colouring is nothing new. Most of us recall the recent Kraft dinner debacle that resulted in a widespread crusade against the retailer’s use of yellow dye #5 – the chemical that puts the neon in the noodles. Clinical research has linked the dye, otherwise known as tartrazine to numerous health problems, including migraines, anxiety, blurred vision, and hyperactivity in children. Tartrazine is considered to be the most allergenic of the dyes – and consumers have learned to avoid its telltale yellow glow. But now, recent tests have focused scrutiny on a new potentially dangerous colourant… READ MORE »
Contaminated carts, sweaty eggs, bacterial citrus – these aren’t concerns most shoppers have when blazing down supermarket aisles, eagerly checking items off their lists. But according to food safety certification expert Peter DeLucia (who was recently featured on the Dr. Oz show), we need to be much more proactive when it comes to protecting ourselves from grocery store grime. To better inform consumers, the New York World created an interactive map of the city, where users can search specific stores in their neighbourhood to check for violations. The results are eye-opening. Torontonians are urged to check their favourite market on.. READ MORE »
A recent assessment of Canada’s food safety procedures may prompt consumers to think twice about what’s for dinner. The audit, completed in 2012 but released only last month, evaluated the systems that process meat products being prepared for export to the United States. Inspectors with the U.S. Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) visited two red-meat slaughterhouses, four meat-processing plants, an egg processing plant, five government offices including Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) headquarters, and two private laboratories between Oct. 22 and Nov. 9, 2012. In the end, FSIS deemed the facilities “adequate,” the lowest possible rating it could issue.. READ MORE »
Where exactly does your food come from? With increasingly convoluted global supply chains, it’s hard to determine the twists and turns our last meal took on its journey from transport to table. According to the FDA, there are 128,000 hospitalizations and 3,000 deaths a year from food-borne illnesses. Health Canada estimates that each year, roughly 4 million people get sick from consuming contaminated food. In 2012, Canada was forced to recall nearly 2000 beef products, the largest recall in its history, when the meat was found to be contaminated with E. coli. Officials were criticized for taking over 10 days.. READ MORE »
