Existing labelling and packaging requirements for irradiated foods apply to irradiated fresh and frozen raw ground beef. The small business lens does not apply to the amendments, as there are no costs to small business associated with these regulatory amendments. Businesses are not required to comply with the new Regulations; the Regulations only apply if a beef producer chooses to sell irradiated ground beef.
In , the Department received submissions requesting approval to extend the use of food irradiation to new food products, including fresh and frozen raw ground beef. Following its safety assessment, the Department concluded that the irradiation of ground beef products was safe and effective under the proposed conditions. Proposed regulatory amendments that would have enabled the sale of irradiated ground beef were published in in the Canada Gazette , Part I.
The proposal generated a wide range of comments from the public and various stakeholder groups over 1 comments were received. At that time, the majority of stakeholders mostly individual Canadians and consumer associations did not support the proposal because of concerns about irradiated food products and scepticism surrounding the science and safety of irradiation.
However, other stakeholder groups, such as domestic and foreign industry as well as other governments, were for the most part supportive of the proposal. Due to the controversy surrounding food irradiation at the time, the FDR were never amended to permit the sale of any new irradiated food products. Approximately 3 respondents participated. The Department has also received a number of letters supporting the sale of irradiated ground beef from academia the University of Saskatchewan and the food industry the Saskatchewan Stock Growers Association, the Canadian Meat Council and the Canadian Poultry and Egg Processors Council.
In May , the Department conducted a limited targeted consultation with key stakeholders within industry, public health associations and academia to assess their views on the advancement of a proposal to allow beef irradiation. All stakeholders consulted at the time responded positively to the advancement of a proposal given that the decision to do so was science-based. Leading up to the publication of the proposal in the Canada Gazette , Part I, the Department conducted another round of consultations with the stakeholders contacted in to reaffirm their support, and also broadened this consultation to other key industry, public health associations as well as consumer associations.
This targeted consultation was completed in April and yielded only positive views on the advancement of the proposal. On June 18, , a proposal for regulatory amendments to permit the sale in Canada of irradiated fresh and frozen raw ground beef was published in the Canada Gazette , Part I, followed by a day consultation period ending on September 1, Health Canada received 18 written comments during the consultation. Stakeholders who were supportive were consumers 3 , industry 3 , industry associations 3 , consultants 2 , and government 2.
They were generally supportive for the following reasons:. Of the five stakeholders who expressed opposition to the current regulatory proposal, three were consumers, one was industry and one was an industry association. It was suggested that the Government of Canada GoC consider developing a consumer education campaign to enhance consumer understanding and acceptance of food irradiation. One comment received proposed that Health Canada consider permitting the irradiation of additional food products including the other food products permitted to be irradiated in the United States.
It was also suggested that the Department use a regulatory instrument, such as Incorporation by Reference IbR , to allow updates to the list of approved irradiated food products in a timely fashion. New foods and uses of irradiation can only be permitted if Health Canada receives an application that contains supporting safety and efficacy data and Health Canada determines that the irradiation process does not negatively alter the nutritional quality or safety of the food.
The Department is considering other ways of modernizing the regulatory framework for food irradiation which could include the incorporation by reference of the table to Division 26 of permitted irradiated foods in Canada.
Analysis is underway and a decision to move forward with incorporation by reference would be made available through the Departmental Forward Regulatory Plan. General labelling requirements for irradiated foods are currently set out in Division 1 B. Under the current regulatory framework, no provision exists in the FDR to require the food service and restaurant industry to identify when irradiated foods have been used.
Restaurants have the ability to advertise their use of non-irradiated ground beef as a voluntary consumer-value claim, as long as they are truthful and not misleading. If consumers have questions about how the food was produced, they should speak with the food service establishment directly. While generally supportive of the proposal, one stakeholder noted that it may be possible for the beef industry not to irradiate the final package containing the meat intended to be sold at retail, and that packing or processing companies could mix small amounts of irradiated ground beef with untreated beef which could result in recontamination and pose a health risk to consumers.
Health Canada understands that the expectation is that irradiated raw ground beef is to be sold in the packaging in which it was irradiated to avoid possible recontamination. While the regulatory amendments do not prevent repackaging of irradiated ground beef before sale, doing so does not have any clear benefit to the processor, would not be aligned with Good Manufacturing Practices GMPs , which processors are expected to meet, and would only create additional risk. Justification for the use of irradiation to treat ground beef.
One respondent felt that the low number of annual reported incidents of E. Despite the number of reported cases, health consequences of foodborne illness outbreaks are serious, particularly for vulnerable populations, such as children, elderly people, and people with weakened immune systems.
Allowing industry to use irradiation could help prevent such outbreaks in the future. Beef Recall , one of its food safety recommendations to Health Canada was to give prompt consideration to any application from the beef industry to approve irradiation as an effective food safety technology for the purpose of reducing the levels of harmful bacteria in beef products, in addition to safety measures already in place.
Health Canada acknowledges the concerns about the possible impact that the proposal could have on SMEs. However, the objective of the amendments is to improve food safety by allowing the sale in Canada of irradiated fresh or frozen raw ground beef.
Beef slaughterhouses and processing plants, including those using high-line speeds, are subjected to a Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point HACCP —like system which includes a series of steps designed to minimize the bacterial contamination of beef products and they must be able to show trained and qualified inspectors from the Canadian Food Inspection Agency CFIA that their HACCP system is effective.
These obligations would continue to apply to processors and beef slaughterhouses that choose to use irradiation to treat ground beef and would therefore not change as a result of this regulatory amendment. Safety concerns relating to irradiated beef. Pet food comes next, along with dehydrated vegetables, spices, herbs and seasonings, and seafood.
Mexico, an important source of food for Canada, is steadily increasing the quantity of food it irradiates, although most of it goes to the U. Guavas top the list, which includes other produce. Food Irradiation Update says several large U. The U.
Americans consumed about 23, tonnes of irradiated food in , with meat making up about 7, tonnes. Major retailers sell irradiated ground beef. In the Food and Drug Administration approved the use of irradiation for shrimp, lobsters and crabs. Food irradiation involves bombarding meat with ionizing radiation, such as the gamma rays or X-rays routinely used to sterilize medical and dental products, according to the U.
When food is irradiated, it is never touched by the radioactive source itself. The food is briefly exposed to alpha or gamma rays that may kill E. In HC published proposed regulations in Canada Gazette I related to irradiating mangoes, fresh and frozen beef and poultry, and fresh, frozen and dried shrimp and prawns.
Those were never finalized, despite a successful safety and efficacy evaluation. The reason, noted HC, was the large number of questions from stakeholders. In simpler terms, HC lost appetite in the matter because of the lack of public support. An Ipsos Reid poll of 3, individuals commissioned by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada in found that the overall perception of food irradiation was positive when respondents were informed that it was a food safety measure that reduces levels of bacteria that cause food poisoning and food spoilage.
It was, however, only marginally more positive at 30 per cent, compared to 21 per cent who had negative views. Seventy-two per cent of respondents had not even heard of food irradiation. This June HC published proposed regulations in Canada Gazette I that, if finalized, would permit the irradiation of fresh and frozen ground beef.
The conclusion that this is safe and effective is based in part on the HC review. Since then there has been new information available, such as more relevant nutritional data, and new in vitro, in vivo and metabolism studies, which support the safety of irradiation. There are currently more than 60 countries permitting foods to be irradiated 23 which allow the irradiation of beef , with more than , metric tonnes produced annually.
The proposed regulations would not make it mandatory to irradiate ground beef — that would be up to the manufacturer. Prepackaged irradiated ground beef would, however, need to be labelled, while irradiated ground beef that is not prepackaged would have to be identified on signage next to the food.
The same has always been true for other irradiated ingredients like wheat flour, onions, potatoes, and spices and seasonings. The success of the irradiated ground beef proposal and its acceptance by the Canadian public rests in its perception, and consumers fear what they do not know. While science demonstrates irradiated foods are safe and effective in reducing microbial load and food waste, it may still be a tough sell to consumers.
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