Food safety - a shared responsibility
TSX: MFI
www.mapleleaf.com
MISSISSAUGA, ON,
Oct. 22
/CNW/ - Leaders across the Canadian food industry and government are coming together to share information and learn about emerging technologies and science, in order to produce safer food for Canadians. The food safety symposium entitled "Enhancing Our Knowledge and Capabilities to Produce Safer Food" is the first gathering of its kind since the new Canadian Listeria policy was put into place after the lessons learned from last year's Listeria crisis. Hosted by
Maple Leaf
Foods, it will involve representatives from the Canadian food industry, government and the research community.
"The Canadian food industry is united that food safety not be used as a competitive advantage. Every member at every step in the production process is a steward of food safety," said
Dr. Randall Huffman
, Chief Food Safety Officer for
Maple Leaf
Foods. "This spirit of cooperation heralds a new beginning for our industry, and together we will make
Canada
the gold standard for food safety. This symposium is the first in a series to ensure we share experiences and knowledge, and gain insights into emerging risks, technology advances and cutting edge science that can deliver safer food for Canadians."
The symposium features presentations from Canada's leading health and regulatory experts including
Jane Billings
, Senior Assistant Deputy Minister, Public Health Agency of
Canada
, who will discuss foodborne illness trends and public health initiatives in
Canada
.
Dr. Brian Evans
, Executive Vice President, Canadian Food Inspection Agency, (CFIA) will discuss his agency's regulatory approach and provide an update on actions taken related to Listeria. Global experts in communication, detection and control will present the latest findings in testing and use of antimicrobials to build an effective Listeria management program, and discuss how to effectively communicate risk.
Maple Leaf
Foods Inc. is a leading food processing company, headquartered in
Toronto
,
Canada
. The Company employs approximately 24,000 people at its operations across
Canada
and in the
United States
, the
United Kingdom
, and Asia. The Company had sales of
$5.2 billion
in 2008.
Maple Leaf Food Safety Symposium Presenters
Jane Billings, Senior Assistant Deputy Minister, Public Health Agency
of Canada
Dr. Brian Evans, Executive Vice President, Canadian Food Inspection
Agency
Dr. Kathy Glass, Associate Director, Food Research Institute,
University of Wisconsin
Dr. Peter Sandman, Risk Communications Consultant
Dr. Martin Wiedmann, Associate Professor, Department of Food Science,
Cornell University
Dr. Randall Huffman , Chief Food Safety Officer, Maple Leaf Foods
Iain Stewart, Senior Vice President, Transformation & Food Safety,
Maple Leaf Consumer Foods
For further information: Media Contact: Linda Smith, (416) 457-1814
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