Federal Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz says new rules to improve food safety will go into effect over the next two months.Federal Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz says new rules to improve food safety will go into effect over the next two months. (CBC)
Federally registered meat plants will be required to put new labels on tenderized beef in order to make it safer for consumers, Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz says.
Speaking in Saskatoon Friday, Ritz said the new rules for tenderized beef, expected to go into effect over the next two months, was part of a wide-ranging food safety action plan.
The government wants consumers to know that tenderized meat needs to be thoroughly cooked to eliminate any risk of E. coli.
Ritz was accompanied by officials from the Canadian Food Inspection Agency and Health Canada, including some top people who deal with meat safety and microbial hazards.
Ritz was in the media spotlight last year during an E. coli crisis that made at least 16 people ill.
The problem, which resulted in a massive beef recall, was tracked to meat tenderization at an XL Foods plant in Brooks, Alta.