CFIA study shows most food complied with chemical residue and metals limits

Thursday, November 1, 2012

by SUSAN MANN

More than 98 per cent of food samples tested by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency as part of its annual monitoring program complied with Health Canada standards for chemical residues and metals, according to an agency study released Tuesday.

And that’s very good news, says Art Smith, CEO of the Ontario Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association.

The CFIA study, part of the National Chemical Residue Monitoring program, was done in 2009/10 and included 160,000 tests done on more than 20,000 samples that produced in excess of three million results, CFIA says in a news release. The tests were done on both domestic and imported foods, including dairy, eggs, honey, meat, poultry, fresh and processed fruits and vegetables and maple products.

“This and other CFIA studies are part of an ongoing testing regime to help keep the food safety system strong for Canadian families,” the release says.

The study tests animal and plant foods for multiple hazards, including residues of pesticides and veterinary drugs and environmental contaminants.

CFIA says the amount of chemical residues detected would not pose a health concern to Canadians. Smith says that’s also great news. “It just shows that farmers are sticking with the regulations, both on the imported and domestic side,” he notes.

Information obtained through this program allows the CFIA to identify violations and trends, gauge the effectiveness of policies and programs, plus develop strategic plans to minimize potential health risks for Canadians.

CFIA says the consistently high compliance rates across all domestic and imported commodities tested in the 2009/10 chemical residue-monitoring program are similar to previous years’ results. BF