Health Canada approves use; Maple Leaf Foods aware of approval, 'assessing'

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TORONTO - Maple Leaf Foods is assessing a recently approved preservative for meat products that inhibits the growth of Listeria following a deadly outbreak linked to one of its plants that's claimed 20 lives across the country.

Health Canada gave the go-ahead on Sept. 20 for food processors in Canada to use sodium diacetate as a preservative in meat, poultry and fish products. When used in combination with sodium lactate, the preservative can curb the growth of Listeria monocytogenes.

Spokeswoman Linda Smith said Maple Leaf is aware of the approval and is "assessing it."

The iconic food producer shut down a meat processing plant in Toronto on Aug. 20 after Listeria contamination was detected and linked to the nationwide listeriosis outbreak.

The plant underwent an intensive sanitization and production resumed on Sept. 17. Initial product runs were still being tested and not shipped to the public for consumption when, on Wednesday, more Listeria was detected.

CEO Michael McCain held a press conference the following day to stress the prevalence of Listeria. It's everywhere, he said, and reasonable to assume most people consume it every day.

It is however dangerous in very high levels, and food scientists say should low levels of Listeria exist on equipment in processing plants the preservatives could ensure it never multiplies to dangerously high levels.

Food scientist Martin Wiedmann said sodium diacetate can completely prevent the growth of Listeria or slow it down, depending on several factors such as the type of food. But he cautioned against viewing it as a "magic bullet" solution.

"It's one piece of an effective total strategy to reduce the risk of Listeria contamination," he said.

Wiedmann is a food science professor at Cornell University and researches Listeria contamination on ready-to-eat products. "(People) usually expect food to be free of bacteria. Well, no, you shouldn't," he said. "You can't. We've evolved over millions of years to co-exist with bacteria and we have defence mechanisms against it."

However, there are ways for food processes to protect, as best they can, against Listeria contamination, he said. The first is trying to ensure as little as possible enters the facility.