Thank you.
Where do I start?
Number one, there was a problem. They fixed the problem, and that problem is behind them, but it is now part of that company's mantra how to manage going forward. Yes, they stood up and they took responsibility, but every food processor in the country has to take responsibility for how his plants operate.
The role as I see it for the agency is to set the rules. If you look at the charter of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, it is about trade and commerce. You can't ship tainted meat anywhere. That agency has a responsibility for making sure that anything that goes out of the plants has rules for how it's processed, how you ship it, how you handle the meats or any other product that's manufactured. You can't export anything that does not meet our regulations, and other countries' regulations as well.
So there are definitely a couple of roles here. Number one, the agency has to establish the standards, most of which are international standards. Number two, the companies have to follow or exceed those standards. And as I mentioned before, the customers are in our plants with fully trained auditors, and their requirements are higher than government standards.
Is there a relationship between the number of inspectors you have and the safety of your products? No, I don't think so. I've not seen it, because, number one, you can't see if meat has bacteria on it or not.
So I would say that the systems are pretty sophisticated. They keep improving. Company practices keep improving. You're using HACCP, you're using ISO, you're using rapid testing, and you're using DNA testing. There's a whole bunch of things in play. So I'm more comfortable today.
Where I feel less comfortable, as I was mentioning earlier, is how we handle food at home. That's where your higher risk is.
Thank you.