Subcommittee on Food Safety committee  I'll just add as well, however, that there certainly was information disseminated in the United States, for instance. I think one of the recommendations the Meat Council made the last time we presented here was that we believe there should be a Canada-U.S. food safety authority that would be responsible for identifying what are the new risks or the risks for people and their health.

Subcommittee on Food Safety committee  It's a challenge. I think that's why the Canadian Food Inspection Agency put in place this compliance verification system. It was to try to get consistency across the country, because every plant is a little bit different, and an inspector's view of something might be a little different.

Subcommittee on Food Safety committee  We certainly have seen examples of that in the past, yes. There was policy written in Ottawa by people who had never been in a meat plant, yes.

Subcommittee on Food Safety committee  I'll just comment very briefly as well. We talked about it last time: inspectors certainly need to have regular training. I don't believe they're given enough time to get that regular training. If you look at a package like this, 10 years ago this wasn't on the shelf. It has a modified atmosphere here.

Subcommittee on Food Safety committee  I'll comment briefly. Peter has commented, and it's true that he's been across many plants. We've seen Ontario come a long way since the Justice Haines report back in 2004. The new regulations are very strict. But some of the provinces, such as Saskatchewan, I think, and maybe even a few plants in Quebec, have no inspection whatsoever.

Subcommittee on Food Safety committee  It may be because some provinces are not up to the standard of Ontario, for instance, and because they may print a flyer that goes right across the country every week and need to have a supplier who can supply nationally. That's a dilemma for business owners.

Subcommittee on Food Safety committee  I certainly can. Thanks for the question. We had read in some media reports that some groups had been saying that this pre-market label approval process was a food safety issue. I did send a letter to each member of this food committee, wanting to clarify that we, the Canadian Meat Council and our members, strongly disagree.

Subcommittee on Food Safety committee  We believe this should be the case. It is simply a difference in mandatory testing. Plants will almost certainly have their own testing. When they are able to prove, on occasion, day after day, that they have a very state-of-the-art process, there should be some flexibility. It already exists in the policy.

Subcommittee on Food Safety committee  Thank you for your question. Perhaps Martin could pass around a few of our products. Please note that in the case of a product like pepperoni, which is dry and salted, Listeria cannot develop, from a scientific perspective. We have a policy that varies according to three different categories.

Subcommittee on Food Safety committee  I'm going to be speaking first. I'll do my comments in French. Peter will complete his comments in English. Good afternoon, everyone. My name is James Laws and I am the Executive Director of the Canadian Meat Council in Ottawa. With me today is Peter Stein, Director, Quality Assurance and Food Safety, Piller Sausages and Delicatessens Ltd.