Jeff Stewart, executive director of Food Safety and Animal Welfare for Alberta Agriculture and Rural Development, discusses food safety modernization in Alberta. He talks about the importance of food safety, Alberta’s food safety system, and modernized meat inspection. If there is no trust in the integrity of the system supplying safe meat, consumption patterns change and the beef industry is less profitable and successful.
Meat inspection is being modernized since some current inspection methods are outdated. Changes have been recommended at the farm, slaughter and production parts of the system. For example, the incision technique used to detect illness after slaughter is recommended to no longer be used due to its ineffectiveness in determining the most significant risks to health. Government, industry and consumers need to develop better understanding and risk management strategies for existing and emerging food safety risks. This presentation was a part of the Alberta Institute of Agrologists 11th Annual Banff Conference, March 31 – April 2, 2015.
