Some coincidental timing the past couple of weeks has a lot of Toronto parents thinking about something we wish we could take for granted: food safety. Following on the heels of an orange juice recall was a big food safety conference in the U.S. as well as the appearance in Toronto weekly the Grid of an article on food safety and health inspections. These three recent news items indicate the continuing anxiety which people feel about the safety of the food they eat. Some of the most anxious must surely be parents of young children.
The orange juice recall does not affect Toronto area parents or their children, as it was actually an FDA discovery that orange juice shipments from Canada and Brazil contained an illegal fungicide which prompted the recall. Yes, read that right. The ‘Canadian orange juice’ was likely made from Brazillian oranges. The good news is that there seem to have been no illnesses from the tainted juice. The bad news is that poor labeling practices are alive and well, and still causing problems.
The International Poultry Exposition was attended by many people from companies who have Canadian divisions and business, perhaps even a Torontonians. It was a ‘pre-harvest food safety’ focus, so areas like ours, with commercial poultry farming close by and backyard chicken coops just off the city hall docket needed a few ears there, at least. Many of the chickens we eat in Toronto, like the juice we drink, came from somewhere far away, as your faithful Examiner’s experience working in Toronto restaurants has taught him.
It also taught your Examiner about food storage and preparation safety. Appearances can be deceiving, and while any Toronto restaurant vet can tell a health inspector joke, the judgments they make are sound and are a matter of public record, as a recent article in the Grid points out. A spotless mirror does not mean a place has stored its chicken at the right temperature. The Grid piece also deserves to be acknowledged as sound, by unanimous agreement of at least one King Street restaurant’s staff (which expects to be inspected soon; and continue our unbroken string of shiny green ‘pass’ signs).
A few pieces in this space have dealt with restaurants and/or food, as it is a source of constant attention for parents. As with many things, being aware of your resources is a good place to start, and in this case regulatory and enforcement bodies, and the food industry itself must play roles, and parents must play theirs, while also insisting that the other two hold up their end of the bargain. In Toronto we are fortunate to live near rich agricultural areas which provide us with some of our food, but buying local does not guarantee safety. We are also fortunate to live in a city with a vendor inspection system that works. Now Toronto parents must remain vigilant, lest this city service too be mistaken for ‘gravy.’
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