The Panel members were appointed by the Governor in Council to undertake an independent review of the beef recall that occurred at XL Foods Inc.‘s plant at Brooks, Alberta between September and October 2012, and to submit a report to the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food.
We were asked to establish how the contamination occurred and, moreover, how the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA, or Agency), its food safety partners, and XL Foods Inc. responded to the situation. Lastly, we were tasked with providing recommendations that would address any findings or conclusions that we had made regarding these matters. We note that such findings or conclusions do not address civil or criminal liability; the standards that we are applying are not legal ones.
Over the course of several weeks, the Panel met with dozens of stakeholders. These included beef producers and processors, health authorities and academics, the retail industry, and union representatives for both the company and the Agency.
In this regard, we were left with a single overarching impression: everyone we interviewed expressed a keen desire to ensure that the food Canadians eat is safe. And they all wanted to be considered partners in the pursuit of that goal.
