The Canadian Food Inspection Agency is proposing a new rule to have chicken-processing plants test for food-poisoning bacteria before carcasses are chilled.
The test will probably reveal plenty of pathogens contained in the digestive systems of birds, but the point is to establish whether controls further down the plant’s processing eliminate the pathogens.
All Safe Food for Canadians (SFC) licence holders who are slaughtering poultry are expected to implement the pre-chill microbiological monitoring program by Dec. 1, 2025. Currently, the program is limited to poultry carcasses.
The CFIA said license holders will be able to demonstrate ongoing compliance with the Preventive Control Plan requirements under the Safe Food for Canadians Regulations.
It said that when operators establish their internal performance baseline using pre-chill microbiological monitoring data, they will be able to allow businesses to track their own performance over time, identify shifts in process control and pursue improvement initiatives.
