Maple Leaf recalls chicken strips

Maple Leaf Foods is recalling Maple Leaf brand Chicken Breast Strips because they may contain the toxin produced by Staphylococcus bacteria.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency says the recall has been triggered by a consumer complaint, but also says there have been no reported cases of illness.

The recall is for the product in 840-gram packages marked best before Sept. 29.

TPP terms could boost Canadian meat by $500 million

The terms negotiated for the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal which U.S. President Donald Trump scuttled would have given Canadian meat exporters an opportunity to boost exports by $500 million a year, Ron Davidson of the Canadian Meat Council told Drover magazine in an interview.

Exports to TPP member countries, other than the U.S., total $1.7 billion a year now, and are about 27 per cent of total Canadian meat exports, Davidson said.

The council and the Canadian Pork Council are both urging Canada to quickly reach a trade deal with the remaining TPP members.

One of the reasons, Davidson told Drover magazine, is that Japan has signed a free trade deal with Australia which is giving it a competitive advantage over Canada.

Japan is also negotiating now with the European Union.

“Each year that passes further increases the disadvantage in terms of market access between countries that have a free trade agreement with Japan and those, including Canada, that have not negotiated and implemented a free agreement,” he said.

Australia got a better tariff deal and better terms on Japan’s special tariffs which kick in when certain volumes are exceeded.

That quota has been a huge issue for Canadian exporters who usually race to get their meat into the market before the quotas are filled and tariffs increase.

Davidson also foresees bigger advantages arising from the TPP because it could dove-tail with other free trade agreements.

“China is a lead participant in the negotiation of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), a free trade agreement between the ten member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) (Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam) and the six states with which ASEAN has existing free trade agreements (Australia, China, India, Japan, South Korea and New Zealand).

Several countries ((Malaysia, Singapore, Vietnam) are participants in both the TPP and the RCEP.

“As the TPP is broader in scope than the RCEP, it is possible that the two multi-country agreements will coexist and, collectively, determine the future framework of trade and investment rules and flows in the Pacific Region,” Davidson is quoted by Drover magazine. China is a lead participant in the negotiation of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), a free trade agreement between the ten member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) (Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam) and the six states with which ASEAN has existing free trade agreements (Australia, China, India, Japan, South Korea and New Zealand).

Several countries ((Malaysia, Singapore, Vietnam) are participants in both the TPP and the RCEP. As the TPP is broader in scope than the RCEP, it is possible that the two multi-country agreements will coexist and, collectively, determine the future framework of trade and investment rules and flows in the Pacific Region.

                           

Boar gene results in smaller litters

Prof. Allan King  of the University of Guelph has spotted a genetic abnormality that causes boars to sire smaller litters.

About two per cent of male pigs carry the defect, he said, and he has developed a test to identify them from blood samples.

“The abnormal chromosome in boars, male pigs, causes lower litter sizes, typically three to four fewer piglets per litter,” said King who holds the Canada Research Chair in Animal Reproductive Biotechnology at the University of Guelph’s Ontario Veterinary College.

“Those numbers can add up to $100 in lost revenue, on average per litter. We’ve developed a simple blood test that can identify boars with the abnormal chromosome and rule out the problem before any breeding, ensuring average litter sizes at minimum.”

Small grocers complain about bread pricing

It was small grocers complaining about rising bread prices that prompted the Canadian Bureau of Competition Policy to launch an investigation.

The bureau has obtained search warrants for offices of Loblaws Cos. Ltd., Metro Inc. and Wal-Mart Canada Corp.

The grocers complained to their organization, the Canadian Federation of Independent Grocers, when they noticed prices rising in lock step by the dominant bakers, Canada Bread Co. Ltd., owned by Bimbo Bakery of Mexico, and George Weston Ltd., owner of Weston’s Bakery and of Loblaws, Zehrs, etc.

The bureau investigation, which goes back to 2001, also involves Sobey’s and Giant Tiger, reports the Globe and Mail. That indicates pricing concerns date back to when Maple Leaf Foods owned Canada Bread which it sold to Bimbo Baker in February, 2014.

"Over the past couple of years, some of our independent small-business grocers have raised concerns with respect to the pricing by Canada Bread and Weston," said Gary Sands, senior vice-president of the Canadian Federation of Independent Grocers.

"We did not file a complaint ourselves, but we shared these complaints with the bureau," he said.

                           

Probe underway into bread price-fixing

The Bureau of Competition Policy exercised search warrants this week to enter offices of Loblaws, Metro and Wal-Mart looking for evidence of price-fixing bread and packaged baked goods.

Competition Bureau spokeswoman Marie-France Faucher said the bureau is "conducting searches related to a criminal investigation into allegations of anti-competitive conduct contrary to the conspiracy provision of the Competition Act."

The Ontario Superior Court granted search warrants based on evidence that there are reasonable grounds to believe some individuals and companies have engaged in anti-competitive activities, she said.

"Bureau officers are conducting searches and are gathering evidence to determine the facts," she said. "There is no conclusion of wrongdoing at this time and no charges have been laid."

Loblaw Cos. Ltd., Metro Inc. and Wal-Mart Canada Corp. issued news releases acknowledging their offices have been searched.

Loblaws is a sister company to Canada Bread, both controlled by the Weston Group, and Grupo Bimbo of Mexico is its main competitor after buying the bakery division of Maple Leaf Foods Inc.

The Bureau of Competition Policy might find it easier to substantiate price-fixing in the egg industry in Ontario, including a judge's comments in a court case and electronic records under court seal in a major lawsuit.