2022 Fall BlockTalk - The Food Safety Issue

Keeping Ontario’s Meat and Poultry Industry Informed

Fall 2022 • Vol. 28, Issue 3

University of Guelph Meat Science Lab

The Best Kept Secret on Campus

ALSO INSIDE:

20 Importance of Ongoing Food Safety Training for Food Handlers

28 Quality and Food Safety Is Key

38 Abattoir To Customer Traceability

EVOLUTION LEADS TO

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Index BlockTalk - Fall 2022

Vol. 28, Issue 3

INNOVATIONS. CONNECTIONS. SOLUTIONS.

Now in its 25th year, we are happy to announce the biennial Meat Industry Expo will return to Niagara Falls Convention Centre, Niagara Falls, this October. The only show of its kind in Canada, this is your opportunity to network with colleagues, learn from industry experts, and keep up to date on trends and issues in the industry; all while visiting exhibitors showcasing the latest innovations, new technologies, and equipment and service solutions.

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Visit the ‘Flavours’ section and try some of the finest meat and poultry products available in Ontario. 18 MPO Business members will be on hand sampling, answering questions, and talking to visitors about how they may get these unique artisan products on their shelves.

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Friday, October 14, 10:00am to 5:00pm Saturday, October 15, 10:00am to 3:00pm Niagara Falls Convention Centre

Ensure an Effective Food Safety Program

OCTOBER 14 -15 2022 MEET OUR 2022 EXHIBITORS TO DATE: • 3M • Abell Pest Control • AKR Consulting Canada Inc. • Arbourdale • Beef Farmers of Ontario • Busch Vacuum Technics inc.

• Carlisle Technology • CSB System International • DATAHEX • DPEC Food Solutions Inc. • Duropac • eLease Financial Corporation • Fanshawe College • Food and Beverage Ontario - CareersNow • Handtmann Canada Limited • Harpak-ULMA Packaging, LLC • Klever Equipped Inc.

• Kungfu Butchers • Malabar Super Spice Company Ltd • Markenello Equipment Litd.

• Meat & Poultry Ontario • Medium Rare Chef Apparel Inc • Moore Packaging Corp • NIC System Inc. • PACK3000 CANADA LTD • Pemberton & Associates Inc. • Polytarp Products • David Food Processing • Reiser Canada Company • SPD Sales Limited • Spectrim Label & Equipment • Toronto Metropolitan University • VC999 Canada Ltd. • Viscofan Canada Inc. • Yes Group Inc.

More to come...

Meat Industry Expo

REGISTER FOR FREE ONLINE USING PROMO CODE:

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REGISTER WWW.MEATINDUSTRYEXPO.CA

President’s Message .......................................................... 4 Welcome to the Association.............................................. 5 Food Safety Culture – What is It and How to Get It Right.................................. 6 Food Science Funding – How SR&ED Funding Works for Natural and Organic Ingredient Projects................. 12 2022 FCC Food Industry Report: Growth Amid Inflammatory Pressures................................................... 18 Importance of Ongoing Food Safety Training for Food Handlers............................................................. 20 Promoting the Appeal of Ontario Veal........................... 22 Thank You to our 2022/2023 Corporate Supporters.... 24 University of Guelph Meat Science Lab – The Best Kept Secret on Campus................................. 26 The Yes Group – Quality and Food Safety is Key.......... 28 UVC Disinfection and Cleanability Innovations in Production Equipment................................................. 30 Ensure an Effective Food Safety Program...................... 32 How a Food Business Benefits From Measuring the Efficacy of its Programs............................................. 37 Abattoir To Customer Traceability.................................. 38 Perform a Hazard Assessment to Make Your Business Safer: a Step-by-Step Guide............................ 40

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The Yes Group - Quality and Food Safety is Key

Marketing Claims You Can Make on a Food Label....... 42 Advertiser Index................................................................ 46 BlockTalk - Fall 2022

3

Y

ou all have distinctive environments with different levels of risk related to your processing activity. Whether it is primary and or secondary production, red or white meat, retail fresh meats or secondary processing of cooked and smoked meat products, or higher risk fermented and dry cured meats and sausages, you all share one common denominator. You have employees that you trust to do all the right things daily.

Food safety needs to be a culture in your business, and a commitment to ongoing training of your people will promote this culture.

Training Regular and repetitive training on the importance of hand washing, wearing gloves, wearing sanitary apparel, footwear, movement within the faciilty, and unacceptable habits while engaged in handling ready to eat products are good areas to have regular training activities. Encourage your people to refer to meat plant guideline Part 7, “Personnel at Meat Plants”, so that they understand why these things are so important.

Repeat Make it interesting and schedule training intervals monthly and try to go offsite once per year if you can. This will boost employee morale and make them feel important. If you are a provincially licensed abattoir and have selected the carcass microbial control intervention you will use, take time to review the most common methods used with your staff, and explain what the main pathogenic organisms are that you’re targeting and why.

Reinforce Introduce a “Food Safety Corner’ at strategic locations within your facilities.

Post easy to understand information that focus on food safety best practices required while in the plant. Update this twice per month and stay with it.

Monitor Assessing your group’s knowledge and commitment to your food safety system is critical and should be something you include in annual reviews. Your employees should audit themselves to set a good example for others.

Record Additional record keeping is important. Keep a record of good and unacceptable behavior for future rewarding and corrective actions required.

This will be my final President’s Message, as my wife and I have decided we will be retiring. Farwell for now, and I am sure we will all cross Graham Dalziel, paths again soon.

President

2

022 started with a renewed focus on Food Safety.

Thanks to OMAFRA funding, MPO staff began work on a project that encourages a proactive and modernized approach to regulations, food safety programs, as well as provides education and best practices to improve the culture and outcomes of food safety. This work includes food safety and traceability gap assessments of meat plants, communications focused on food safety through various channels including print, digital and social media, and a community of practice with food safety leaders.

This issue of Block Talk continues to reinforce the theme of Food Safety. In this dedicated issue, you will find engaging and informative articles, contributed by experts in food safety focusing on subjects such as Funding, Sanitary Design, The Importance of Ongoing Food Safety Training, and Abattoir to Customer Traceability. We encourage you to take the time to read through this edition.

Continuing the theme of Food Safety, we invite you to come out to the Meat Industry Expo at the Niagara Convention Centre on October 14 and 15 where we will feature food safety experts and businesses as well as over 70 exhibitors showcasing the latest and greatest innovations, technologies, equipment, and service solutions for your processing, wholesale, and retail operations. We look forward to Franco Naccarato, seeing you there!

Executive Director 4

BlockTalk - Fall 2022

VISION A sustainable, respectful and diverse food system that celebrates the nutritional and economic value of meat and poultry.

MISSION We strengthen the meat and poultry industry in Ontario by connecting people, influencing change and empowering our members.

MPO LIFETIME MEMBERS • Richard Halenda (2021) • Doris Valade (2019) • Laurie Nicol (2018) • Joe Abate (2017) • Brian Quinn (2016) • Graham Dalziel (2015) • Tony Facciolo (2011)

• Pat Johnson (2005) • Gerry Houtzager (2003) • Leo Rocheleau (2001) • Jim Vidoczy (2000) • Nancy Ackert (1997) • Dr. Ron Usborne (1996) • Ron Deeth (1995)

MPO LONG TIME MEMBERS Thank you to our long time members who have been helping move the industry forward for over 25 years.

• Abate Packers (1979) • Canadian Butcher Supply (1979) • Domingos Meat Packers (1979) • Sargent Farms (1979) • Townsend Meats (1979) • Ontario Pork, Guelph (1980) • Gord’s Abattoir, Leamington (1982) • L’Orignal Packing, L’Orignal (1986) • MMIS/MONDO, Aurora (1986) • Nitta Casings, Markham (1986) • Walnut Hill Farms, Gads Hill (1986) • VG Meats, Simcoe (1987) • Rothsay, Dundas (1988) • Stemmler Meat & Cheese, Heidelberg (1988) • Chicken Farmers of Ontario, Burlington (1989) • Jetnet Norstar, Toronto (1989) • Schinkels’ Gourmet Meats, Chatham (1989)

• Springer’s Meats, Hamilton (1989) • Barron Poultry, Amherstburg (1991) • Brenner Packers, Windsor (1991) • Norwich Packers, Norwich (1991) • Weston Abattoir, Maidstone (1991) • Handtmann Canada, Waterloo (1992) • Hay’s Custom Cutting, Campbellford (1992) • Hoffman Meats & European Deli, Stayner (1992) • Newmarket Meat Packers, Newmarket (1992) • WIBERG Corporation, Oakville (1992) • Schinkel’s Legacy, Chatam (1993) • Windcrest Meat Packers, Port Perry (1994) • Malabar Super Spice, Burlington (1994) • R. Denninger Ltd., Hamilton (1995)

MEAT INDUSTRY ACHIEVEMENT (MIA) AWARD RECIPIENTS • King Cole Duck (2021) • Hayter’s Farm, Dashwood (2016) • Schinkel’s Legacy, Chatham (2014) • Conestoga Meat Packers, Breslau (2013) • In Memory of Dave Tiller (2012)

• Halenda’s Fine Foods, Oshawa (2011) • Springer’s Meats, Hamilton (2010) • VG Meats, Simcoe (2009) • Stemmler’s Meat & Cheese, Heidelberg (2008) • Leo Rocheleau, Maidstone (2007)

ASSOCIATE MEMBER RECOGNITION AWARD (AMRA) RECIPIENTS

• Viscofan (2021) • Multivac Canada Inc., Brampton (2020) • Reiser Canada, Burlington (2019) • VC999, Saint-Germainde-Grantham (2018)

• Handtmann Canada, Waterloo (2017) • Malabar Super Spice, Burlington (2016)

www.meatpoultryon.ca

MPO

Welcome to the Association

ADMINISTRATION

The Pie Commission Patrick Blessing (416) 848-7424 pat@piecommission.com 927 The Queensway Unit 10 Toronto, ON M8Z 5Z7

PAST PRESIDENT Carol Goriup Florence Meats, Oakville

TECHNICAL DIRECTOR Daphne Nuys-Hall technical@MeatPoultryON.ca EVENTS, MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS MANAGER April Jackman april@MeatPoultryON.ca OFFICE MANAGER Meghan Schmuck meghan@meatpoultryon.ca

SECRETARY/TREASURER Adam Hayward Nesbitt’s Meat Market, Lindsay

DIRECTOR | Peter Baarda J&G Quality Meats, Burlington

DIRECTOR, MEAT TECHNOLOGY CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE Luis Garcia luis@meatpoultryon.ca

FOOD SAFETY ADVISOR Aniket Choudhuri aniket@meatpoultryon.ca

VICE PRESIDENT Kevin Schinkel Schinkel’s Legacy, Chatham

DIRECTOR | Gerhard Metzger Metzger Meats, Hensall

MARKET DEVELOPMENT SPECIALIST Derek Boudreau derek@MeatPoultryON.ca

COMMUNICATIONS COORDINATOR Sandy Trojansek sandy@meatpoultryon.ca

BOARD LISTING

PRESIDENT | Graham Dalziel Viscofan

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Franco Naccarato franco@MeatPoultryON.ca

Building an informed and engaged membership representing a diverse Ontario meat and poultry industry.

&

DIRECTOR | Doris Valade The Malabar Group Inc., Campbellville DIRECTOR | Jeff Miedema Townsend Butchers Inc., Simcoe DIRECTOR | Dale Schefter Schefter Poultry Processing Ltd., Gorrie DIRECTOR | Doug Alexander Leadbetter Foods Inc., Orillia DIRECTOR | Yaser Alqayem Parkhill Meats, Parkhill DIRECTOR | Christine BonneauO’Neill L’Orignal Packing, L’Orignal DIRECTOR | Shannon Desborough Finest Sausage & Meats, Kitchener

BLOCKtalk is the official publication of the MPO, distributed to over 250 MPO members, commodity groups, and others throughout the industry, providing excellent advertising opportunities for suppliers of the meat and poultry industry to promote their newest, most innovative, supplies, equipment, and technology.

BLOCKtalk encourages Associate Members and supporters of the industry to submit articles which would be beneficial to our members.

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The information published in BLOCKtalk is compiled from a variety of sources, which we believe to be reliable; however, MPO does not guarantee, and assumes no responsibility for the correctness of the information.

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BlockTalk - Fall 2022

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Photo Credit: Copernico, Unsplash

Food Safety Culture – What is It and How to Get It Right

By Doris Valade, Business and Leadership Coach, The Malabar Group

A

food safety culture is when both the company and its team engage in a shared purpose to ensure a safe food product.

It cannot be a stand-alone purpose; it must be tied to the company’s overall purpose. Success depends on dedicated teamwork and a continuous improvement mentality. Every member of the team must be actively engaged and invested in

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supporting this culture. A positive food safety culture is the foundation for building a comprehensive and effective food safety program. Building that culture begins with the business leader.

In 2016, my company was awarded the Food Safety Excellence Award by NSF-GFTC (part of NSF’s International & Global Food Division). The award criteria considered our food safety processes as well as the strength of our food safety culture. That award did not come easy! It was the culmination of 12 years of hard work spent building and implementing an effective food safety program. Our journey began in 2004, when we developed our Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) Plan to manage the food safety risks associated with the food products we made. We identified processes that could be improved and implemented new ways of reporting to monitor and record our daily activities.

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In business as in life, change is never easy, but for us it was especially difficult — we had been producing the same products using the same process for more than 10 years. But change we did …

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I’ll share a few of the important tips for success we learned along the way: 1. G O SLOW! Too many changes too fast can alienate team members and create unnecessary stress and conflict. Set aside time to communicate regularly with your team to talk about the changes and always allow time for questions.

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Provide training for everyone. Develop detailed training programs for those in production and operations and more basic training for those indirectly involved (e.g., accounting, sales, etc.).

Continued on page 8

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BlockTalk - Fall 2022

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SAFETY CULTURE – WHAT IS IT AND HOW TO GET IT RIGHT

2. LEAD BY EXAMPLE! Everyone needs to be committed to following/ implementing new safety guidelines and procedures — no exceptions. One of our senior business owners, a fellow who had been part of our company from the beginning (a time when the warehouse tabby cat was our sanitation program) believed that wearing a hairnet was for everyone else. He eventually came around when he saw everyone, including the business owner, was committed.

“… to be successful and sustainable, food safety must go beyond formal regulations to live within the culture of a company. In contrast to the rule of law, culture draws its power from the unspoken and intuitive, from simple observation, and from beliefs as fundamental as “This is the right thing to do” and “We would never do this.” Rules state facts; culture lives through the human experience.”

We implemented a more stringent deep-cleaning schedule that included moving drums and pallets when cleaning the floors. This cleaning was always scheduled for Fridays. As company President, I often joined the team and pitched in – doing the floor cleaning side-by-side with them. As leader, you provide the example for everyone else to follow. Together, we worked as a team, with a shared purpose.

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~ Excerpt from A Position Paper from the Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI) 3. B E PREPARED FOR CONFLICT – IT WILL HAPPEN! Business strategist Liane Davey encourages leaders to accept conflict as “an essential component of nearly every organizational activity” and suggests “conflict is something you need to work through.” ¹ Consider opposing viewpoints as opportunities to introduce new ideas or improve existing processes. As a business leader, strong listening skills are essential.

Continued on page 10

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BlockTalk - Fall 2022

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canadabeef.ca | cdnbeefperforms.ca BlockTalk - Fall 2022

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Continued from page 8 – FOOD

SAFETY CULTURE – WHAT IS IT AND HOW TO GET IT RIGHT

4. MISTAKES CAN BE GOOD! We learned a lot from ours.

Once we had our HACCP plan in place, we embarked on GFSI accreditation. This required more training, more cleaning, more changes in our processes and a lot more paperwork, culminating in a rigorous annual audit. Lot numbers would be missed on production sheets; pre-op and post-op checklists were marked as done when they really weren’t, all because of time constraints; lot numbers were missed on reporting sheets that were already jam-packed with details. When a mistake occurred, we collected details on the incident (usually first thing the next morning so as not to interrupt production), and then we’d meet as a team to go over what had happened. There was no blame assigned. We did not bring forward names of those who made the errors. Instead, everyone understood that our commitment to continuous improvement meant every mistake was an opportunity to learn and do better, whether it was a change on documentation to make information clearer, or a change in the cleaning schedule to a more convenient day or time. Always, our focus was on making sure the same mistake did not happen again.

5. C ELEBRATE THE WINS! Not just once a year when you have your annual audit, celebrate all the small achievements that happen along the way. Celebrate when a mock recall is performed in record time, when new training is completed, or when daily paperwork is filled in accurately for a set number of days in a row. The reward can be a team pizza lunch, gift cards for coffee, or even just a call out by name during a team meeting for a job well done.

Our AA rating on our annual GFSI-BRC audit did not happen by chance. We got there because every team member knew that each of us had to be committed if we were to succeed with our food safety program. The banner that hung in our warehouse said Teamwork Makes the Dream Work, a phrase that became a daily reminder of what drove success in every aspect of our business, including our positive food safety culture.

About Doris Valade Doris has been involved in the meat and poultry industry for over 35 years. She has sat on the boards of Food & Beverage Ontario, the Canadian Meat Council and the Canadian Spice Association. Doris has been included on the list of Profit magazine’s Top 100 Female Entrepreneurs from 1999 – 2005 and again in 2016. In 2019, Meat and Poultry Ontario awarded Doris the Lifetime Member Award for her outstanding contribution to the industry.

As a business and leadership coach, Doris mentors and supports business owners and entrepreneurs through the challenges of running their business while trying to stay sane. You can request a free (no obligation) phone call and conversation with Doris by sending her an email request: doris@malabargroup.ca 1. The Bregman Leadership Podcast, Episode 169, Dr. Liane Davey.

Additional Resources Food Safety Culture: Creating a Behavior-Based Food Safety Management System. Frank Yiannas, Springer Science & Business Media, 2008.

The Good Fight: Use Productive Conflict to Get Your Team and Organization Back on Track.

Liane Davey, Page Two Books Inc, March 2019.

Collaborating on Culture in the New Era of Smarter Food Safety. 2021 – 2022. 3 webinars from the U.S. Food & Drug Administration: Session 1: Key Concepts in Addressing Food Safety Culture as a Science – Not a Slogan’ Session 2: Making Leaders Risk Aware and Push to Reduce Risk External Link Disclaimer Session 3: Building a Coalition of Food Safety Culture Champions Across Your Organization

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BlockTalk - Fall 2022

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Food Science Funding

How SR&ED Funding Works for Natural and Organic Ingredient Projects

By Laura Ranieri, Mentor Works

D

ue in part to the health and wellness industry, consumers are becoming more knowledgeable about where their food comes from and are demanding more from processed foods. The focus is on how the base ingredients are grown, sourced, and processed. Scientific Research and Experimental Development (SR&ED) helps with the production, genetic modification, sourcing, processing, and integration of foods in new and existing products by easing the financial costs associated with making innovative improvements.

What is a Natural Ingredient?

There are three specific criteria as defined by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA), when it comes to defining “natural”: 1. Does not, or has never, contained, added vitamins, mineral nutrients, artificial flavouring agents, or food additives; 2. Parts of the food have not been removed or significantly changed, except the removal of water (for example, the removal of caffeine); and 3. Has not been submitted to processes that have significantly altered their original physical, chemical, or biological states (i.e. maximum processes, such as chemical additions).

It is important to note that “natural” is not an indication of the quality or nutritional value of food, simply the state.

Continued on page 14

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BlockTalk - Fall 2022 Australia | Brazil | Canada | Czech Republic | China | Costa Rica | Germany | Mexico | Russia | Serbia | Spain | Thailand | United Kingdom | Uruguay13| USA

Continued from page 12 – FOOD

SCIENCE FUNDING

What is an Organic Ingredient?

A product that is organic is grown and processed according to a specified, regulated process. Foods that are organic are not necessarily healthier or more nutritious. To be certified, food must be grown on fields without prohibited substances applied for the last three years. This does not mean that fertilizer or processing aids have not been used. There is a list of approved substances from the Standards Council of Canada that are approved for soil amendment or processing aids. The percentage of organic ingredients in a product must reach 95% for it to be labeled organic. Unless a product specifies how much of its ingredients are organic, it cannot claim to contain “organic ingredients”.

Genetically Modified vs. Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO) Almost all modern foods have been genetically manipulated in some manner, including selective breeding for random mutations, crossbreeding, and splicing.

That being said, GMO means foods are highly controlled via modification to target preferable genes that may improve yield, nutrition, and more. This allows for reduced land use, herbicides, and insecticides while producing a more reliable yield. This, as well, does not indicate the health or nutrition of a product.

The following represent prominent GMO products in marketplaces: corn, soybeans, cotton, potato, papaya, summer

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BlockTalk - Fall 2022

squash, canola, alfalfa, apples, one variety of eggplant, pink fleshed pineapple, AquAdvantage Salmon, and sugar beets.

Papaya would likely be extinct without the use of gene splicing to provide viral resistance.

How Shelf Life is Impacted Using Natural Ingredients To ensure a long shelf life, many methods and additives are used, both natural and processed preservatives, so that a product’s supply chain can be more flexible.

For example, red or packaged meat with a longer shelf life would be more convenient to transport to the grocery store if they had a longer shelf life. Having centralized processing would allow Continued on page 16

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Business for Sale

Whitehouse Meats - St Lawrence Market, Toronto, Ontario

Whitehouse Meats, St Lawrence Market •

A well-established traditional Butcher Shop focused on retail sales specializing in high quality beef, chicken, lamb, duck and pork along with a wide selection of game meats and birds. Over 60 feet of refrigerated wraparound display counters along with a 10-foot freezer display counter. Customers interact with sales staff/ butchers to fulfill their purchases.

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Please contact Leila Batten for more details, 416-580-4293 or leila.whitehousemeats@gmail.com BlockTalk - Fall 2022

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Continued from page 14 – FOOD

SCIENCE FUNDING

consumers to purchase products off the shelf and keep them fresh at home for longer periods of time. The product can be stored in your home for longer without becoming stale or rancid because of a longer shelf life.

Traditionally, natural preservatives include salt, sugar, tocopherols, or citric acid. A few examples of processed preservatives are sulfite, BHA, BHT, nitrite, and sodium benzoate.

But What Does This Mean for SR&ED? It is important to consider both the why and the how when assessing whether a project meets SR&ED requirements.

For SR&ED to occur, the work must be conducted to achieve a scientific or technological advancement and must be conducted in a systematic manner.

As such, scientific/technological advancement may be required for the following: • Learning how products need to get reformulated to utilize natural and/or organic ingredients.

• Maintaining or improving the existing organoleptic/sensory properties; and/or • Overcoming processing challenges related to natural and/or organic ingredients.

Taking out processed preservatives from goods without affecting shelf life also raises technical/scientific uncertainties, since the preservatives can also act as conditioners or processing aids.

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Similarly, natural preservatives impart different taste profiles and dough conditioning. When investigation and experimentation is taken into how the preservatives behave in the given food matrix or how to change the processing to match an existing product, SR&ED may occur.

To learn the differences between the Scientific Research and Experimental Development (SR&ED) tax incentive program and the Industrial Research Assistance Program (IRAP) grant funding program, download this free IRAP vs. SR&ED slide deck to learn the difference between these two kinds of R&D funding programs, and how your business can stack their funding.

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2022 FCC Food Industry Report: Growth amid inflationary pressures The annual FCC Food Report reviews last year’s economic environment and highlights opportunities and risks for Canadian food manufacturers for 2022. This includes an annual sales forecast,

Figure 1: Gross margins grew in 2021 but remain below historical levels Source: Statistics Canada, FCC Economics

grocery sales performance and a new gross margin index.

102

Industries featured in the report are:

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• • • • • •

Grain and oilseed milling Sugar and confectionery products Fruit, vegetable and specialty food Dairy products Meat products Seafood preparation

• Bakery and tortilla products Beverage manufacturers, we didn’t forget about you.

We’ve released a separate beverage report, available at fcc.ca/BeverageReport.

Takeaways Several external factors impacted Canadian food industries in 2021, which have resulted in higher input costs, amplified labour shortages and upended food consumption patterns. In early 2021, there was hope that the pandemic could soon be behind us; however, new variants provoked more disruptions, restrictions and uncertainty.

Despite these challenges, food manufacturers’ performance proved to be strong.

Three key observations from this year’s report: 1. Industry gross margins bounced back in 2021 but remain below historical levels Gross margins as a percent of sales in food manufacturing increased in 2021 YoY but remain below historical levels and below 2019 (Figure 1).

Manufacturers have struggled to fully pass on higher labour and material costs for almost a decade. But margins improved slightly in 2021. At the individual industry level, results widely differ, which we dive into in the report.

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100.0

99.4

98 95.4

96

95.1

95.1

95.0 93.6

94 92

93.1

90.2

90 88 86 84

2013

2014

2015

2016

2017

2018

2019

2020

2021

2. Food manufacturing sector to outperform the overall economy Food manufacturing sales increased 14.8% YoY to $125 billion in 2021 (Table 1). This is the strongest YoY sales growth in recorded history (starting in 1992). Increased foodservice volumes and higher selling prices offset volume declines at grocery stores.

Food manufacturing sales are projected to increase 7.4% in 2022, driven by: • Historically strong disposable income and accumulated savings in 2021 • Food prices remaining elevated • Robust export markets with food exports representing an estimated 36.8% of overall sales

www.meatpoultryon.ca

Figure 2: Most manufactured food consumed in Canada is made

Table 1: Manufacturing sales and exports grew in 2021 All figures in million $ Food manufacturing sales

2021

YoY% change

2020

YoY% change

125,226

14.8

109,104

2.1

Food exports

46,063

16.9

39,417

5.1

Food imports

31,828

3.4

30,786

5.5

in Canada Imports percent of domestic consumption 100 90

Seafood

80 Sugar/confection 70 Food trade balance

14,234

64.9

8,631

3.7

Grocery & specialty food retail sales

116,650

0.4

116,134

10.9

Restaurant retail sales

26,609

23.6

21,525

-37.2

40

Fast food retail sales

33,397

15.6

28,902

-14.3

30

3,921

19.1

3,292

-47.8

20

180,342

6.2

169,853

-5.4

Fruit/Vegetable and specialty

60 50

Grain and oilseed milling Other

Specialty food service sales Total estimated food retail sales Source: Statistics Canada

3. Consumption of Canadian manufactured food climbed in 2021 The total share of domestically manufactured food consumed in Canada increased an estimated 1.9% after declining for two straight years. The combination of ‘buy local’ trends and domestic investments boosted Canadian sales.

The share of imports relative to consumption as opposed to the share of exports relative to manufacturing sales within an industry provides information about the domestic vs foreign emphasis of manufacturers (Figure 2).

Sales within the dairy manufacturing industry almost entirely occur within Canada. Under 10% of the value of dairy manufacturing sales are exported, and under 10% of Canadian consumption is of imported products. On the other end of the spectrum, seafood is more of a global industry. Over 90% of the sales value were exported, and the percent of imported product consumed was also over 90%.

Overall, there’s a lot of two-way trade in the Canadian food industry.

For example, nearly 50% of sales in fruit, vegetable and specialty food manufacturing is exported while an equivalent share of domestic consumption is imported.

Food Bakeries Meat Dairy

10 0

0

10

20

30 40 50 60 70 80 Exports percent of manufacturing sales

90

100

The bottom line Economic conditions are evolving rapidly. The labour market continues to be a challenge, and inflationary pressures continue to climb. War in Eastern Europe and economic sanctions also pose a risk to global economic growth, creating food shortages in many countries that depend on commodities from this region, potentially causing a food crisis for millions.

Stronger disposable income and higher savings in 2021 will support 2022 domestic food consumption growth, although inflation is diminishing many households’ purchasing power. Margin growth will depend on several factors, the biggest being the pandemic’s evolution and how businesses adapt to interest rate increases and input costs.

Read the full report at fcc.ca/FoodReport Kyle Burak, Senior Economist

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Importance of Ongoing Food Safety Training for Food Handlers

By Aniket Choudhuri, Food Safety Specialist, Meat & Poultry Ontario

I

t is a well-known fact that food can become contaminated by improper storage, cross-contamination, undercooking and person-to-person contact. Food safety training ensures that your staff is aware of ways to prevent these things from happening. Research of foodborne diseases around the world have indicated that most of these diseases result from poor handling during food manufacture. Therefore, training and education in food handling for all employees, including proper personal hygiene, is a food safety requirement.

Ongoing Food Safety Training Benefits Your Business Ongoing food safety training for all employees handling food in the processing industry helps reduce the risk of improper food handling and preventing cross-contamination.

Providing food safety training to employees consistently and at set frequencies is also a brand statement that builds your reputation as an organization that cares for customers and end consumers’ well being and health. Ongoing training is especially required for workers in the food manufacturing and food retail sectors when new food safety updates or requirements are identified.

Providing ongoing training to workers in food businesses increases their knowledge and understanding of food safety, therefore reducing food safety risks. An effective food safety program will enable food handlers to apply hygiene training, storage and cleaning techniques to everyday working operations and effectively uphold food safety norms.

Food Safety Training Protects Your Customers From Health Risks Adequate and relevant food safety training is essential to protecting your customers from food poisoning, allergic reactions and other health risks that could occur from eating contaminated food. Health Canada reports that every year, 4 million Canadians get sick from food-borne illness, over 11,000 Canadians are hospitalized and more than 200 people succumb to these illnesses. To prevent food-borne illness, everyone who 20

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works with food must: • Understand how food can become contaminated through improper handling • Know about potentially hazardous foods, also called high-risk foods • Understand the causes of food-borne illness (biological, physical, and chemical contaminants) • Know how to safely store, thaw, prepare, cook, and package foods • Know how to effectively clean and sanitize surfaces, equipment, and utensils • Understand the importance of personal hygiene and good manufacturing practices This is where food safety training plays a vital role. When your employees complete a Food Handlers certificate course, you know they have acquired the skills and knowledge required to handle food safely and uphold high standards of personal hygiene and cleanliness. Trained and certified food handlers, coupled with a robust food safety plan, are the keys to ensuring food safety in your business.

Monitoring and Mentoring to Make Food Safety Training Effective Once a business has trained their employees thoroughly, training becomes more beneficial when there is an effective follow-up where monitoring and mentoring is required. This is where a trained supervisor comes into the picture to ensure that food handlers are applying their knowledge to good practices. Training coupled with mentoring prepares food handlers to follow food safety behaviour.

Theoretical knowledge alone is not enough for them to continue with the behavioural change and good practices.

Training on good food safety practices provides the knowledge food handlers need to make safe and informed decisions about their own food handling practices. When staff are properly trained, less food is wasted, contaminated, or lost due to poor handling. Refresher courses serve as a reminder that they must continue with good food safety practices. Training courses www.meatpoultryon.ca

A bonus to putting everyone in the business through food safety training is knowing that when you have competent and knowledgeable staff, you can take a step back from the day-to-day operations and focus on long-term strategies to grow the business.

It’s important to practice safe food handling if you want your food business to succeed. Whether you’re the owner, the manager, supervisor or worker, your livelihood depends on the success of the business. The goal of any training and development program is to create a workforce that will “Stay, Start and Contribute”. Invest in your workforce – get started today!. provide direction and knowledge for them to follow food safety norms. In addition, they acquire the latest information on food handling and understand what food inspectors will look for during their audits.

Food Safety Training is a Legal Requirement Food safety training is critical to the success of a food business, whether it’s a restaurant, a cafe, a catering business, or a corner store. It’s also a legal requirement. If you serve food to the public, you’re a food business under law, and you must comply with the food safety laws and regulations in your province or territory. It is a provincial regulation to ensure there is always at least one supervisor on shift who has received the Food Handler Training from a certified organization.

By investing time and resources into food safety training and making sure employees hold a valid Food Handlers certificate, you can: • Protect your brand and reputation • Prevent negative online reviews, customer complaints or media scandals • Reduce operational costs related to food waste, meal comps or pest eradication

The Right ERP For The Food Industry Manage all aspects of your business in a single solution Connects data, processes and departments.

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• Avoid expensive fines or business closure BlockTalk - Fall 2022

21

Promoting the

Appeal of Ontario Veal

By Jennifer Haley, Executive Director

V

eal Famers of Ontario (VFO) has been hard at work promoting the value and appeal of Ontario veal with a number of different consumer promotions and programs over the past several months. While often considered a specialty meat, Ontario veal provides the consumer with a variety of meal solutions.

With a limited budget, VFO diligently works with industry partners to stretch the marketing dollars to bring the greatest return on investment. For example, through our various social media channels, we continue to engage and build relationships with our stakeholders and followers by providing content focused on recipe and meal inspirations.

Consumers seem to prefer Instagram compared to other channels with a higher engagement rate and an increase in followers.

Our ‘Vealing Delicious’ e-newsletters arrives bi-weekly in over 3,000 subscribers’ inboxes and it is filled with veal recipes, menu inspiration, cooking techniques and other targeted information to help consumers add veal to their planned meals. And of course, the ontariovealappeal. ca website is a resource for all things veal with recipes, photos, cooking information, instructional videos and more!

think about veal on the BBQ. In order to raise awareness for all the great ways veal can be cooked on the grill, VFO partnered with the Godfather of the Grill himself, Ted Reader! Through the Instagram contest, consumers are challenged to show us their veal on the BBQ, and they could win one of size prize packs valued at $100 and one Grand Prize of Ontario Veal Appeal dinner for 10 at Ted Reader’s restaurant- The Joint BBQ. VFO also collaborated with Ted Reader once again this year with new veal recipes that are promoted not only on VFO’s social media channels but also Ted’s as well- which enables us to reach even more consumers craving from great meat grilling inspiration! As part of our media outreach, VFO partnered with Canada’s Food & Drink magazine (distributed through the Globe & Mail) with a mouthwatering veal BBQ print ad as well as digital campaign displayed on various billboards on Ontario’s highways.

#VealontheGrill This summer, VFO launched an online contest to encourage consumers to purchase veal and get it on the BBQ at home. Traditionally, the summer months are the lowest sales period for the veal category and market research tells us that consumers just don’t

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Ontario’s Best Veal Sandwich Crowns a Winner!

We began planning for the return on the search for Ontario’s Best Veal Sandwich (OBVS) contest in the midst of Covid restrictions last fall and the uncertainty of what the re-opening would look like. To manage risk, we chose a tournament style format this year that saw restaurants go head-to-head to reach the finale! To qualify, mystery diners were sent out in advance for every sandwich that was nominated determine their veal sandwich score.

Mettawas has created a unique ‘trainwreck pizza’ fashioned after their winning veal sandwich and also feature a delicious Ontario Veal Chop on the menu!

Celebrating the Holidays with Ontario Veal The marketing experts are predicting that this Holiday season will see celebrations and gathering return with a bang. Consumers have been waiting a long time to get back to ‘normal’ and are craving the dinner parties and holiday celebrations once again. VFO will be pulling out all the stops with a consumer-focused campaign that will encourage consumers to splurge on the premiums cuts of Ontario Veal and building their entertaining plans with Ontario Veal at the center of the plate!

With an integrated marketing campaign including digital, social, print, and broadcast media channels, VFO will amplify our message that a special meal deserves a special cut of Ontario Veal. Included in the media plans will be advertisements in the very popular Food & Drink magazine which aligns perfectly with our key consumer demographic. Processors, retailers, and butchers are encouraged to contact us directly to discuss how we can help you leverage and take advantage of this campaign to drive Ontario Veal sales.

Our goal was to support the many different independent family run restaurants that serve Ontario Veal and who have weathered their share of challenges due to Covid.

Of course, suppliers were also verified to ensure the veal was from Ontario or at the very least Canadian. It was interesting to note that restaurant operators are not educated on exactly where their products come from and there is room to improve these relationships.

The final competition took place at the historic St. Lawrence Market on June 18th and was hosted by John Catucci from Food Network Canada. With in-person judging and a livestream, consumers were able to see our veal sandwich makers compete for the OBVS2022 title. And with their signature ‘trainwreck veal sandwich’, Anthony and Janet DelBrocco from Mettawas Station in Kingsville took the crown! Not only did they win bragging rights and lots of publicity, but their prize also featured a custom promotional video with John Catucci as well!

Independent Butcher Survey Coming Fall 2022 This fall, VFO will be conducting a survey of independent butchers and meat retailers to hear directly from these businesses on what marketing support they want for their veal business. We want to help with point-of-sale materials and marketing materials that are tailored specifically for the independents that will help sell Ontario veal and really move noodle. Please help us by completing the survey and encouraging your customers as well.

Do you have an idea or want to work together to create a program for your customers- how can we help? Contact us to discuss how we can promote the ‘Appeal of Ontario Veal’ together. For more information, please contact me at the VFO office 519-824-2942 or jhaley@vealfarmers.ca Make sure to follow and share all the great things about Ontario veal with your followers: @ontariovealappeal @ontariovealappeal @ontvealappeal

BlockTalk - Fall 2022

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to our 2022/2023

CORPORATE SUPPORTERS DIAMOND

PLATINUM

GOLD

SILVER

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www.meatpoultryon.ca

BlockTalk - Fall 2022

25

BUSINESS MEMBER PROFILE

University of Guelph Meat Science Lab The Best Kept Secret on Campus

By Sandy Trojansek, Meat & Poultry Ontario

T

he University of Guelph, established in 1964, is one of Canada’s top comprehensive and research- intensive universities and known as Canada’s food university. It’s also home to the meat science laboratory, a small-scale meat packing plant operating under federal inspection regulations with the capability to slaughter, cut, and process all major red meat species. Gino Giansante, Meat Science Lab Manager, explained the geographical area the Meat Lab serves.

“We serve Ontario,” said Giansante. “It’s spread out from veterinary to arts and sciences, with a focus on the food industry.

Our building focuses on meat, and the Food Science building does work with different foods. There’s a lot going on around food, not just on the veterinary side.”

The Meat Lab was established in the 1960’s, and the abattoir was fully refurbished in 2018. The cutting room is equipped to process wholesale or retail cuts, and there is equipment to manufacture processed meat products, as well as a smokehouse.

Currently, four employees work in the Meat Lab.

“The Meat Lab is focused on helping the industry develop a variety of opportunities,” said Giansante. “It is a fully functioning CFIA registered abattoir, and its main function is to assist in research conducted at the university. Animals come through the lab to be humanely slaughtered and dissected.”

What is the Meat Lab known for? “We are known for our slaughter technique,” he said. “Customers come to us to slaughter animals. We focus on the four red meats – beef, lamb, goat, and pig.”

Giansante stated that his favourite function in the Meat Lab was working with students. “When students come in and I watch them dealing with products and some of the equipment, it’s amazing to see them get involved. They have no qualms about it, which is needed because we need more skilled workers in the industry.”

What is the best kept secret in the Meat Lab? “The Meat Lab itself is a secret, internally and externally,” he said.

“We are the only university in Canada with a CFIA establishment number in their Meat Lab. We are also the only Canadian university sending products cross-country and worldwide with no issues.

The federal license is unique to our business, allowing us to work with industries seeking to grow their business and send samples to customers across borders.”

The Meat Lab does a lot of interaction with feed lots, dairy farms, beef farms, and a pig farm in Arkell.

(from Left to Right): Sam Leo (Butcher), Gino Giansante (Meat Lab Manager), Judy Kendall (Senior Butcher), Anthony Rizzuto (Meat Lab Project Specialist).

Absent: Danielle Renwick, Meat Lab Project Specialist (on mat leave).

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BlockTalk - Fall 2022

“There’s a lot of interaction with animal reps from these areas,” he said. “From an outside business perspective, we have a great relationship with a local pig farmer. He brings 4-6 pigs per month, and because we’re a CFIA plant, they’re sold to a restaurant in Montreal.

This way, he sends them across the border without issue. We also have relationships with other industry people, and have worked with Conestoga, St. Helen’s Meat Packers, and others.” www.meatpoultryon.ca

What is Giansante’s favourite and least favourite aspects of the job? “Putting the animals down,” he said. “If you’re not affected, there’s something wrong with you. My favourite part is working with the students. It gives you a different perspective.”

What is your business philosophy and your personal philosophy?

“My business philosophy is do the best you can with what you have every day,” he said. “My personal philosophy is get up and find the best in every day. If I can find something that makes me a little happy today, it gives me a reason to look for something tomorrow.”

Why is membership with MPO important?

Membership with MPO is important to Giansante. “It allows us to explore what’s out there and provide people with an understanding of what we can do for them,” he said. “It’s also an opportunity to use what we have at the Meat Lab, which is currently being underutilized, and bring the business aspect into our environment. Having this kind of partnership and exposure benefits the Meat Lab and the University.”

Giansante noted a few common food safety issues in food processing for the industry. “There is more issue with how people prepare meat,” he said. “That has a big impact on some issues, but you still need to be wary that listeria, e-coli, and salmonella are there. As a manager, you spend more time reviewing food safety and food risk than the actual production.”

When questioned about the biggest challenges to food safety, he stated “Proper handling, proper care, and the awareness for everyone to know that things can happen.”

What does Giansante think are the most important food safety considerations that people need to keep in mind? “Time and temperature are the biggest allies to food safety,” he said. “Once you have these under control, a lot of safety issues disappear.”

Gino Giansante University of Guelph - Meat Lab Manager 519-824-4120 ext.53672 www.uoguelph.ca

BlockTalk - Fall 2022

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ASSOCIATE MEMBER PROFILE

The Yes Group Quality and Food Safety is Key

By Sandy Trojansek, Meat & Poultry Ontario

M

ario Henry, Product Specialist for the Yes Group, met his future employer at a trade show in Markham while owning his own slaughterhouse and store. He was a customer for 25 years before selling his business and joining the Yes Group in 2011.

The Yes Group, a private family-owned and operated company providing equipment, supplies and consulting services to the meat and poultry industry, was established in 1987. When Keith Young, founder of the Yes Group, passed away, his son Steve took over the business with his wife Sylvia. The company has 10 employees serving customers across Canada. Henry also has customers in Trinidad, Jamaica, and Barbados.

“We did a sausage kitchen out of Nunavut 6 years ago with a company I worked with out of Alberta,” said Henry. “We used two shipping containers that were side by side. One was a cutting room; another was a sausage kitchen. Elk was the biggest protein available. There was no place to process the elk when it was killed, it was brought to us to cut up, and taken next door to make hamburgers and sausages.”

Yes Group Christmas photo - from left to right: Back row - Wendy, Gord, Bill and Ana. Front row - Mario, Carol, Ian. Missing - Steve and Silvia Young.

Clients that Henry and the Yes Group work with include most slaughterhouses in Canada, such as Cargill, JBS, Maple Leaf and Sofina.

“They have had long-standing relationships with the Yes Group for years,” said Henry. “It’s great because they’re so big, but we also have people walk in off the street to buy a bundle of casings.”

The Yes Group is known for a variety of products. “Someone can call and ask for Buffalo Chicken marinade, burger mix, wrapping paper, a mesh glove, hairnets, and other items, and want it sent today,” said Henry. “It’s one-stop shopping with quick turnaround.”

The company has faced challenges promoting new products.

“We’re a spice distributor, but spice companies have been bought out and are bigger now,” said Henry.

“This resulted in a high demand

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www.meatpoultryon.ca

on what we can order. It’s challenging to bring out new products, as minimum orders could be 400-500 kilos of a certain spice.”

Henry mentioned new equipment that is doing well for the Yes Group. “We’ve done well selling equipment to some of the bigger plants,” he said. We have a new generation Wizard Knife, and a batter breading machine to bread cutlets and chicken fingers. Our small tabletop hamburger machine makes burger making easy.”

What are the short and longterm goals for the organization?

“Short-term goals are challenging due to issues with the spice blenders,” he said.

“Long-term goals include continuing the great job with Mario Henry the slaughterhouses and meat cutting places. We deal with meat processing, but people think we work with restaurants. We’re more into the manufacturing side than service, and that’s where we’ll continue to grow.”

Future of the Industry “I owned a pork slaughterhouse in Toronto, and demographics have become so diverse,” said Henry. “I have lots of Muslim customers, and Halal and gluten-free are currently the growing trends. One challenge I see is that smaller slaughterhouses are closed or sold out. People can’t kill their pigs on the farm, so they drive 2-3 hours to have their pigs slaughtered. If you don’t have a growing market, it’s hard to survive.”

Henry enjoys working for the Yes Group. “Everyone is treated well, and it’s family oriented,” he said. “I spent two weeks in the ICU at the hospital sick with COVID. I missed 7 weeks of work and never lost wages. Another staff member had hip replacement, and never lost wages. You become humble and kinder to people when something like this happens.”

What business tip would Henry give the younger version of himself? “Quality. The quality of meat and spice is important, but so is the service aspect,” he said. “People take two days to respond to email. Service and quality of service is what’s going to help you.”

Henry’s business philosophy is simple. “Never exaggerate, promise something you can’t deliver, and answer something you don’t know.”

Henry sees challenges to food safety in the industry. “The Labelling Act has done wonderful things, but has also confused people,” he said. “They wanted to label ground beef recently.

Sometimes, too much information can be confusing.”

According to Henry, food safety is the most important issue in the meat and poultry industry, “Australia is the leader in food safety. It’s their number one priority,” he said. “Our problem is the inspection levels we have. If we can make them more unified, our system would be great. Processors know this, and they want to produce safe food.”

What are Henry’s key food safety considerations? “Personnel is a big challenge. People have habits that can be bad,” he said.

“For consumers, it’s temperature abuse, like leaving pizza out overnight to eat in the morning.”

Membership with MPO is Important Henry sees the value of membership with MPO. “I have been President of MPO in the past. Membership keeps us in touch with the industry, suppliers, and customers. This is very important,” he said. “It’s nice to see the organization, read BlockTalk, and see what’s going on in the industry. I like the personal aspect of things, and the trade shows are wonderful.”

The Yes Group Steve Young (905) 470-1136 www.yesgroup.ca

As for his personal philosophy, Henry stated “I’m making up for time missed with my kids. I’m still a workaholic, but I have two lives. One is work, the other is my wife and kids.”

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UVC Disinfection and Cleanability Innovations in Production Equipment

By Rafal Rusiniak, National Business Development and Sales Manager

F

irst-class hygiene conditions are a must in food production and are becoming increasingly important.

The emergence of the new coronavirus has taken the subject of hygiene to a new level. This is because the SARS-CoV-2 virus that triggers COVID-19 can survive as an aerosol for several hours in the air (e.g., after having been coughed out).

Ultraviolet C (UVC) is a type of ultraviolet light with short wavelengths (200nm -254nm) that kills living organisms by damaging their DNA and disrupting their ability to multiply and cause disease. The purple glow from UVC lights is common to see in many hospital settings to sanitize surfaces, surgical equipment, and operating rooms. UVC disinfection is also found in many homes as part of water sanitation systems. An increasing number of food production facilities are looking to UVC technology to help sanitize their facilities.

Modern food production equipment uses electronics and electrical control panels to control motors, screens, and computers. These components often generate heat and must be cooled with an internal fan that circulates ambient air through the cabinet. The internal areas of machines are dark and warm, and contain damp sections that could offer ideal areas for microorganism growth. The cooling fan air movement provides an opportunity to introduce UVC disinfection to sanitize the air going through the equipment.

The VF 800 series of vacuum fillers from Handtmann has a patented UVC disinfection unit that can sanitize the air moving through the unit, as well as the air in the production room. The system can circulate and sanitize the complete air volume in a 1200 sq. ft room once every hour.

Meat plant equipment has always required thorough disassembly and cleaning after every use. With the discovery of allergens and sensitivities, equipment now requires interim cleaning between batches and recipes. Production supervisors are constantly looking to optimize runs so that interim cleaning and changeover frequency is minimized throughout the day.

One key component to effective production planning is an organized and efficient cleaning procedure.

The need for decreased cleaning time and effort has led to many advancements in cleanability of equipment. Sloped surfaces, quick -no tool- disassembly, and sanitation trolleys help with the cleaning and sanitation of parts and machines.

A new innovation in meat plant equipment is the introduction of self-cleaning equipment. The new Handtmann VF 800 series of Vacuum fillers comes with a standard selfcleaning feature.

Self Cleaning Spary Head With the push of a button, the operator can now start a cleaning cycle on the machine. The machine can automatically run through a timed sequence where water fills the hopper, is agitated by the internal feed screw, and finally drains water and solids from the machine. The result is a machine that can be disassembled in less time, and the internal components that have been pre-rinsed and are now easier to clean.

Design and cleanability are very important when choosing production equipment. There is no doubt that the food industry will continue to lead the way and develop innovations in sanitation, efficiency, and food safety.

Improved Sanitairy Design 30

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BlockTalk - Fall 2022 31 905-532-0330 | www.goklever.com | info@goklever.com

TECH TALK

Ensure an Effective Food Safety Program

By Daphne Nuys-Hall, Technical Director, Meat & Poultry Ontario

A

fter you have written and implemented your food safety program how do you ensure that you’re ready for third party certification? How do you make sure you are ready after receiving notification of a regulatory or supplier audit? Gap assessments are an effective tool to for reviewing your company’s food safety program and examine it for any gaps or deficiencies BEFORE a regulatory or certification audit.

What is a gap assessment? Put simply, a gap assessment is a process where you analyze the effectiveness of both your written program and implementation to ensure that your food safety program meets customer and/or regulatory requirements. A gap assessment also helps you to focus on the potential problem before they turn into bigger problems if they are done right. For example, checking compliance against Ontario Meat Regulation 31/05, the Safe Food for Canadian regulation (SFCR), SQF or BRC compliance and customer requirements such as for COSTCO, Loblaws, etc.

There are many benefits to having a gap assessment including – •A ddress nonconformances before your certification or regulatory audit •A ssuring that all operations meet regulatory requirements •K eep your site audit-ready •P roviding customers with consistent, satisfying product •C ultivating quick, professional responses to problems •S ave time and potential revenue loss Gap assessments can be done internally, but there are many organizations that offer the analysis as a 3rd-party service.

What To Expect The first component of a gap assessment is to thoroughly review the written programs against either the food safety or quality management standard the company has implemented or against the regulations that would apply to the business, e.g.

Ontario Meat Regulation 31/05 or SFCR. The programs would be evaluated to ensure that they are accurate, complete, and current.

Continued on page 34

No matter how you slice it, Pemberton is your one source for all your food processing needs.

Contact us today to see how we can improve your bottom line.

Pemberton & Associates Inc TECHNOLOGY FOR THE FOOD INDUSTRY 32

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www.pemcom.com 1-800-668-6111 www.meatpoultryon.ca

HYGIENE IN THE MARK ET FOR MOR E THAN 40 YEARS

SOLUTIONS

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Continued from page 32 – ARE

YOUR LABELS COMPLIANT?

The second component would be to perform an on-site review.

The review may include: • watching the employees in the performance of their functions to ensure that they are doing it according to the written procedures • the on-site review indicates conformity with the written program • ensuring the current conditions are adequate and they control the hazards The on-site review may include interviewing the employees to ensure that they understand the program and their role.

The final component would be a review the records completed as evidence that the written program and its procedures are being followed and the monitoring functions are being performed. The person performing the gap assessment will randomly select records to be reviewed, checking for completeness and accuracy, ensuring that the latest revision of the record is being used (if applicable).

If a gap is identified in your program, the next step is to enact measures to close these gaps. This could mean having review

sessions with employees about food product safety, adding product inspection equipment to check for specific hazards that you’ve identified, or even redesigning elements of your food safety program.

Gap assessment can be performed using internal resources as well. These are often referred to as “internal audits”. They are easy to do, cost effective as you are using existing staff, and they can be done over a period of time rather then all in one or two days.

There is no hard, fast rule for performing an internal gap assessment however much like using an external 3rd party, the gap assessment follows the same three components – review the written program, on-site review and records review. Conducting an internal audit is much simpler if you prepare a checklist that contains the same items that the inspector or auditor is looking for.

The more comprehensive your assessment is, the better.

Thoroughness in this process helps you better prepare for audits by allowing to spot and resolve potential issues ahead of time.

While meeting regulatory requirements or food safety program standards can be tough, the benefits your business could reap are well worth the extra time and effort.

Contact Daphne at technical@meatpoultryon.ca to find out more about how MPO can help you with your Gap Assessment today.

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BlockTalk - Fall 2022 35 www.canadacompound.com

INNOVATIONS. CONNECTIONS. SOLUTIONS.

Now in its 25th year, we are happy to announce the biennial Meat Industry Expo will return to Niagara Falls Convention Centre, Niagara Falls, this October. The only show of its kind in Canada, this is your opportunity to network with colleagues, learn from industry experts, and keep up to date on trends and issues in the industry; all while visiting exhibitors showcasing the latest innovations, new technologies, and equipment and service solutions.

Visit the ‘Flavours’ section and try some of the finest meat and poultry products available in Ontario. 18 MPO Business members will be on hand sampling, answering questions, and talking to visitors about how they may get these unique artisan products on their shelves.

Friday, October 14, 10:00am to 5:00pm Saturday, October 15, 10:00am to 3:00pm Niagara Falls Convention Centre

OCTOBER 14 -15 2022 MEET OUR 2022 EXHIBITORS TO DATE: • 3M • Abell Pest Control • AKR Consulting Canada Inc. • Arbourdale • Beef Farmers of Ontario • Busch Vacuum Technics inc.

• Carlisle Technology • CSB System International • DATAHEX • DPEC Food Solutions Inc. • Duropac • eLease Financial Corporation • Fanshawe College • Food and Beverage Ontario - CareersNow • Handtmann Canada Limited • Harpak-ULMA Packaging, LLC • Klever Equipped Inc.

• Kungfu Butchers • Malabar Super Spice Company Ltd • Markenello Equipment Litd.

• Meat & Poultry Ontario • Medium Rare Chef Apparel Inc • Moore Packaging Corp • NIC System Inc. • PACK3000 CANADA LTD • Pemberton & Associates Inc. • Polytarp Products • David Food Processing • Reiser Canada Company • SPD Sales Limited • Spectrim Label & Equipment • Toronto Metropolitan University • VC999 Canada Ltd. • Viscofan Canada Inc. • Yes Group Inc.

More to come...

REGISTER FOR FREE ONLINE USING PROMO CODE:

MPO-VIP

REGISTER WWW.MEATINDUSTRYEXPO.CA 36

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How A Food Business Benefits From Measuring the Efficacy of its Programs

By Felix Amiri

“E

fficacy”, in this article, means the capacity to produce desirable results. Without measuring the efficacy of its programs, a business can only expect precarious success. An operation’s existence and success are best validated through confirming the efficacy of implemented programs and strategies. The right things must be measured to confirm this efficacy. Failing to track success or measuring the wrong things can be equally devastating to an operation.

Common terminologies for describing business success include: “Return on Investment (ROI)”, “Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)”, etc. The American Society for Quality defines a key performance indicator (KPI) as “...a statistical measure of how well an organization is doing in a particular area. A KPI could measure an organization’s financial performance or how it is holding up against customer requirements.”1 This description makes sense, except some businesses do not exactly know how to define their desirable performance goals. Typical practices around determining business success lean more to the pursuit of desired, instead of desirable, goals. As a result, many businesses fall into the trap of only pursuing profit-making desires to the neglect of critical desirable goals. An important desirable goal is gaining end-user loyalty because of the consistent delivery of reliable products. This is the underlying reason and must be the focus when confirming the efficacy of programs.

If your operation does not track its success through confirming the efficacy of its programs, it needs to start for the sake of its survival and success. Before thinking that you do not have the time for the required commitment, you should consider the following: • The time wasted in proceeding blindly without measuring progress • Lost opportunities where there is no tracking of successes and failures, with preventive actions • Available outside resources and assistance Desirable Operation Success-Tracking: We frequently hear about operation efficiencies and effectiveness. Rarely do we hear about confirming the desirable efficacy of their programs and processes. What should you measure to confirm success? This recent poll on LinkedIn provides some insights.2 Which of the listed areas of focus do you see as the desirable nucleus of dominant effort, efficiency, and effect (the NODE)?

Roughly 70% of people voting on this chose option B, and that is correct.

Viable and successful operations measure and confirm the efficacy of their plans, actions, processes, programs, and systems. The confirmation of efficacy starts with the activities of the different functions. A Typical food operation has the

following functions: 1. C ompany Administration (Office, Legal, Finance, Public Relations) 2. R egulatory Affairs 3. H uman Resources (Employment and Training) 4. P rocurement /Purchasing 5. L ogistics (Receiving and Shipping) 6. O perations/Processing 7. Quality Assurance/Food Safety 8. S anitation 9. M aintenance (Equipment and Facility) 10. R & D (Product Development) 11. M arketing & Sales Your operation no doubt implements programs to meet regulations or other requirements. Do you ever confirm the efficacy of these programs? Chances are that your regular routines already include the measurement of success. For example, your customer feedback is a success-tracking routine.

Some operations call this “customer complaints tracking”, and it is mostly done for compliance.

Regulatory compliance may be tracked but it should not be the primary focus for at least four reasons: 1. C omplying with applicable regulations is only a minimum requirement for any business.

2. F ocusing only on compliance places an operation in a perpetually precarious position.

3. A n exclusive focus on compliance ends up distracting, instead of helping, the operation.

4. Th e excessive pursuit of compliance competes against confirming the efficacy of implemented programs, processes, and controls.

When the right things (the critical & desirable success factors) are measured and tracked, and their efficacy is confirmed, the benefits are huge. In the book: “Efficacy versus Compliance3, some key things to track are listed. They include: • Consumer (End-User Experience) Feedback • Product Safety and Quality Performance • Failure Incident Reduction • Internal Audit Findings • Success of Continuous Improvement Projects • Cost Control Programs • Sales & Related Programs Everything measured and tracked needs to support the desirable end-user experience. This proves the efficacy and provides the best validation for an operation’s programs and activities. If you do not have the resources for the required tracking and measurements, you could seek outside help from partners like MPO, educational institutions, consultants, regulatory agency inspectors, accountants, etc.

Felix Amiri is the author of Efficacy versus Compliance. He is a part-time instructor at the Institute for Food Processing Technology (Conestoga College), and an independent consultant.

1 American Society for Quality, KPI: https://asq.org/quality-resources/quality-glossary 2 Node Poll on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/felix-amiri_a-node-poll-onbusiness-success-for-anonymous-activity-6957786442349559809-yNfP?utm_ source=linkedin_share&utm_medium=member_desktop_web 3 FSQA Efficacy Versus Compliance: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B08RHC9SPL

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Abattoir To Customer Traceability

By Judith Kirkness, VP Sales, Minotaur Software Ltd.

H

aving traceable products is an important part of food safety for meat processors.

Custom kill and cut/wrap services offered by abattoirs for farmers becomes challenging as your business grows. It is easy to ensure you get all the meat from a given animal back to a specific customer and packaged according to their specific cut sheet, if you take one carcass or side into the cut room at a time.

Traceability gets complicated when you grow your cut/wrap room, so you are processing multiple customers meats at the same time, or if you offer further processed items such as sausages. An example of this is where you combine several different customers meats on a single trolley while it is smoked.

Often, the farmer or end consumer pays for the meat based on a flat kill fee, plus add-on fees such as OTM, hot weight cut/wrap fees, and fees for further processed items often based on weight.

All that information comes into play when billing takes place.

When thinking of introducing technology to optimize the tracking of this process, there are multiple touch points that could be included, to provide traceability and QC collection points, which can provide valuable information you and your customers. You could start with just hot weight and cut/wrap stations and add points as your business grows. Touch points to consider include: 1. L ive animal weight (good for live to hot yield, RFID numbers could be scanned while offloading the animals, as these scales funnel animals one by one making it easy to accurately get the RFID information. The RFID info could be used to track the time each animal spends in the barn and start the traceability of which farmer/customer that animal belongs to, especially if animals are jumpers or get comingled in pens in the barn.)

2. Knock box – this is where information needs to flow TO the operator, such as ‘retain horns or hide’ or keep head on for BBQ hogs. This requires either a barn card or a screen within eyeshot of the operator. Benefits are the animal tag number can be used to verify the correct animal and instructions.

3. QC station (either part of the hot weight station, on tablets, or an additional station for QC, for tracking inspector results such as condemned organs, OTM, etc.), again tied to the tag number.

4. H ot weight station (records hot weight and ear tag number for retirement)

6. C ut/wrap stations (for catch weight finished cut products, plus trim going into further processing) 7. One or more further processing steps like sausage making and smoking or making of ground meat.

8. P ackaging of further processed items 9. Bringing everything together for shipping or pick up by the customer The above steps done by hand works for small operations.

Automation can help you scale. Here are some tips we’ve learned from working with abattoirs.

1. C reate one or more barcode tags at the hot weight station for each carcass or side, identifying the customer, date, and tag number, so you have something later for confirmation against the cut sheet.

2. Th e animal can then go in the cooler for cooling/aging and each is identifiable for grading. Options for grading include using a handheld to scan the barcode of the hanging item and storing a grade against it. Or you could print multiple tags, one tag with the grade could be brought to the office for recording the grade against the specific animal, leaving an identical tag on the side.

3. A dd bar code to cut sheets, so you have something to tie the cut sheet/order to the right carcass tag.

4. Before cutting, scan to verify the cut sheet barcode and animal you are cutting belong together.

5. Weigh/label everything directly to the customer order, so you have all the serial numbers, items and weights produced for that order together for traceability, billing and to provide the customer with a list. This saves time scanning and could provide the yield on that animal.

6. Get the right tags or labels for an abattoir environment. Our customers like the Avery Dennison Mark III Tag Fast Attachers combined with a waterproof tag.

There is no one process that works best for every abattoir.

Technology won’t necessarily help you reduce people, but it should help you increase the number of animals you can process, reduce errors and admin time, allowing you to do more with your existing people. In addition, you will have happy customers when you can provide yield and other information to farmers, along with the right meat back cut just the way they asked.

5. Cold weight station (good for hot/cold yield)

38

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39

SAFETY FIRST

Perform a Hazard Assessment to Make Your Business Safer: A Step-By-Step Guide

By Workplace Safety & Prevention Services

W

hen your employees arrive at work in the morning, are they aware of the hazards around them? Do they know what controls are in place? If not, do they know where to get this information?

According to the Occupational Health and Safety Act, employers are responsible for providing supervisors with the information and resources necessary to create a safe work environment. In turn, supervisors must communicate the hazards to employees and ensure they understand how to protect themselves.

Lastly, workers are expected to follow the procedures put in place to control those hazards. This is known as the Internal Responsibility System (IRS), which has been proven to be a very effective method of building safe workplaces.

“If employers are ultimately responsible for communicating the hazards to workers, how are they going to do that without completing a hazard assessment?” says Jay Remsik, a Health and Safety Consultant with WSPS. Before you can have a functional IRS, you need to identify the hazards.

Once you have completed the RACE method of hazard assessment, you must communicate the results to your workers.

“It’s not about doing this so the information sits in a document somewhere. It’s about using this information to reduce the probability of a fatality,” says Jay. This means you need to communicate the information to your employees.

“I’m working with a client right now on a comprehensive hazard assessment. Once the hazards and controls are identified, the Use the RACE Model as Your Guide client will use the information to develop training for new hires,” RACE (Recognize, Assess, Control, Evaluate) is an acronym often explains Jay. Doing so will ensure this critical information is used when explaining how to conduct a hazard assessment. It is shared right away when new people come on board, which is a the method outlined in the WSIB’s Hazard Assessment Tool. key component of a functional IRS. • Step 1: recognize the hazards. “Hazards can be grouped into the following six categories: physical, biological, chemical, How WSPS Can Help psychosocial, safety, and musculoskeletal disorders,” explains Consulting Jay. “You have to look at each role within your organization Our consultants can carry out hazard assessments, recommend through the lens of these six categories.” For example, an controls, and help you develop policies and programs for your industrial cleaner may be exposed to a hazardous chemical. workplace. Find out more by connecting with a consultant.

You would recognize this hazard when looking at the responsibilities of that particular role through the chemical lens.

Training • Step 2: assess the risk level of each hazard. When assessing Hazard Identification, Assessment, and Control (eCourse, 3 hours) the risk level, probability and severity are the main factors to Managing Hazards and Risks (classroom, 3.5 hours) consider. “You look at how likely it is that a particular hazard Health and Safety for Managers and Supervisors (eCourse, 7 hours) will cause illness or injury, and then you look at how severe the outcome would be,” says Jay. Using the same example as we Resources used above, you may conclude that the probability of exposure Simple Hazard Assessment Tool to the hazardous chemical is quite low. However, in the event Small Business Hazard Assessment Tool that the industrial cleaner is exposed, it could cause severe injury or illness. Use the Risk Evaluation Chart (page 9) to Events determine the risk level.

Attend the session Hazard and Risk Assessment for Supervisors at • Step 3: control the hazards - especially those that were assessed upcoming Partners in Prevention events (in-person): Southwestern - October 19 in Kitchener. Learn more and register. as high risk. If you cannot eliminate the hazard completely, Forum North - November 1-2 in Thunder Bay. Learn more and consider the most practical administrative or engineering register. controls. Again, using the previous example, you could substitute the hazardous chemical for a safer one. You could Webinars also change the process or personal protective equipment used Safety Connection: Hazards and Risks: An Introduction (1.5 hours) to limit the cleaner’s exposure.

• Step 4: evaluate the effectiveness of the controls. Shortly after Articles implementing controls, use the same Risk Evaluation Chart to Make Robust Hazard Assessments Your New Compliance Tool reassess the risk level of each hazard. The expectation is that it moves from high to moderate or low with the controls in place. At a minimum, it’s recommended to reassess hazards on an annual basis. However, it’s also important to do it when materials and processes change.

40

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We can’t wait to see you at Pack Expo

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Marketing Claims You Can Make on a Food Label By: Lauren Cole, Food Safety Consultant, Mallot Creek Group Inc.

H

ave you ever wondered what marketing claims you are allowed to include on your food label? What are the rules regarding what you can and cannot say about your product? Here are some helpful tips and guidelines on how you can highlight the impressive elements of your product while staying within the CFIA’s guidelines for food label claims.

We’d like to start by encouraging readers to review the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) Industry Labelling Tool, as this is where the official CFIA acts and regulations can be found regarding the topics we will be discussing. Within the industry labelling tool, you will see a claims and statements section.

There you will find 10 categories outlining the dos and don’ts for label claims and statements, along with additional regulatory information you may need to know.

General Principles for Food Label Claims The most important thing to remember when designing a food label is that every element of the label creates an overall impression on the product that is being sold. It is important to create a label that will appeal to consumers in a positive way, but use caution to ensure no elements could be considered

misleading or inappropriate based on the nature of the food.

Claims made on your food label should always be backed up with proof or proper documentation. As a regulated party, the CFIA may ask you to demonstrate that efforts are being made in production to control an allergen such as gluten when you make a ‘gluten free’ claim on a food label. The CFIA wants to make sure that products with such claims do not pose a risk to consumers who may have an allergy that you are claiming is absent in your product.

When you make a food label claim that pertains to the absence of a specific ingredient or allergen, it’s important to make sure you are not creating a false impression of other products on the market, aka False Uniqueness. For example, you cannot claim lactose free on a vegan product as this would be considered false uniqueness. This claim is not unique to the specific food product but is common to all vegan products. Another example is when a specific food product is not permitted by regulation to contain added substances, any claims made around the absence of such substances would be considered misleading. An example of this would be claiming no added colours on a bag of apples.

No apples on the market are allowed to contain added colours, and this claim is suggestive that other companies’ apples may contain added colour.

Words such as “pure, real, and 100%” should always be used with the upmost caution on a food label. It is wrong to claim that a food product composed of several ingredients is “pure” or “100%”, because the claim implies singularity and entirety. An example is claiming “pure fruit juice” on a label of an assorted cocktail of apple, pear, pineapple, and cranberry juice. Since this is a mixture and not a singular juice, to claim ‘pure’ on the entire product is not appropriate.

Continued on page 44

42

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Continued from page 42 – MARKETING

CLAIMS YOU CAN MAKE ON A FOOD LABEL

Continuing with the fruit cocktail example, it would be considered misleading if the label depicted images of the previously mentioned fruit, and oranges were also depicted in the image. If there are no oranges in the product, but they are shown in a photo with other fruits in the product, it must be made clear to the consumer that the product they are purchasing does not actually contain all the ingredients depicted in the image.

Organic claims on a product can only be made if the product is certified organic by a certification body, and the product’s organic content is 95%+. Multi ingredient products may claim ‘made with X% organic ingredients’, but cannot create the impression on the label that the entire product is organic or use the certification bodies organic logo.

Heart-shaped images or logos are generally not acceptable for use on food labels. The heart symbol on a food product such as a granola bar may create the impression to consumers that the granola bar will contribute to their heart health, or that it is superior to other granola bars. Valentine’s Day candies or chocolates are accepted to use hearts as a symbol of affection, because it is generally known that neither of these sugary sweets will contribute to a healthier heart.

anything on a food label quite literally. If it feels iffy to claim, it probably is.

Here is a list of examples of claims that are great on a food label: • Allergen free conditions (great for consumers to have allergen free food options) • New! conditions (show off your new, updated product) • Local claims conditions (makes consumers feel good about local products they are purchasing) • Excelled source of X conditions (make sure specified nutrient is included in the nutrition facts table (i.e., omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid)) • Made with real X conditions (given the ingredient is actually in the product) • No artificial sweeteners added conditions (given all the added sweeteners are natural and not artificial) • Health claims conditions

Always be cautious of what you are adding to a food label, as every element contributes to the overall impression of the food.

A good rule of thumb is to assume consumers will interpret

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45

Advertiser Index Abate Packers abatepackers.com AgSights agsights.com AKR Consulting akrconsulting.com Canada Beef canadabeef.ca

pg. 14 pg. 8 pg. 10 pg. 9

Food in Canada www.foodincanada.com

pg. 39

Handtmann handtmann.ca

pg. 47

Klever Equipment Inc. goklever.com

pg. 31

Malabar Super Spice Malabarsuperspice.com

pg. 5

Canada Compound canadacompound.com

pg. 35

Multivac Canada Inc ca.multivac.com

pg. 17

Carlisle Technology www.carlisletechnology.com

pg. 44

Pack3000 pack3000.com

pg. 25

CSB www.csb.com

pg. 21

Pemberton & Associates pemcom.com

pg. 32

Darling Ingredients (Rothsay) darlingii.ca

pg. 42

Poly-Clip Systems polyclip.com

Donnell Insurance donnellins.com

pg. 12

Reiser reiser.com

pg. 41

pg. 11, 33, 43

VC999 Vc999.com

pg. 2, 48

DPEC Food Solutions dpecfoodsolutions.ca Duropac Duropac.com

pg. 16

Erb Transport Erbgroup.com

pg. 6

FCC www.fcc.ca

pg. 7 45

Viscofan Viscofan.com

pg. 11

Whitehouse Meats leila.whitehousemeats@gmail.com

pg. 15

pg. 18, 19

Are you receiving MPO electronic communications?

Word on the BLOCK, our bi-weekly email delivered Monday morning, highlights the latest events and opportunities within the industry. Technical eBulletins are distributed as needed with information such as regulatory challenges and animal rights activist events.

This important industry information is often time sensitive. Please make sure your spam list includes news@meatpoultryon.ca, technical@meatpoultryon.ca and member@meatpoultryon.ca.

If there are other people within your company that should be receiving information contact Meghan at www.meatpoultryon.ca 46 BlockTalk - Fall 2022 (519) 763-4558 or member@meatpoultryon.ca to have them added to our lists.

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