Outbreak shows gap in food traceability: expert

TORONTO A Canadian expert in food distribution says he is surprised by how long it is taking for a recall to be issued after one death and dozens of illnesses in recent weeks have been linked to romaine lettuce contaminated with E. coli.

Sylvain Charlebois, a researcher in food distribution and policy at Dalhousie University, says these kinds of outbreaks are particularly dangerous during the holiday season, when people have busy schedules and generally do not watch what they eat.

Public health officials first warned of the E. coli outbreak early last week, saying 21 illnesses reported in three provinces were linked to romaine lettuce. Since then, one death and 40 illnesses have been reported in five provinces.

The Public Health Agency of Canada is now advising people in Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Newfoundland and Labrador to consider other types of lettuce until more is known about the outbreak and the cause of contamination.

Charlebois says the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) rarely issues mandatory recalls, adding most are done on a voluntary basis because companies want to maintain their reputations with consumers.

He says it’s unusual for an outbreak to last more than a week without a recall, suggesting better traceability systems for produce are needed to pinpoint the cause.

“E. coli in lettuce is quite fatal — you don’t cook lettuce, so the risks are significant,” he said.

Charlebois said there is a growing interest in so-called blockchain systems for grocers in which all distributors share data digitally. In a traditional supply chain system, it can take major retailers such as Walmart about a week to trace the origins of produce because it can change hands up to 10 times before it reaches the store, he said. With the blockchain system, he added, it can take seconds.