XL Foods Beef Plant Approved to Partially Reopen

Oct 11, 2012

Canadian Food Inspection Agency Allows Brooks Plant to Partially Reopen

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has granted XL Foods Inc. plant to reopen the beef processing plant. The plant will only resume with partial operations and CFIA has laid out strict conditions as to which the company is allowed to operate. The CFIA has said that all corrective measures have been fixed such as cleaning and sanitization, drainage issues and freezer problems have all been addressed. The company is only allowed to process beef carcasses that are already in the plant and have tested negative for E. coli contamination. With this announcement also came an expanded beef recall for two products - one sold in New Brunswick and the other in Quebec – Janet’s Jerky’s and corned beef. There have been no reported illnesses associated to the most recent product recalls.

Video: Finding a Balance of Innovation and Regulation - Dr. Peter Facchini

Regulations help markets and industry exist on level playing fields, keeping consumers safe and innovation from going too far. However, incredibly strict regulations can stunt innovation and cause entire industries to wither away. Dr. Peter James Facchini brings his perspective on how existing regulations have slowed the advancement of medical developments within Canada. Given the international concern of opium poppy’s illicit potential, Health Canada must abide by this global policy. But with modern technology pushing the development of many pharmaceuticals to being grown via fermentation, is it time to reconsider the rules?

Dr. Peter James Facchini leads research into the metabolic biochemistry in opium poppy at the University of Calgary. For more than 30 years, his work has contributed to the increased availability of benzylisoquinoline alkaloid biosynthetic genes to assist in the creation of morphine for pharmaceutical use. Dr. Facchini completed his B.Sc. and Ph.D. in Biological Sciences at the University of Toronto before completing Postdoctoral Fellowships in Biochemistry at the University of Kentucky in 1992 & Université de Montréal in 1995.