Blood drops near spaghetti sauce: meat-inspection system flawed, audit finds

The province's auditor general has issued a scathing report on meat inspections that could prompt New Brunswickers to think twice about what they eat at farmers markets. Community suppers are exempt from inspections.

Kim MacPherson said there are "numerous deficiencies" in how the province inspects food premises, a category that includes restaurants, hotel breakfast bars, convenience stores, markets and community suppers.

"In certain circumstances, the public could be at heightened risk of food poisoning," she said in her report, which she presented to MLAs at a committee session Tuesday morning.

Convenience stores, farmers markets, community suppers and continental breakfasts in hotels are among the premises that were not licensed and not inspected at all when MacPherson did her audit.

• ALC slammed over perks, lavish spending in report by auditors general
• Growing nursing home costs can't be sustained, AG reports
• Turkey bacteria deemed cause of fatal Nackawic Christmas supper

The Department of Healthsays that earlier this year it started licensing "public markets and temporary events."

In 2014, public health officials confirmed that an 87-year-old woman died, and 30 other people had gastrointestinal illnesses, after eating bacteria-contaminated turkey at a community supper in Nackawic.

The previous Progressive Conservative government had considered imposing licensing and inspection rules on non-profit community suppers, but backed off after being told the requirements would be "too demanding" for organizers.

But even food premises that are subject to the rules, such as restaurants, can routinely get away with violations because of flaws in the system,MacPhersonsaid.

Suspicious monitoring

She said "in most cases," inspections were not completed and documented according to departmental policy.

In one case, a food premises employee filled in boxes on a temperature-monitoring log showing 30 days of monitoring in the month of February, which has only 28 days. But inspectors didn't catch the obvious problem, she said.

Food safety penalties

8 years ago

Duration 0:46

New Brunswick Auditor General Kim MacPherson expresses concern about low penalties and fines for operators who don't pass food inspection tests.

New restaurants are supposed to get a follow-up inspection after they're licensed. But the audit found that only one of 21 files it examined for newly licensed restaurants had complied with the requirements.

Only five of the 21 restaurants got a follow-up inspection.

Raw meat near veggies

Her report also includes photos taken by her staff illustrating violations,including one of blood dripping from hanging carcasses in a walk-in refrigerator near ready-to-eat meat and jars of spaghetti sauce.

Another photo shows raw meat stored on a shelf directly above raw vegetables, a contamination risk.

Penalties aren't enough to deter violators, the auditor-general said. She pointed to one restaurant owner who pleaded guilty to a violation and was fined only $240.

MacPherson said penalties should be more severe, including higher fines, escalating licence fees for violators, and the public posting of violations in restaurant windows.

In a response included in MacPherson's report, the Health Department said it will "explore the feasibility" of tougher penalties.

Agreement on most points

For most of MacPherson's recommendations, the department said it will implement her ideas or is already doing so.

MacPherson said she and her staff were surprised to learn meat from within New Brunswick is not inspected at all.

While most meat in the province comes from outside New Brunswick and is subject to federal inspections in abattoirs, MacPherson said about three per cent of meat consumed here is from within the province and isn't subject to inspections.

The department said in its response that it considered a meat inspection program but it found the public health risk was "very low."

It said it will "conduct another assessment to ensure it is still valid."

Community suppers

8 years ago

Duration 0:37

New Brunswick Auditor General Kim MacPherson is concerned that community suppers remain unregulated in the province.