The study financed from the Federal budget, showed that 20 percent of the sausages taken from grocery stores across Canada, contained meat that was not on the label.
A study published this week in the journal Food Control, was carried out by researchers from the University of Guelph and the Canadian Agency of inspection of food products.
Examination of 100 sausages
He researched 100 sausages that were marked as containing only one ingredient – beef, pork, chicken or Turkey.
“Approximately one of every five of the sausages that we tested contained ingredients which say that it is alarming,” said Robert Hanner, lead author of the study and associate professor at the biodiversity Institute of Ontario, University of Guelph.
The CFIA came to Hanner for the study after the scandal of the european horse meat in 2013, where it was found that food labelled as beef had horse meat – in some cases the beef was completely replaced by horse meat.
Aim of the study
The aim of the study, said the regulatory federal food, was to examine the scientific methods used by Hanner to see if the CFIA could use in their regulatory practices. The scientific tools showed promising results, said the CFIA.
Seven of the 27 beef sausages examined in the study contained pork. One of 38 alleged pure pork sausages contained horse meat. 20 chicken sausages, four also contained a Turkey and beef. Five of the 15 Indian sausages contained no Turkey at all – they were totally chicken.
None of the investigated sausages did not contain more than one kind of meat in addition to meat, which was supposed to contain sausage, Hanner said, noting, however, that researchers have tested only the Turkey, chicken, pork, beef and horse.
“The good news is that usually sausage of beef contains beef, but some of them also contain pork, so for our kosher and Halal consumer is a little confusing,” said Hanner.
The unknown meat was detected at the level of traces, said Hanner.
“The levels that we see, however, that the blade of the chopper is not quite clear”, – he said, adding that many undeclared ingredients found in sausages, was recorded in range from one to five percent.
Breakdown in food processing
More than one percent of undeclared ingredients indicates the disorder in food processing or intentional fraud of food, explained Hanner.
CFIA said on Thursday that he was not surprised by the results of the study.
“We know from international intelligence that this is happening, and we are immune to these things,” said Aline Dimitri, Executive Director of the science of food safety with the CFIA. “Fortunately, when we looked at prevalence based on this small set, which we were in much better shape than other countries.”
Figure 20-percentage incorrect assessment of low compared to Europe, where studies have shown that 70 percent of samples contain ingredients that have not been announced.
CFIA examined 20 cases incorrectly applied the sausages and in the case of the chicken, labeled as Turkey. He was able to find the problem with the “tracking program” producer – reports of meat and the production was not properly saved, Demetri said.
According to her, this problem has been fixed, but the CFIA continues to monitor the company. Horse meat found in a sausage, could not be investigated because the company voluntarily ceased operations.
However, Dimitri warned that the study has limitations.
“This is a very small study and focused on research and are not intended to really be based on what is happening there,” she said, adding that the scientific tools used by Hanner, showed promising results.
“(The tools) can do to correctly differentiate between different types of meat, it might give us an idea of what is out there,” said Dimitri.
She said that CFIA is now considering a wider research on this issue.
Source: ctvnews.ca
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