Food for Thought

Canada’s food supply is safe, wholesome and of high quality. In Manitoba, a dedicated team of producers, inspectors and processors work hard every day to make sure that the food you purchase is of the highest quality. You also have a role to play in making sure the food you bring home to your family is stored, prepared and served safely.

Growing Goodness

Manitoba farmers follow strict codes of practice when producing our food.

On-farm food safety programs help to ensure dairy, eggs, honey, meat and poultry products are safe and of the highest quality.

Our grower associations for fruits and vegetables follow strict codes of practice that monitor water quality, manure management, worker hygiene and pesticide use.

Farmers use pesticides to control diseases, insects and weeds in crops. All pesticides must be approved by the Pest Management Regulatory Agency before they are registered for use.

Processing Quality

After it leaves the farm, the food raised and grown in Manitoba is processed in federally and provincially inspected facilities. There, it is graded, processed and labelled according to Canada’s food and drug regulations. The following organizations are just a few of the regulatory bodies that monitor the quality of food sold in Manitoba:

• The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) tests domestic and imported foods for chemical, microbial and physical hazards

• The Canadian Grain Commission monitors grains for pesticide residues, mycotoxins and trace elements to ensure safety standards for domestic and international consumption

• Manitoba Conservation inspects meat and other food processing plants, food service outlets, restaurants and catering facilities

• Manitoba Health investigates food-borne illness outbreaks

• Manitoba Agriculture, Food and Rural Initiatives inspects dairy farms and dairy processing facilities. Every truckload of milk is tested to ensure safety and quality

 Food Safety for Your Family

In every situation where food is grown, produced and processed, you are protected by strict government regulations, except one – your kitchen. Avoiding food-borne illnesses is your responsibility. Health Canada estimates that there are 2.2 million cases of food-borne illnesses every year. Food-borne illnesses are caused by eating food that contains large numbers of harmful bacteria.

Here are things you can do to prevent food-borne illnesses:

• Always buy pasteurized milk and government inspected meat and poultry.

• Buy graded eggs with clean, uncracked shells.
  Keep hot foods hot and cold foods cold. Chill leftovers as soon as possible. Put hot food in the refrigerator to cool.

• Wash your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds both before and after you prepare food.

• Cook ground beef to a temperature of at least 71°C (160°F). Roast poultry at an oven temperature of at least 150°C (325°F).

• Rinse all fruits and vegetables thoroughly before cooking or eating.
   

Three Popular Presentations

How Do We Know Our Food is Safe? This presentation reviews food safety issues from the farm to your table. They’ll show you the on-farm safety practices used by producers as well as how food is inspected and monitored to ensure that a safe product reaches your kitchen.

The Food Safety Connection Workshop and Online Course. Designed especially for catering groups and people who prepare food for community events, this seminar offers several important tips on preparing food safely.

The Food Safety Jeopardy Game. Perfect for players aged ten and up, this is a fun, interactive game modelled after the famous TV game show. Players test their knowledge of food safety through a series of entertaining skill-testing questions.