UPDATE 1-Canadian PM vows probe of food poisoning outbreak

Wed Sep 3, 2008 3:51pm EDT

Source of Article: http://www.reuters.com/article/marketsNews/idUSN0328862520080903

VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Sept 3 (Reuters) - The Canadian government will launch an independent probe into the outbreak of listeriosis food poisoning linked to tainted meat, Prime Minister Stephen Harper said on Wednesday.

Harper told an audience in Windsor, Ontario, that he was "troubled" by the outbreak, both as the leader of the country that had made substantial investments in food inspection and as a father whose family ate processed meat at home.

The outbreak has been linked to more than a dozen confirmed or suspected deaths, and involved deli-style products from Maple Leaf Foods (MFI.TO: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz), Canada's largest meat processor.

Harper, who is widely expected to call an election in the next few days, said he would set up the investigation once the outbreak is over so the federal government can "get to the bottom" of what happened.

He said he recognized the company had accepted responsibility for the outbreak, but an independent investigation was still needed to determine what went wrong.

Some critics of Canada's food inspection system, including the inspectors' union, complain it is too understaffed and overly reliant on industry data.

Last week the prime minister defended the government's moves to have the industry play a larger role in inspecting food, calling the safety of the country's food supply a shared responsibility.

Maple Leaf has voluntarily pulled from the market more than 200 products made at the affected plant in Toronto, in one of the biggest food recalls ever in Canada. (Reporting Allan Dowd, editing by Rob Wilson)

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