Canadian meat and poultry exports will no longer be subject to increased U.S. testing after audits of the country's meat system showed it was safe, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) said in a letter to Canadian officials. USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) earlier this month began double testing Canadian meat in an effort to detect E. coli, salmonella, and listeria. The extra tests came after an outbreak of E. coli in several U.S. states was traced to beef from a Canadian company. FSIS assistant administrator William James said that increased testing of Canadian meat and poultry did not reveal any problems with the products. “The information from the audits and the increased testing have led us to make the decision to return to normal levels of product examinations and testing,” he said. The announcement to end increased testing of Canadian meat and poultry came a week after the United States eased restrictions on imports of Canadian cattle and beef that were established when Canada discovered its first case of mad-cow disease in May 2003.
