Federal health minister ‘disappointed’ food labelling on tenderized meat not being passed to consumer

CALGARY – Federal Health Minister Rona Ambrose says she’s disappointed that more progress isn’t being made in labelling meats to protect consumers.

Earlier this year the federal government announced that the Canadian Food Inspection Agency would be imposing tougher rules to deal with the threat of E. coli in slaughterhouses.

One rule requires plants that produce mechanically tenderized beef cuts, such as steaks or roasts, to label them as such and include cooking instructions so people know they must cook the meat beyond rare in the middle.

Ambrose says that isn’t happening yet but the government is working on regulations to make it mandatory to have labels on cuts in stores.

She says Canadians, especially those with young children, want more information on their labels, not less.

Ambrose couldn’t say when the mandatory regulations would be in place.