President’s Message

You all have distinctive environments with different levels of risk related to your processing activity. Whether it is primary and or secondary production, red or white meat, retail fresh meats or secondary processing of cooked and smoked meat products, or higher risk fermented and dry cured meats and sausages, you all share one common denominator. You have employees that you trust to do all the right things daily. Food safety needs to be a culture in your business, and a commitment to ongoing training of your people will promote this culture.

Training

Regular and repetitive training on the importance of hand washing, wearing gloves, wearing sanitary apparel, footwear, movement within the faciilty, and unacceptable habits while engaged in handling ready to eat products are good areas to have regular training activities. Encourage your people to refer to meat plant guideline Part 7, “Personnel at Meat Plants”, so that they understand why these things are so important.

Repeat

Make it interesting and schedule training intervals monthly and try to go offsite once per year if you can. This will boost employee morale and make them feel important. If you are a provincially licensed abattoir and have selected the carcass microbial control intervention you will use, take time to review the most common methods used with your staff, and explain what the main pathogenic organisms are that you’re targeting and why.

Reinforce

Introduce a “Food Safety Corner’ at strategic locations within your facilities. Post easy to understand information that focus on food safety best practices required while in the plant. Update this twice per month and stay with it.

Monitor

Assessing your group’s knowledge and commitment to your food safety system is critical and should be something you include in annual reviews. Your employees should audit themselves to set a good example for others.

Record

Additional record keeping is important. Keep a record of good and unacceptable behavior for future rewarding and corrective actions required. This will be my final President’s Message, as my wife and I have decided we will be retiring. Farwell for now, and I am sure we will all cross paths again soon. Graham Dalziel, President

2022 started with a renewed focus on Food Safety. Thanks to OMAFRA funding, MPO staff began work on a project that encourages a proactive and modernized approach to regulations, food safety programs, as well as provides education and best practices to improve the culture and outcomes of food safety. This work includes food safety and traceability gap assessments of meat plants, communications focused on food safety through various channels including print, digital and social media, and a community of practice with food safety leaders. This issue of Block Talk continues to reinforce the theme of Food Safety. In this dedicated issue, you will find engaging and informative articles, contributed by experts in food safety focusing on subjects such as Funding, Sanitary Design, The Importance of Ongoing Food Safety Training, and Abattoir to Customer Traceability. We encourage you to take the time to read through this edition. Continuing the theme of Food Safety, we invite you to come out to the Meat Industry Expo at the Niagara Convention Centre on October 14 and 15 where we will feature food safety experts and businesses as well as over 70 exhibitors showcasing the latest and greatest innovations, technologies, equipment, and service solutions for your processing, wholesale, and retail operations. We look forward to seeing you there!

VISION A sustainable, respectful and diverse food system that celebrates the nutritional and economic value of meat and poultry. MISSION We strengthen the meat and poultry industry in Ontario by connecting people, influencing change and empowering our members. MPO LIFETIME MEMBERS

• Richard Halenda (2021) • Doris Valade (2019) • Laurie Nicol (2018) • Joe Abate (2017) • Brian Quinn (2016) • Graham Dalziel (2015) • Tony Facciolo (2011) • Pat Johnson (2005) • Gerry Houtzager (2003) • Leo Rocheleau (2001) • Jim Vidoczy (2000) • Nancy Ackert (1997) • Dr. Ron Usborne (1996) • Ron Deeth (1995)

MPO LONG TIME MEMBERS Thank you to our long time members who have been helping move the industry forward for over 25 years.

• Abate Packers (1979) • Canadian Butcher Supply (1979) • Domingos Meat Packers (1979) • Sargent Farms (1979) • Townsend Meats (1979) • Ontario Pork, Guelph (1980) • Gord’s Abattoir, Leamington (1982) • L’Orignal Packing, L’Orignal (1986) • MMIS/MONDO, Aurora (1986) • Nitta Casings, Markham (1986) • Walnut Hill Farms, Gads

Hill (1986) • VG Meats, Simcoe (1987) • Rothsay, Dundas (1988) • Stemmler Meat & Cheese, Heidelberg (1988) • Chicken Farmers of Ontario, Burlington (1989) • Jetnet Norstar, Toronto (1989) • Schinkels’ Gourmet Meats, Chatham (1989) • Springer’s Meats,

Hamilton (1989) • Barron Poultry, Amherstburg (1991) • Brenner Packers, Windsor (1991) • Norwich Packers, Norwich (1991) • Weston Abattoir, Maidstone (1991) • Handtmann Canada, Waterloo (1992) • Hay’s Custom Cutting, Campbellford (1992) • Hoffman Meats & European Deli, Stayner (1992) • Newmarket Meat Packers, Newmarket (1992) • WIBERG Corporation, Oakville (1992) • Schinkel’s Legacy, Chatam (1993) • Windcrest Meat Packers, Port Perry (1994) • Malabar Super Spice, Burlington (1994) • R. Denninger Ltd.,

Hamilton (1995)

MEAT INDUSTRY ACHIEVEMENT (MIA) AWARD RECIPIENTS

• King Cole Duck (2021) • Hayter’s Farm, Dashwood (2016) • Schinkel’s Legacy, Chatham (2014) • Conestoga Meat Packers, Breslau (2013) • In Memory of Dave Tiller (2012) • Halenda’s Fine Foods,

Oshawa (2011) • Springer’s Meats,

Hamilton (2010) • VG Meats, Simcoe (2009) • Stemmler’s Meat & Cheese, Heidelberg (2008) • Leo Rocheleau, Maidstone (2007)

ASSOCIATE MEMBER RECOGNITION AWARD (AMRA) RECIPIENTS

• Viscofan (2021) • Multivac Canada Inc., Brampton (2020) • Reiser Canada, Burlington (2019) • VC999, Saint-Germainde-Grantham (2018) • Handtmann Canada, Waterloo (2017) • Malabar Super Spice, Burlington (2016)