Can consumers be confident in the safety of Canadian beef if additional BSE cases are found?
Canadian beef is safe to eat. The most important step taken to protect human health from BSE is the removal of specified risk materials (SRM) – from all cattle at slaughter. When cattle are prepared for food, the parts of the cow most likely to contain BSE are removed and do not go into our food. This removes almost all of the risk (over 99%) that could be present if an animal has BSE. For more information on SRM, visit the safeguards section. Research also shows that BSE is not transmitted through muscle meat, like roasts and steaks. Muscle meat is considered safe by Health Canada and international health agencies such as the World Health Organization. A further food safety step is the inspection of cattle at all federally inspected facilities.
Related Questions
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