Can Canada Put Bite Into Foreign Food Inspections?

"Every day, a rising tide of foreign food makes its way onto Canadian grocery shelves, the vast majority of it entering this country untouched by federal inspectors.

Last year, the import count included more than 33 million litres of apple juice from China; 11.8 million kilograms of pickles and relish from India and 4.9 million kilograms of cashews from Vietnam.

All are part of the two-decade-long surge that has made imported food – often from developing countries -- a significant component of the Canadian diet. All of it is grown or processed far beyond the reach of Canada’s food inspection system, which – contrary to what consumers might expect -- is still struggling to catch up to the reality of a global food market."

Steven Chase reports for the Toronto Globe and Mail November 19, 2010.