Consider where you get your food. When you buy an apple from a grocery store, first you run it under water before taking a bite. At a restaurant, a chef cooks chicken to the perfect temperature before serving it to guests. Whether it comes from the grocery store down the block or is served at a fancy restaurant, we take these steps to make sure our food is safe.
But as consumers, we only see the last stage of the food value chain. Our food has already been through value adding processes—starting from producers, to processors, and finally to distributors. Along the way, it goes through numerous checks and balances to ensure that it is safe for consumption.
This is where the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) comes into play. Before our food even hits our plates, they are present at every stage of the food value chain to safeguard our food.
As an operations specialist, Kathleen MacDonald supports CFIA feed inspectors by helping them navigate through the intricacies of various programs, policies, and regulations that specialize in livestock feed.
“Our food's food is very important as well,” says MacDonald.