Toronto - Canadian food inspectors with a concern for mad-cow disease have begun targeting some British meat import products, prompting British authorities and well-known retailers on Friday to come to bat for the culinary mainstays.
On Thursday, officials from the Canadian Food Inspection Agency raided two Calgary specialty food shops and seized dozens of non-perishable foods imported from Britain illegally. The inspectors stumbled on these products while making routine checks on the stores.
This prompted the agency to issue a recall of meat products including chicken, pork and beef imported illegally from Britain.
These products included such British dietary mainstays as Bovril, Fray Bentos Steak & Kidney Pies, baked beans and pork sausage, and mulligatawny soup.
The items were found in two Calgary-area British specialty stores, but officials said other stores in Nova Scotia, British Columbia and Ontario could be targeted as well.
A food inspection spokesman said the move was made because they were unsure that the meat cleared all import requirements. British meat products have not been allowed into Canada for more than three years.
"We're not saying that the food is unsafe. We're just saying that we do not have any indication that the food has met Canadian requirements," said Don Hepburn, a program manager at the government's agri- foods products division in Calgary.
"The reason we're recalling it is because we're not aware of the specifications of how the food was prepared and all meat coming into the country has to be certified," he said.
This latest move has prompted British officials, including the British Consulate and well-known British specialty shops to come to the defense of the British staples.
"British food standards are always high. I understand the concerns. They have been expressed in Europe, but British food products generally are recognized around the world of very high standard," David Littlefield, British deputy consule general in Toronto, said.
Littlefield scoffed at earlier published comments that the agency's action was being interpreted by some as an insult to Britain and a slap in the face for the British monarchy.
"I'm sure the Canadian authorities will be playing this strictly by the book," the high offical said. "I can't believe that they would be trying to insult their own queen. I have not encountered any anti-British sentiment in Canada frankly. I can't believe that that would motivate the Canadian authorities. They're much too responsible and efficient."
And well-known British retailer Marks & Spencer Canada jumped into damage control mode as well, reassuring customers that their products were safe.
"We're just reassuring everybody that quality, value and safety are the hallmarks of our food business," David Stewart, president, Marks & Spencer Canada, told Reuters.
Stewart stressed that all of the chain's meat products were produced in Canada using Canadian grade A beef.
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