Bacterial Pathogens and Indicators in Raw Non-Soy Plant-based Meat Alternatives – April 1, 2020 to March 31, 2023

The survey was conducted to generate baseline information on the quality and safety of raw non-soy plant-based meat alternatives sold at retail in Canada. A similar survey was conducted from 2013 to 2014 and 2015 to 2016^Footnote 2 which included plant-based meat alternatives, however all of the samples were soy-based and ready-to-eat (RTE) while those tested in this survey were raw and derived from other plant-based sources such as peas, beans, grains, and vegetables.

The consumption of plant-based meat alternatives has a long history in many parts of Asia^Footnote 3. However, in recent years they have grown in popularity and a wide variety of products is now available on the Canadian retail marketplace^Footnote 4. Unfortunately, plant-based meat alternatives have been associated with recalls^{Footnote 5Footnote 6}, and foodborne illness outbreaks^{Footnote 7Footnote 8Footnote 9}.

Contamination with bacterial pathogens can occur at any step in the food supply chain such as during production, processing, packaging, distribution, at retail, and/or during preparation for consumption. Consequently, if pathogens are present, there is a potential for foodborne illness.

The survey was conducted over a 3-year period from April 1, 2020 to March 31, 2023.

Samples were collected from national retail chains and local/regional grocery stores located in the following 11 major cities across Canada:

• Halifax
• Moncton
• Quebec City
• Montreal
• Toronto
• Ottawa
• Vancouver
• Victoria
• Calgary
• Saskatoon
• Winnipeg

The planned number of samples to be collected from each city was based on the population of the province in which the city was located relative to the total population of Canada.

A total of 954 refrigerated raw plant-based meat alternative samples were collected. Soy-based products were excluded from this survey and sampling was focused on plant-based burgers, patties, and sausages. All products collected under this survey were labelled with cooking instructions. A sample consisted of a single or multiple consumer sized packages of the same lot weighing at least 250 g.

All samples were tested for E. coli O157, Salmonella spp. and generic E. coli. E. coli O157 and Salmonella spp. are pathogenic bacteria while generic E. coli is an indicator of the overall hygienic and sanitary conditions under which the samples have been produced, processed, stored, and transported.

Samples were analyzed using analytical methods published in Health Canada's Compendium of Analytical Methods for the Microbiological Analysis of Foods^Footnote 10 that were appropriate for the testing of plant-based meat alternatives.

The samples were assessed using criteria based on the principles of Health Canada's Health Products and Food Branch (HPFB) Standards and Guidelines for Microbiological Safety of Food – An Interpretive Summary^Footnote 11, Guidance document for E. coli O157:H7 and E. coli O157:NM in raw beef^Footnote 12, and the Food and Drugs Act^Footnote 13 (Section 4(1)).

No assessment guidelines had been established in Canada for the presence of E. coli O157, Salmonella spp., or indicator organisms in plant-based meat alternatives at the time of writing this report.

As E. coli O157 and Salmonella spp. are considered pathogenic to humans the presence of either was considered to be a violation of the Food and Drugs Act^Footnote 13 Section 4(1) and assessed as unsatisfactory.

Unlike bacterial pathogens, most strains of generic E. coli are harmless. Generic E. coli is considered to be an indicator organism as their levels present in a food product are used to assess the overall sanitation conditions throughout the food chain from production to the point of sale. Their presence at some levels is tolerated, however elevated levels were assessed as investigative, possibly resulting in further follow-up actions.

Almost all (99.7%) of the samples tested were found to be satisfactory. E. coli O157 and Salmonella spp. were not found in any of the samples. Generic E. coli at elevated levels (> 10² CFU/g) were found in 3 of the 954 (0.3%) samples.

Survey results are also presented by product type (table 3), production practice (table 4), origin (table 5), and main ingredient (table 6).

No previously published studies on the microbiological quality or safety of raw non-soy plant-based meat alternatives were found at the time of writing this report. During the same time period, another targeted survey^Footnote 14 was conducted on the microbiological quality and safety of ready-to-eat (RTE) non-soy plant-based meat alternatives. In both studies, no pathogens were detected in any of the samples, while generic E. coli at levels > 10² CFU/g were detected in 0.3% (3 of 954) of the raw samples and none (0 of 1026) of the RTE samples.

Overall, our survey results indicate that raw plant-based meat alternatives sold in Canada are generally safe for consumption. However, as with all foods, good hygienic practices are recommended for producers, retailers and consumers.

All results are used to:

• inform risk management decisions
• support program design and re-design

The investigative samples triggered appropriate follow-up activities which may have included:

• on-site visit of the manufacturer
• review of manufacturer production and sanitation practices
• review of records and inspection of equipment and establishment conditions

Yes. The data will be accessible on the Open Government Portal.