Parasites in Imported Fresh Berries - April 1, 2017 to March 31, 2022

The survey was conducted to provide enhanced oversight of the safety of imported fresh berries sold at retail in Canada. Fresh berries are popular among Canadians^{Footnote 2} as they provide a healthy and convenient way to meet the Canada's food guide^{Footnote 3} recommendation to eat plenty of fruits and vegetables. Unfortunately, a wide variety of produce including berries have been associated with recalls^{Footnote 4} and foodborne illness outbreaks^{Footnote 5}, ^{Footnote 6}.

Fresh produce, including berries can be contaminated with parasites through contact with human and animal waste at any step in the food supply chain such as during production, harvest, post-harvest handling, packaging, distribution, and/or at retail. Unlike bacteria, parasites are unable to grow on foods, however they can remain viable for extended periods of time and may cause illness when ingested. Therefore the presence of parasites on fresh berries is of concern as they make up a significant part of the Canadian diet and are generally consumed raw.

The survey is ongoing, however the results reported herein are for samples collected over a 5-year period from April 1, 2017 to March 31, 2022.

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

• Halifax
• Moncton or Saint John
• Quebec City
• Montreal
• Toronto
• Ottawa
• Vancouver
• Victoria or Kelowna
• 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 1782 pre-packaged imported berries were collected. The scope of sampling included strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, and raspberries. Samples were collected throughout the year, however a higher proportion was sampled during the months of April to October to reflect the seasonality of foodborne parasitic infections in endemic countries^{Footnote 7},^{Footnote 8},^{Footnote 9}, imports into Canada, and reported cases of cyclosporiasis in Canada. A sample consisted of a single or multiple consumer sized packages of the same lot weighing at least 250g.

All 1782 samples were tested for C. cayetanensis. Of the 1782 samples, 1143 were also analysed for Cryptosporidum spp., and T. gondii.

Samples were analyzed using methods that detect the presence of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) of C. cayentanensis, Cryptosporidum spp., and T. gondii.

There are currently no Canadian standards regarding the presence of parasites in fresh produce. As the analytical methods used in this survey can only determine the presence or absence of parasite DNA, they cannot discriminate between living (infectious) and dead (non-infectious) parasites. Therefore, the detection of parasite DNA was assessed as "investigative" and required further consideration to determine appropriate follow-up actions.

Cryptosporidium spp. and T. gondii DNA were not found in any samples. C. cayentanensis DNA was found in 2 of the 1782 (0.1%) samples.

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

A previous Canadian^{Footnote 10} study on the microbial safety of retail fresh berries has shown results approximating those found in this study.

Overall, our survey results indicate that imported fresh berries sold in Canada are generally safe for consumption, however they can occasionally be contaminated. Consequently, as with all foods, and especially with those that are consumed raw, 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

While no illnesses were related to the investigative samples, these results triggered appropriate follow-up actions including a food safety investigation and recall^{Footnote 4}.

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