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A major audit is in the works after an investigation revealed that Canadian major grocery chains are selling canned past their shelf life—sometimes YEARS past their 'best before' dates.
“It was scary. Very frightening,” said 78-year-old Margaret Radomski, who felt ill after consuming a can of lobster pâté from Wal-Mart that turned out to be more than a year out of date. “So, then I thought, how did this get on the shelf? There is something wrong here.”
According to an article by the CBC, Radomski felt sick hours after eating the Clover Leaf pâté, which she claimed "smelled and tasted too fishy." Then came the shocker: she checked the can's 'best before' date, which was July 2011—a year and a half before she bought it.
Do you always check the date on canned goods before you buy them? Probably not, since most consumers trust that is the store's job to stock carefully and pull expired items from the shelves to protect its consumers.
“I feel insecure now," said Radomski, who turned down Wal-Mart's $50 compensation. "When I go to the store, I’ve got to study more of what I am buying.”
Of course Wal-Mart spokeswoman Felicia Fefer was quick to state regret over the incident and remind the public that it takes food safety seriously.
However, a little detective work by CBC-TV's Go Public found that 17 major grocery stores (most of which were found in Safeway locations) in the Vancouver area carried outdated cans of fish and seafood on their shelves, in some cases mixed in with new ones. Some were past shelf life by as many as five years. Ouch.
Strangely, manufacturers maintain that age has little to do with product safety when it comes to canned fish. Unless the can has been damaged, the contents aren't necessarily 'off.'
Frighteningly, selling out-of-date canned goods doesn't breach any government rules against selling outdated canned goods, or even any concrete proof that the contents can make you ill.
“There is not enough data, so it’s hard to judge,” said Siyun Wang, University of B.C. professor of food engineering. “It certainly is not good to have food past the best by date in terms of the quality.” Others claim BPA [Bisphenol A] can be present, particularly in imported canned fish.
Thanks to the Go Public inquiries, Safeway is conducting a national audit of its canned meat and fish inventory in Canadian stores. Have a story to share with Go Public? Spill it here.
Even if you're not an Anderson Cooper (or CNN, for that matter) fan, you'll want to stay tuned to his special broadcast about bullying this week.
According to a recent press release, “The Bully Effect: An Anderson Cooper Special” documents the experiences of "a bullied child, a grieving parent, a victim of violence, and a filmmaker turned activist."
"Bullying can have devastating consequences for children, parents and educators, and I’m very proud of our continuing work to focus attention on it,” said Cooper. “Families, schools, and organizations across the country are wrestling with how best to address the often complex issues surrounding bullying, and we want to do all we can to help them in those efforts,” he added.
The special is part of a growing attempt by broadcasters to address the epidemic plaguing both the U.S. and Canada. Filmmaker Lee Hirsch became a fly on school walls in the award-winning documentary “Bully” to draw political attention to the problem which has had a destructive ripple effect.
The Bully Effect revisits characters from the Bully documentary, to see how the experience has transformed their lives. From an anti-bullying rock star and a spokesperson for LGBT youth, these kids are on a mission to take a stand against bullying.
As part of The Bully Project, Hirsch is on a mission of his own: “We had this idea that if we can get a million kids to see the film, and their educators and their parents and the community, that would create an undeniable tipping point in our country."
Fascinating and important watching. Stay tuned! Feel free to join the campaign on Twitter with the #bullyeffect hashtag.
In partnership with the Cartoon Network and Stop Bullying: Speak Up, the special will premiere on Thursday, February 28th at 10pm ET, and re-air on Sunday, March 3rd at 8pm and on Saturday, March 9th at 8pm.
Health Canada has recalled the following toys distributed by Small World Toys:
The toys include removable gears and other small parts which can detach, causing a choking hazard to young children.
Health Canada has received one report of an incident in connection with this toy.
Customers are advised to immediately stop using the toy and dispose of it safely with household garbage.
From May 2012 to October 2012, a total of 384 the toys were sold in Canada.