Inspect and Protect
By Canadian Food Inspection Agency
Every episode, co-hosts Greg Rogers and Michelle Strong explore stories about food safety, animal health and plant protection. Listen in as they connect with the people at the heart of these issues.
Inspect and ProtectSep 20, 2023
The food safety puzzle: piecing together an outbreak investigation
Behind every outbreak of food poisoning, a team of detectives works around the clock to pinpoint the source. This podcast episode, 4 experts from the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, Health Canada and the Public Health Agency of Canada, explain how they connect the dots to save lives.
Subscribe to food recalls and alerts: https://recalls-rappels.canada.ca/en
Understanding the dates on our food
You've finally gathered the courage to clean up your fridge or pantry, but how do you know what to keep or chuck? In this podcast, labelling expert Laura Reid helps us understand the different dates on our foods.
We also hear from Sophie Langlois-Blouin, Vice-President of RECYC Québec, about food waste in Canada.
Are crickets the new tofu?
Crickets have attracted global interest for their sustainable farming potential. And yet, so few of us have hopped on to this protein trend. In this podcast, we explore the edible insect landscape in Canada with food trend expert Dana McCauley.
You asked, we answer
Earlier this year, we asked for your questions. This podcast, we answer them! We reached out to experts across the country to get answers about travelling with food, alcohol labelling, pet food, chicken hatcheries, allergen recalls and much more.
Feeling the sting: the impact of honey fraud on beekeepers
There’s a sticky situation out there. In this podcast, we discuss honey adulteration with Jake Berg, a Saskatchewanian beekeeper, and Carmen Leung, a policy and program leader at the CFIA.
This episode is a collaboration on adulterated honey with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s podcast, The First Sixteen. Bee sure to catch their episode as well:
https://agriculture.agr.gc.ca/en/agri-info/first-sixteen-podcast/first-sixteen-podcast-ep-021
Canada’s Christmas tree industry is booming – fir real!
Famous for their fragrant aroma, Canada’s Christmas trees are sold in the millions across the world. In this episode, we branch out into this booming industry through the lens of a veteran CFIA tree inspector in Nova Scotia. Malcom Pelley explains the care that farmers across the country put into growing, selling and exporting these soon-to-be festively illuminated trees.
Working with the world’s deadliest diseases
Brilliant minds studying the world’s most dangerous pathogens may seem like science fiction, but the scientists who protect us from bio-threats are very real. In this episode, we learn about a network that connects laboratories across the world to study deadly viruses like COVID-19, Ebola and Anthrax. What is it like to be one of these scientists, working in Canada’s highest containment laboratory?
Learn more about our guests:
Dr. Primal Silva, Chief Science Operating Officer and Science Integrity Lead, CFIA
https://inspection.canada.ca/about-cfia/organizational-structure/chief-science-operating-officer-and-science-integr/eng/1636562227924/1636562228283
Dr. Brad Pickering, Special Pathogens Unit Head, Winnipeg Laboratory, CFIA
https://profils-profiles.science.gc.ca/en/profile/brad-s-pickering-phd
Dr. Debbie Eagles, Deputy Director, Australian Centre for Disease Preparedness
https://pheedloop.com/bsl4znet2021/site/speakers/?event=bsl4znet2021§ion=97078&id=SPEGHWKVDNA
Bug fight: the emerald ash borer vs. parasitic wasps
“It's a tiny wasp, you know, the tip of a pin size. And it comes along, finds an emerald ash borer egg and lays its egg inside that egg. And then it hatches and emerges as a wasp. What we say is, if you've ever seen the movie Alien, where the thing comes bursting out of the dude's chest…that's how parasitoids work.”
― Chris MacQuarrie, Research scientist for the Canadian Forest Service at Natural Resources Canada
Since its arrival in North America in 2002, the emerald ash borer has killed millions of ash trees, with billions more at risk. To mitigate the damage, Canadian scientists have released 100,000 parasitic wasps into the wild. In this two-part series with Natural Resources Canada, we dive into the fascinating science of biological control agents: bugs fighting bugs.
Simply Science podcast (Natural Resources Canada): Who can take on the spruce budworm?
https://nrcan.canada.ca/simply-science/who-can-take-on-the-spruce-budworm/23893
How Canada is keeping its pigs safe: African swine fever
African swine fever, a deadly disease that impacts only pigs, is spreading rapidly across the globe. Luckily, it has never been detected in Canada. In this episode, we hear about the unprecedented efforts being made to prevent this fatal animal disease from entering the country and to protect our $24 billion pork industry.
I found a bug in my food!
Ever find something unexpected in your food... like bugs, plastic or glass? Listen to our conversation with food safety specialist Fred Jamieson as he shares his strangest finds, how these issues happen, and why it's important to report your concerns.
Community science: more than a hobby
You don’t consider yourself a scientist? Think again. We all have a role to play in protecting the plants and trees in our gardens, parks and neighbourhoods. We spoke with Dr. Pierre Bilodeau about why it’s important to report unusual sightings to the CFIA, and how apps can help you make discoveries in your own backyard.