CALGARY – Premier Danielle Smith, alongside Minister of Health Adriana LaGrange and Minister of Jobs, Economy, and Trade Matt Jones, presented the final report from the Food Safety and Licensed Facility-Based Child Care Review Panel. This review was prompted by last fall’s severe E. coli outbreak in Calgary, which affected 17 licensed child care facilities and resulted in over 400 individuals, primarily children, falling ill.
The E. coli outbreak, deemed the most severe in Alberta’s history, saw 39 individuals hospitalized, with many still requiring long-term health support. Thankfully, there were no fatalities. However, the incident significantly impacted the affected children and their families, raising concerns about the safety and reliability of food handling practices in licensed child care facilities.
After seven months of deliberation, the review panel produced a report with 12 primary recommendations and 27 sub-recommendations aimed at strengthening food safety in Alberta’s licensed child care facilities. The recommendations focus on three main themes:
Promoting a Culture of Food Safety: Emphasizing the need for comprehensive food safety education for all individuals involved in food handling. This includes implementing standardized food safety courses similar to the “ProServe” program for alcohol servers.
Legislation and Inspection Improvements: Proposing amendments to existing laws and regulations to ensure stricter compliance and accountability. This includes increasing the frequency of public health inspections and improving response times for facilities with food safety concerns.
System Alignment and Integration: Recommending the establishment of a major investigations protocol with consequences for operators with repeat violations. This also involves better integration between different departments, ensuring cohesive and effective management of food safety issues.
The Alberta government has pledged to act on the recommendations immediately. Steps include raising awareness about reporting mechanisms for parents and staff, enabling anonymous reporting of food safety concerns, and requiring licensed child care providers to display their latest public health inspection reports prominently.
Minister LaGrange emphasized the importance of these measures, stating, “We are committed to protecting the health and well-being of children in our licensed child care facilities. These recommendations provide a clear roadmap for improving food safety standards and restoring trust in our system.”
While some recommendations can be implemented swiftly, others will require more extensive changes to laws and regulations and further consultation with stakeholders. Premier Smith highlighted the importance of thoughtful implementation, acknowledging that some recommendations might impact the broader food service industry.