UPDATED: Alberta to comply with report from food safety review team after E. coli outbreak at Calgary daycares

The Alberta government said it will be acting on recommendations from a report about food safety in licenced childcare facilities after the E. coli outbreak in various Calgary daycares. Last fall, several licensed childcare facilities in Calgary were the sites of the largest E. coli outbreak in Alberta’s history. In response, the Alberta government established the Food Safety and Licensed Facility-Based Child Care Review Panel to conduct a review of the circumstances surrounding the E. coli outbreak and recommend ways to prevent it from happening again. “Last year’s E. coli outbreak had a devastating impact on families, and we are committed to making sure an event like that never happens in our province again,” said Alberta Premier Danielle Smith in a Monday press release. “The review panel we set in place has done important work to review the overall outbreak situation to provide recommendations to prevent a similar outbreak from happening.” Smith said it is the Alberta government’s intention “to act on every recommendation we can to protect children’s safety and to restore trust in the system.”The panel’s review resulted in a final report that includes 12 primary recommendations and 17 subrecommendations. These recommendations revolve around three main themes — fostering a culture of food safety supporting high-quality, safe, and healthy learning environments for children; public policy, legislation, and inspection systems for food safety; and system alignment and integration. The Alberta government said the panel believes these recommendations are instrumental for developing a food safety system that is trustworthy, accountable, and focused on families and their children.In response, it said has accepted the panel’s report and will begin working to address recommendations, including establishing clear expectations and a framework for public health inspections. For example, work has started on increasing the frequency of inspections at childcare and food distribution facilities and improving response times in them when food safety concerns have been raised.“By leveraging the review panel’s expertise and collaborating with affected families and stakeholders, we have started laying the groundwork for new food safety standards in licensed childcare facilities,” said Alberta Health Minister Adriana LaGrange. “This work will help restore public confidence in Alberta's childcare system and provide parents with the reassurance that their children are in safe hands.”The Alberta government went on to say planning is underway to address recommendations requiring all licenced childcare providers post their most recent public health inspection reports for parents to review. It said this will help ensure parents understand how to report concerns about food safety at their childcare facilities.While there are recommendations that can be implemented right away, others will be phased in over time, including potential changes to legislation. Some recommendations will require further analysis and more engagement with families, childcare facilities, licensed food establishments, and the food services industry. Food Safety and Licensed Facility-Based Child Care Review Panel Chair Rick Hanson thanked the panel members for their commitment to completing the report. “Their diverse backgrounds ensured a comprehensive review, leading to meaningful recommendations,” said Hanson. “I am confident these recommendations reflect the lessons learned and provide a path forward for improved food safety.”During the E. coli outbreak, Alberta Health Services (AHS) began an investigation aimed at guiding immediate control measures, preventing additional cases and determining the source of the outbreak. Once the outbreak ended, AHS continued with the investigation into the source.After several months of data collection and engagement with affected parents, daycare operators and central kitchen staff, one meal originating from the infection site came out with high odds as being the source. A beef meatloaf served at lunch in August was the probable food item containing the E. coli for people who ate from the regular menu. For those who ate from the special menu, the probable contamination source was most likely served during lunch on the same day. However, the exact source could not be determined due to the absence of leftover food samples for testing.The findings in AHS’ Outbreak Investigation Report have been reviewed by Alberta Health and the Public Health Agency of Canada. Smith followed up by saying AHS should focus on hospital services and did a tremendous job when the E. coli cases started showing up in hospitals. “The fact that there were no deaths, 39 hospitalized, constant testing that was done, and the ongoing care they’re going to give — Absolutely tremendous performance by Alberta Health Services and the hospital in particular,” she said. “When it comes to this role of public health inspection, food inspection offices going into childcare operations, going into restaurants, I’ve had a conversation with my health minister.” She asked LaGrange if public health inspections should be done by AHS or Alberta Health in the restructured healthcare system. At the moment, no decision has been made.The number of E. coli cases in Calgary daycares climbed in September, with health officials scrambling to contain an outbreak that had sickened many young children. READ MORE: Dozens of E. coli cases at Calgary daycare centres, 15 kids in hospitalAHS said there were 56 lab-confirmed cases infecting as many as 50 children. Of those children, it said 15 were in hospital.It had issued closure orders for 11 separate daycare facilities until issues were resolved.

UPDATED: Alberta to comply with report from food safety review team after E. coli outbreak at Calgary daycares

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