In the wake of a massive beef recall that stems from the XL Foods facility in Brooks, Alberta and has affected Canada and the United States, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency is set to be audited itself by the USDA. The Globe and Mail reports that the audit – the first one in three years – will include a visit by USDA inspectors to the XL Foods facility. Guy Gravelle, a CFIA spokesman, said the audit has been planned for months and was not prompted by the recall. But he explained that it could play a role in whether XL will be allowed to resume beef exports to the United States if the plant gets relicensed by the CFIA to fully operate again.

“If they have recently visited the facility and have deemed that it has met their standards for food safety and guidelines, I would imagine it would be fairly straightforward for them to accept the fact that it meets the standards that it requires before product is exported there,” Gravelle said.

Source: The Globe and Mail