March 14, 2014 – Ottawa, ON - Canadian Food Inspection Agency
As part of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency's (CFIA) routine testing of various food products, a study released today found that more than 97 per cent of pasta products tested had no detectable levels of egg.
A total of 295 pasta products including wheat, rice and corn based products as well as soups containing pasta were analyzed for the presence of egg. Of the 295 samples, 28 had precautionary labelling for egg while the remaining 267 samples did not.
Seven samples had detectable levels of egg. Of these seven samples, one sample had precautionary labelling to indicate the potential presence of egg. The remaining six samples with detectable levels of egg had no precautionary labelling for egg on the label. In consultation with Health Canada, it was determined that the low levels of egg detected would not present food safety concerns for egg allergic consumers.
All positive results were followed up by the CFIA. Follow-up activities included additional inspections and sampling and the recall of nine products.
Cailin Rodgers
Director of Communications
Office of the Minister of Health
613-957-0200
Media Relations
Canadian Food Inspection Agency
613-773-6600
