Calgary E. coli outbreak shines a light on daycare food safety, experts say

An outbreak of E. coli that’s sickened hundreds has shone a much-needed spotlight connected food safety astatine daycares, experts said arsenic Alberta Premier Danielle Smith pledged to see further regulations successful shared kitchens.

There person been 337 lab-confirmed cases of the bacterial corruption successful the Calgary outbreak, and though an probe is ongoing, officials judge it is linked to a shared room — Fueling Minds Inc. — that serves section daycares.

“I cognize parents privation answers, and truthful bash I,” Smith said astatine a property league connected Friday. “That’s wherefore we’re conducting a reappraisal of each shared kitchens that service child-care centres. We volition research regulations and marque changes if needed.”

Canada is successful the midst of gathering up its child-care strategy with a caller currency infusion from the national government, and truthful acold nutrient hasn’t been a large portion of the conversation, said Martha Friendly, enforcement manager of the non-profit Childcare Resource and Research Unit.

Different provinces person antithetic rules astir what nutrient should beryllium provided astatine daycares: immoderate necessitate that the centres proviso nutrient for kids, portion others necessitate lone that they service food, which whitethorn beryllium packed by parents.

In provinces that necessitate daycares supply nutrient — whether they get it from a cardinal room oregon marque it on-site — nationalist wellness rules astir handling that nutrient mostly use successful the child-care facility, Friendly said.

But successful provinces wherever there’s nary request that child-care centres proviso food, specified arsenic Alberta, determination aren’t robust regulations astir nutrient handling, she said.

Large kitchens bash person to travel nationalist wellness rules, she said, but it tin beryllium tempting for for-profit companies to skimp erstwhile it comes to costly information protocols.

David Farnell, CEO of the Toronto-based daycare caterer Real Food for Real Kids (RFRK), said his institution has galore procedures to guarantee their meals and snacks are harmless for kids to eat, and galore of them spell supra and beyond what the state regulates.

It’s pricey, helium said, but it’s indispensable due to the fact that the stakes are truthful high.

And adjacent from a concern perspective, helium said, the outgo makes sense: “What is the reputational outgo of harming (hundreds of) kids?”

At his company, Farnell said they marque meals for 14,000 kids each day, and snacks for betwixt 65,000 and 70,000. On Thursday, luncheon included Filipino beef giniling — sub chili for the vegetarian kids — with basmati atom and greenish beans.

But beyond the gourmet offerings, Farnell said RFRK uses adenosine triphosphate (ATP) swabs to trial for leftover integrated substance aft cleaning surfaces, to guarantee bacteria doesn’t turn and viruses don’t linger.

That’s not a requirement, helium said, but helium thinks it should be.

RFRK besides uses respective antithetic types of sanitizers, and astatine the tallness of the COVID-19 pandemic added different measurement that’s inactive successful place: a spray that stops viruses from sticking to surfaces, which is effectual for 30 days.

Farnell said helium thinks parents should inquire these questions of their daycare providers.

“The genitor should inactive beryllium saying, What is this person’s designation? What are their nutrient information practices? Do they person sanitation? Do they usage ATP swaps? Do they person records of their of their performance?” helium said.

Cathy Wang, whose lad is acceptable to transportation adjacent period to Fueling Brains Academy, 1 of the daycares served by Fueling Minds, said she’s asking herself these questions now.

“We’re waiting to spot what the responses are regarding to food, and besides what benignant of procedures they volition enactment successful spot to marque definite that, if I nonstop my kid there, helium won’t get sick from different outbreak,” she said.

A spokesperson for the daycares said successful an email this week that the daycares would person extended cleaning and sterilization earlier reopening, and nutrient volition beryllium “provided by parents oregon sourced by outer providers.”

As of Friday, 12 children were inactive successful infirmary arsenic a effect of the outbreak, 10 of whom person hemolytic uremic syndrome — a complication affecting the humor and kidney. Six of them were receiving dialysis.

But adjacent if she doesn’t get satisfactory answers, Wang said she mightiness not person overmuch of a choice. It depends if abstraction is unfastened successful the alternate daycares that she is wait-listed for “just successful case.”

Some daycares, she said, tin instrumentality up to a twelvemonth to get into.

“If it turns retired that I don’t person different option… I volition beryllium sending my kid to FBA connected Oct. 1.”

— with files from Jamin Mike with The Canadian Press successful Edmonton