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The majority of well-founded complaints
Around three quarters of the complaints submitted to MAPAQ between October 2018 and October 2021 due to the presence of “foreign bodies” were classified as “substantiated”, according to the response to a request for information from La Presse. A complaint is considered to be well-founded “if the findings of any kind: analyses, verifiable elements during inspections or investigations show that the complaint is plausible or that there are reasonable grounds to believe that the subject-matter of the complaint is justified. “, specifies Mélissa Lapointe, spokeswoman for MAPAQ. Complaints received range from insects, hair or bandages to more dangerous objects such as nails, bolts or glass. “These types of reports are rare and uncommon in MAPAQ,” Ms. Lapointe said of items that pose a risk of injury.
spider bite
The presence of insects and other arthropods in food is a very common cause of discomfort, but sometimes it causes more than just loss of appetite. In February 2019, a woman contacted the Poison Control Center after being bitten by a spider found in her bunches, which she had bought at a Port-Cartier grocery store. She is hospitalized for “paralysis in the leg,” according to a summary table prepared by the Directorate-General for Inspection and Animal Welfare. The Poison Control Center will then ask MAPAQ to identify the species. According to DNA analysis, the specimen belongs to the species Steatoda bipunctata. The bite of this spider, established in Quebec, “can be painful and its intensity approaches that of a wasp sting.” However, “it is not considered dangerous,” says the analysis report. When asked about the incident, the MAPAQ replied that although the complaint had been declared “substantiated”, we “cannot confirm that the insect bite is the cause of the woman’s paralysis”.
A black widow in the grocery store
A venomous spider — the black widow — was also spotted at the fruit and vegetable counter in June 2019 by an employee at a Shawinigan grocery store. The spider was on red grapes from Mexico. The 6mm sample was sent to the MAPAQ Phytoprotection Expertise and Diagnostic Laboratory. “According to the criteria observed, the spider present in the sample belongs to the species Latrodectus hesperus, commonly known as the western black widow. […] It is often found in bunches,” underlines the report obtained thanks to the Law on Access to Documents of Public Bodies and Protection of Personal Data. Luckily no one was bitten by the spider.
drug and bullet
A person living in the Quebec region discovered a “bag of crystals” in a box of raspberries from Mexico in May 2019. The Sûreté du Québec intervened in the case, but a sample was nevertheless sent to a MAPAQ laboratory. Analysis was performed by a chemist using the technique of mass spectrometry. “The spectrum of the main substance would have a high similarity to the spectrum of methamphetamine, with some impurities,” the analysis report concludes. The previous month, in April 2019, a woman made an equally surprising discovery in the roast beef she had just bought at a Montreal grocery store: a rifle bullet. Closing the Complaint? Founded. “Yes, that was indeed observed without necessarily determining causes or accountability,” Ms Lapointe pointed out.
glass in ice
In May 2020, a Quebec-area man went to a hospital emergency room after cutting his tongue while eating ice cream. Three pieces of clear glass were found in the container. The largest measured 28mm by 15mm by 1mm thick. “These pieces of glass are sharp and not easy to see in the food. The presence of this foreign body in a food could pose a high risk to human health,” the analysis report concludes. In June 2021, a woman from Beloeil also went to the hospital to have a 1 cm long iron wire that had become lodged in her tongue after eating a pizza removed. MAPAQ inspectors visited the restaurant and found that the metal scoop used to remove the pizzas from the oven was damaged.
What to do after such a discovery?
If a person finds a foreign body in food, what should they do? “It is preferable to communicate with the MAPAQ as soon as possible. Any complaint related to a food or a food establishment that is sent to MAPAQ will be processed, whether it is anonymous or not,” says Mélissa Lapointe. “We also ask the complainant to leave the foreign body intact whenever possible and the product intact whenever possible. The product is then taken from home and sent to the laboratory for analysis,” she adds. If necessary, MAPAQ will issue a reminder. In all cases where the health of the population is in question, a press release is issued to advise people not to eat the food.