Prof. Lawrence Goodridge and Keith Warriner, Department of Food Science, spoke with The Canadian Press about what’s behind the recent spike in food recalls.

They said the recalls are not a sign that there are more problems in the food supply, but are the result of a more vigilant food investigation body and better testing tools.

“This is proof that the system is working well,” Goodridge told the news outlet.

The story appeared in more than 50 publications, including the Toronto Star. 

Warriner added the development of rapid-screening methods has sped up the time it takes to test potentially contaminated food and trace the contamination’s origins.

“(It’s) a bit like introducing fingerprinting into crime investigation. It’s made that kind of revolution,” he said.

Warriner is a food microbiologist and researches food-borne pathogens and hazards detection technologies. Goodridge holds the Leung Family Professorship in Food Safety in the Department of Food Science and pursues interdisciplinary research on food-borne pathogens, antibiotic resistance and food fraud.