Olymel corrects misinformation spread by employee

April 6, 2020, St. Hyacinthe, Que. – Management of Olymel has released a statement regarding information that was circulated on social networks recently.

Following is the statement:

The management of Olymel deplores the untruthful and irresponsible information that an anonymous person circulated on social networks on Friday, April 3 to the effect that products from his pork processing facility in Yamachiche could transmit the COVID-19 virus.

All Olymel food processing facilities are under the jurisdiction and constant supervision of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA). The CFIA and public health officials who are monitoring the disease closely make the same observation and have not found any example of transmission of COVID-19 in a food.

This information is also based on scientific research from the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), which claims to have found no evidence that food is a source or a route of transmission.

In addition to the hygiene, food safety and quality control measures applied in normal times in Olymel facilities, the company has deployed numerous measures to counter the spread of the coronavirus since the beginning of March. The company invites its employees to strictly follow these measures and has even applied a protocol developed by public health services for all of its establishments, including that of Yamachiche.

For more information, the public is invited to consult the CFIA website on this question by clicking here or that of the EFSA by clicking here.

Olymel employs near 15,000 people and has production and processing facilities in Quebec, Ontario, Alberta, New Brunswick and Saskatchewan. Olymel has annual sales of $4 billion.