Rankin Inlet (Aug 22/01) - Kivalliq caribou products bound for Europe have been given the good health seal of approval.

The Keewatin Meat and Fish Plant in Rankin Inlet is ready to export its first caribou products with an official health seal meeting the standards of the European Union.

The plant's products originate in Coral Harbour.

Once in Rankin, they're processed into such tantalizing cuts as Denver hinds, strip loin, tenderloin, French racks and jerky.

Plant manager Brian Schindel says that in order to receive the health seal, Keewatin Meat and Fish applied to have a veterinarian from the Canadian Food Inspection Agency take up in-house status in Rankin Inlet.

The application was approved and the veterinarians rotate in and out of Rankin every two or three weeks.

While on site at the plant, the veterinarians ensure the health standards of the European Union are met.

This includes ensuring all plant employees have medical certificates and keeping meat temperatures constant in both the cutting room and cold storage.

"There can't be any variances in the cutting room," says Schindel. "The temperature can never go above 10 C.

"The temperatures in the cutting room are verified every two weeks and in cold storage every month."

The exporting of caribou meat into Europe has never been tried by a Canadian company before.

European livestock has been ravaged the past few years by hoof and mouth disease, giving the continent huge market potential if the Kivalliq product is successful.

Schindel hopes the meat's point of origin will help make the caribou products attractive.

"We received our first federally approved seal in 1995 and now we have our European Union health seal of approval. Hopefully, coming from the still relatively pristine arctic environment will be a positive selling point for us over there."