Abstract

Gastrointestinal problems have always afflicted human populations. The major factors involved are overeating, allergies, nutritional deficiencies, infection from parasites or micro-organisms, and poisoning by food or toxins produced by bacteria. Most people are at least familiar with the signs of potential botuligenic food poisoning in commercially processed foods. However, the reality is that since 1940, well over 90% of the reported and confirmed cases of botulism in Canada have occurred among the aboriginal populations inhabiting the Pacific and Arctic coastal regions. These outbreaks are linked directly to traditional foodstuffs, usually produced in small, isolated communities. This paper examines how and why these intoxications occur, and the foods involved. Of particular interest are recent tests undertaken with the assistance of Health Canada in determining the potential risk of botuligenic intoxication caused by eulachon grease, a fish oil which was, and is still, a highly valued and traded item between the coastal and interior First Nations of B.C.