Consumers are being warned about a widespread case of possible E. coli contamination in beef.
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) is warning the public, distributors and food service establishments not to consume, sell, or serve certain nationally distributed ground beef products because the products may be contaminated with E. coli.
Products sold in B.C. being recalled are:
– Kirkland Signature lean ground beef, beef patties and ground beef tube with packed on dates between Aug. 30 and Sept. 15
– Safeway lean ground beef patties with sundried tomato and asiago cheese, patties with cheddar cheese, lean ground beef meatloaf, lean ground beef sliders, meatballs made from lean ground beef and pork, lean ground stuffed peppers, ground sirloin patties, lean, extra lean and regular ground beef and ground chuck all with best before dates between Aug. 29 and Sept. 19
– Walmart also stocked some of the potentially affected products, including regular ground beef with dates of Sept. 17,18 and 20, medium ground beef with a best before date of Sept. 18 and lean ground beef with dates of Sept. 17 and 20.
– The Real Canadian Wholesale Club and Superstore also may have stocked the following: tube lean ground beef, best before up to and including Sept. 28; and the following with best before dates up to and including Sept. 18: regular, lean and extra lean ground beef and club packs, lean ground sirloin and ground sirloin patties.
– IGA may have stocked frozen regular ground beef tubes, ground beef value packs, ground beef find grind tubes and regular ground beef with packed on dates between Aug. 27 and Sept. 16.
– Loblaws products affected include: regular, lean and extra lean ground beef and club packs, lean ground sirloin, pork and beef sausage and club packs and beef sausage club packs.
Consumers who are unsure if they have affected products are advised to check with the store(s) where they were purchased.
There have been no reported illnesses associated with the consumption of these products.
This voluntary recall is part of an ongoing food safety investigation. The CFIA is working with the recalling firms and distributors to identify and verify all affected products. If additional affected products are confirmed, this table will be updated on the CFIA website. To stay informed of product updates throughout the investigation, consumers are also encouraged to subscribe to CFIA food recalls and allergy alerts at www.foodsafety.gc.ca.
Food contaminated with E. coli may not look or smell spoiled. Consumption of food contaminated with this bacteria my cause serious and potentially life-threatening illnesses. Symptoms include severe abdominal pain and bloody diarrhoea. Some people may have seizures or strokes and some may need blood transfusions and kidney dialysis. Others may live with permanent kidney damage. In severe cases of illness, people may die.
The manufacturer, XL Foods Inc., Edmonton, Alta., and various retailers, processors and distributors are voluntarily recalling the affected products from the marketplace. The CFIA is monitoring the effectiveness of the recall.
For more information, consumers and industry can call the CFIA at 1-800-442-2342 / TTY 1-800-465-7735.
