XL Foods in Canada is now recalling more than 1,800 products from Canada and the United States as ten people are reported to have fallen sick from e.coli contaminated beef products.
The Alberta plant, where the contamination occurred remains closed and following accusations that the country’s agriculture withheld information from consumers it issued a statement: “We are working diligently with the Canadian Food Inspection Agency… to implement changes to our food safety system to exceed existing high standards and regain the trust of Canadian consumers.
“We believed XL Foods was a leader in the beef processing industry with our food safety protocols, but we have now learned it was not enough. We take full responsibility for our plant operations and the food it produces [and are] doing everything we can to take the lead in an enhanced comprehensive food safety programme for our plant.”
The total number of cases, linked to E.coli O157, has now risen to ten. Opposition MPs in Canada are calling on agriculture minister, Gerry Ritz to apologise and resign.
This story was originally published on a previous version of the Meat Management website and so there may be some missing images and formatting issues.