The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) and Canada Safeway Limited are recalling The Gourmet Meat Shoppe and The Butcher’s Cut brands of frozen beef burgers because they may be contaminated with E. coli 0157:H7. There is an outbreak of E. coli illnesses that is being investigated by public health officials.
The CFIA is conducting a separate E. coli investigation after a different brand of burgers produced by the same company, Cardinal Meat Specialists, was recalled in December 2012. Public health officials are investigating to see if this latest recall of new products can be linked to the older recall. You can see the full list of brand names, products, sizes, UPC numbers, and codes of the recalled products at the CFIA web site. The products were distributed in Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta, British Columbia, and Northwest Territories.
Two people in Canada have been diagnosed with E. coli infections. The government learned of these illnesses on February 13, 2013. Based on the patient’s food history, they began collecting samples of burgers from retail stores in Ontario and Western Canada for testing. Tests revealed the presence of E. coli 0157:H7 in some of the samples.
It’s important to remember that foods contaminated with this and other pathogenic bacteria may not look, smell, or taste spoiled. These bacteria can cause serious and life-threatening illnesses. It’s also crucial that all ground meats be cooked to a final temperature of at least 160 degrees F, checked with a meat thermometer.
Symptoms of an E. coli infection include severe abdominal pain and bloody/and or watery diarrhea. Some people may suffer kidney failure and have seizures and strokes. For more information, call Canada Safeway Limited at 403-730-3511 or the CFIA at 1-800-442-2342.
