The Meat Shop at Pine Haven in Alberta, Canada is being recalled for possible E. coli O157:H7 contamination. Many different types and cuts of pork products are being recalled. This recall was triggered by an E. coli O157:H7 foodborne illness outbreak investigation led by Alberta Health Services.
In that outbreak, 34 people have been sickened. Eleven patients have been hospitalized because they are so ill. One patient has died “likely due to E. coli infection,” according to the press release. Twenty-one of these lab-confirmed cases are linked to Mama Nita’s Binalot restaurant in Edmonton. Thirteen of the cases have no known links to that facility.
You can see the long list of The Meat Shop recalled products at the CFIA web site. All of the product brands are Pine Haven. Products include wieners, salami, bacon, pork roasts and chops, Pork feet and hocks, ground pork, pork heads and bones, pork blood, intestine and liver, pork ribs, pork butt, pork leg, pork loins, pork shoulder, and pork sausages, among others. They were sold in variable size and weight packages from February 19 to April 24, 2018, inclusively.
If you have purchased any of these products, do not eat them. Throw them away in a double bagged or sealed container in a secure garbage can, or take them back to the store where you purchased them for a refund.
The symptoms of an E. coli O157:H7 infection start one to ten days after eating food that is contaminated with the pathogenic bacteria. Symptoms include diarrhea, which is usually bloody or watery, severe and painful abdominal cramps, and some vomiting. If you have eaten these products and have been ill with these types of symptoms, see your doctor as soon as possible.
