November 5, 2007

US tightens restrictions on meat, poultry imports from Canada

US regulators have tightened restrictions on meat and poultry products from Canada because of concerns about testing practices at a Canadian firm that was the likely source of bacteria-contaminated meat that sickened 40 people in eight states.

Starting this week, the Agriculture Department's Food Safety and Inspection Service will increase testing of Canadian meat for salmonella, Listeria monocytogenes and E. coli O157:H7. The inspection service will require that shipments be held up until testing is completed and the meats are proven to be clear of these problems.

The Canadian firm, Rancher's Beef Ltd. of Balzac, Alberta, was linked in October to a multistate outbreak of E. coli infections involving the Topps Meat Co. A massive recall, the second largest beef recall in US history, forced Topps out of business. Rancher's Beef also ceased operations.

The inspection service will "immediately begin an audit of the Canadian food safety system that will focus on Rancher's Beef Ltd. and will include other similar establishments that export beef to the US," said Richard Raymond, top food safety official for the USDA. That audit will be reviewed to determine if the additional inspection procedures should be continued.

Calls to Rancher's Beef weren't immediately returned Saturday.

A joint US-Canadian investigation matched the DNA fingerprint of E. coli O157:H7 bacteria isolated from beef trim that had remained in storage with Rancher's Beef to samples taken from both victims of the food poisoning outbreak and packages of Topps frozen hamburgers. Rancher's Beef had supplied Topps with beef trim used to make the patties, the USDA said. Topps, based in Elizabeth, New Jersey, recalled 21.7 million pounds of beef.

In a separate recall, Cargill Inc. of Minneapolis said Saturday it is recalling more than 1 million pounds of ground beef that may be contaminated with E. coli. No illnesses have been reported, said John Keating, president of Cargill Regional Beef.

A spokeswoman for Cargill said 10 states are included in that recall - Connecticut, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Virginia.

E. coli is harboured in the intestines of cattle. Improper butchering and processing can cause the E. coli to get onto meat. Thorough cooking, to at least 160 degrees internal temperature, can destroy the bacteria.