March 20, 2012

Canadian frozen beef recall increased to 1.25 million pounds

Canadian officials are expanding a recall of beef products to cover frozen ground beef distributed between July 2011 and February 2012, due to possible contamination with E. coli O157:H7.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency is working with New Food Classics of Burlington, Ontario, to track down about 1.25 million pounds of the company's frozen beef burgers distributed in retail stores in 10 Canadian provinces.

The latest health hazard alert is the eighth issued by Canadian health officials since mid-February.

The agency is warning consumers that the beef patties that have been contaminated may not look or smell spoiled and the risk of kidney damage or death could result if the product is ingested.

So far, there has been one confirmed illness connected to the consumption of the affected product in October 2011.

New Food Classics shut its doors at facilities in Saskatoon, St. Catherine's, Ont., and Calgary and idled about 150 workers as part of a bankruptcy filing in mid-January. Several unconfirmed reports indicate that the company and its affiliates are currently under liquidation proceedings, although calls to the company to confirm the report were not returned.