Four Edmontonians became ill with E. coli O157:H7 after consuming Kirkland brand Strip Loin Grilling Steaks purchased from Costco Wholesale store #156 in Edmonton, Alberta. The beef originated from XL Foods processing plant in Brooks, Alberta.
CBC News reports that Alberta Health Services confirmed the connection after testing a steak provided by one of the outbreak victims. Officials are suggesting that the pathogen may have been introduced into the meat during a tenderizing process that is used by Costco stores in Alberta.
The steaks implicated in the four illnesses were identified by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency as Strip Loin Grilling Steak prepared and sold in variable weight packages from Costco Wholesale store #156, located at 13650, 50th street, Edmonton, Alberta, bearing Packed On dates 12/SE/04, 12/SE/05, 12/SE/06 or 12/SE/07. At the moment, only steaks from this one Costco store are affected.
No direct link has been established between the illnesses and the XL Foods plant that supplied the beef.
XL Food’s Brooks processing facility is the source of meat that has been under a steadily expanding series of recall notices across Canada, and a series of Public Health Alerts in the USA. The USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service detected E. coli O157:H7 in beef trimmings from XL Foods that were shipped from Canada to the USA.
There is no indication, either in the CBC report or from the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, as to whether the outbreak strain recovered from the steak in Edmonton is the same as the strain of E. coli O157:H7 found in XL’s beef trimmings.
For a consolidated list of beef products affected by the XL Foods recall, and information on retail distribution in Canada and the USA, please consult the Canada/USA Beef Recall tab.
eFoodAlert 
Wash hands before and after handling raw meat with warm/hot (preferred) or cold soapy running water by rubbing hands together vigorously for at least 20 seconds. Also wash cutting boards, dishes and utensils with hot (preferred), soapy water and clean up any spills right away. The mechanical action of vigorous rubbing of hands and utensils/surfaces creates friction that helps to dislodge bacteria and viruses from hands and surfaces. Additionally, warm/hot water helps to dissolve fats/foods, aiding in cleaning/microbe removal and can also assist in deactivation of pathogens. For more information on hand washing, go to http://www.cdc.gov/handwashing . If soapy water is not available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol. Alcohol-based hand sanitizers can reduce the number of germs on hands in some situations. However, sanitizers do not eliminate all types of germs, including viruses. Keep raw meat, fish and poultry away from other food that will not be thoroughly cooked. Use separate cutting boards for raw meat, poultry, and their juices and thoroughly cooked foods. Thoroughly cook ground meat such as beef to an internal temperature of 160° F, as measured with a food thermometer, before eating. Refrigerate raw meat and poultry within two hours after purchase (one hour if temperatures exceed 90° F). Refrigerate cooked meat and poultry within two hours after cooking.
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