Canadian Beef Recall Expands. So Does The Outbreak

Almost daily, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) releases another update to the list of recalled beef products that originated from XL Foods’ Brooks (Alberta) establishment. The agency has posted a complete list of recalled products, sorted by retailer.

Today, the Public Health Agency of Canada reported that the number of confirmed cases of E. coli O157:H7 infections linked to consumption of products from XL Foods has increased to ten people in three provinces: Alberta (7 illnesses), Newfoundland and Labrador (1 case) and Quebec (2 cases). In addition, the Saskatchewan Ministry of Health is investigating 13 cases of E. coli in that province – all reported in September – to determine whether or not they are linked to the recalled meat. Saskatchewan ordinarily experiences from zero to four cases of E. coli illnesses during the month of September.

CFIA has suspended operations at XL’s Brooks facility. The recalls have been issued. But the damage already has been done. Beef from the plant was distributed all across Canada, and was exported to the USA and to Hong Kong. USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Agency issued a Public Health Alert four days after the first XL-announced recall, and updated that alert a couple of times, but has NOT provided consumers with any information – beyond a list of affected retailers – on the list of products that were distributed in the USA.

On October 5th, FSIS updated its Public Health Alert to indicated that approximately 1.1 million pounds of trim and approximately 1.4 million pounds of primal and sub-primal cuts of beef from XL Foods were received by US firms. Two and a half million pounds – that’s 1,250 tons – of beef that is “floating around” in the US, with no information provided to consumers as to what meat to avoid.

The Hong Kong Centre for Food Safety posted the following notice yesterday (October 5, 2012):

Import of contaminated raw beef from a Canadian food company suspended

The Centre for Food Safety (CFS) today (October 5) announced that as the Canadian authority found some raw beef and beef products manufactured by XL Foods Inc there contaminated with E. coli 0157:H7, the CFS would suspend import of those products produced on and after August 24 by the manufacturer concerned with immediate effect as a precaution.

The CFS was notified by the Canadian authority that the manufacturer was recalling the affected raw beef and beef products, and part of the raw beef had been imported into Hong Kong. According to CFS’ initial investigations, a small portion of the products had been distributed to some local retailers.

“The CFS has alerted the trade and instructed the importer and distributors concerned to stop selling and start recalling the products of the affected batches,” a CFS spokesman said.

Consumption of contaminated food (often raw meat or meat not thoroughly cooked and fresh agricultural produce) is the common mode of transmission for E. coli O157:H7. Pregnant women, people with compromised immune systems, young children and the elderly are most at risk for developing serious complications like bloody diarrhoea.

The spokesman reminded the public not to consume hamburgers, minced beef, and other meat that are not thoroughly cooked to minimise the risk of infection by E. coli O157:H7. They should wash thoroughly and cook ground beef and hamburgers to a core temperature of 70 degrees Celsius or above for at least two minutes.

More information about how to prevent E.coli O157:H7 infection is available on CFS’ website:

www.cfs.gov.hk/english/consumer_zone/foodsafety_bh_E_Coli.html.

“We will continue liaising with the Canadian authorities and closely monitor the situation. Relevant control measures will be reviewed when further information is obtained,” the spokesman said.

There has been no indication yet of any US or Hong Kong cases of E. coli O157:H7 illnesses linked to the consumption of the XL Foods beef products.

eFoodAlert is working to update its consolidated list of beef products recalled in Canada and the USA and will continue to monitor and report on the outbreak situation. Please consult the Canada/USA Beef Recall page for more information.

Here’s The Beef

On September 4, 2012, Canada’s Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) and USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) each, independently, recovered E. coli O157:H7 from a sample of raw beef trimmings from the Brooks, Alberta production establishment of XL Foods Inc., registered with CFIA as Est. 038.

According to the Summary of Events released by CFIA, no recall was initiated, because CFIA determined that neither of the contaminated batches of product (beef trimmings produced on August 24th and 28th) had reached the Canadian marketplace.

Here are a few of the key dates and events that followed the initial findings:

On September 6th, CFIA requested distribution information and testing results from XL Foods for all products from those two production dates.

On September 12th, FSIS reported two more positive E. coli O157:H7 findings to CFIA.

On September 13th, CFIA removed XL Foods from the list of establishments eligible to export meat to the USA. But, despite the multiple findings of E. coli O157:H7 in samples of beef trimmings from the Brooks plant, and despite noting several deficiencies in the plant’s operations and sampling protocols, no public recall was announced – because, in the words of CFIA, of “…the absence of evidence that any affected product from the initial discovery had reached the marketplace.”

Nevertheless, that same day, XL Foods began to advise its customers that it was recalling beef trimmings produced on August 24th, August 28th, and September 5th.

On September 16th, Canadians finally were let into the dirty little secret. CFIA released its initial Health Hazard Alert. It was another four days before FSIS issued its first Public Health Alert for Imported Canadian Raw Boneless Beef Trim from XL Foods. Both CFIA and FSIS have issued multiple updates as the number of production dates under recall increased.

On September 18th, the Public Health Agency of Canada told CFIA that the Alberta Health Services was investigating five cases of E. coli O157:H7 illnesses; there was a possible link, CFIA was informed, between four of those cases and steaks purchased at an Edmonton Costco Wholesale store – steaks that had originated at XL Foods Inc.’s Brooks facility.

On September 27th, CFIA temporarily suspended the operating license for XL Foods Inc. (Establishment 038) in Brooks, AB after determining that “…adequate controls for food safety were not fully implemented in the facility.”

On September 29th, CFIA acknowledged in an updated Health Hazard Alert (for the first time) that four E. coli 0157 illnesses were associated with the consumption of beef products originating from XL Foods Inc. (Est. 38). The following day, CBC News reported that a total of nine cases of E. coli were under investigation, including the four confirmed cases.

So what’s my beef?

1. CFIA should have insisted on a recall of the meat from August 24th and August 28th production dates as soon as it was clear that there was a contamination problem at Brooks that involved more than a single batch of beef trimmings.

2. CFIA’s initial Health Hazard Alert should have been issued as soon as a decision was taken to recall product – NOT THREE DAYS LATER.

3. Neither the Public Health Agency of Canada nor Alberta Health Services have posted any information on their web pages regarding the E. coli O157:H7 illness investigations.

4. FSIS waited four extra days after the Canadian Health Hazard Alert to issue its own Public Health Alert.

5. FSIS still has not released a list of recalled products in the USA; nor has it released names of any of the meat processing or grinding or food service or distribution companies that are impacted by this beef recall – just a list of affected retailers. FSIS is relying, instead, on the individual retailers to post information listing recalled products.

On the plus side, CFIA has been very forthcoming with detailed recall information, including full identification of products by name, UPC, and packing or expiration dates, and retail distribution information by retailer and province/territory.

For a full list of products recalled to date in both Canada and the USA, including retail distribution information, please consult the Canada/USA Beef Recall page.

“It’s Not Our Job!”

That’s the mantra chanted by FDA whenever they are asked to provide retail distribution information for recalled products.

It’s the mantra offered by some State Departments of Health – and, on occasion, by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention – when asked for details on outbreak cases in their states.

And it’s the mantra offered by USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) to justify NOT announcing or publicizing product recalls associated with the Canadian beef in which the agency found E. coli O157:H7.

OK. Let me be fair.

When FDA refuses to release retail distribution information, they say that this is proprietary information and can only be released by the company that initiated the “voluntary” recall.

When a State Department of Health declines to release information on outbreak cases, it’s usually because “CDC is taking the lead in this investigation” or to protect patient privacy.

When CDC declines to release information, it’s because State “X” is “taking the lead” in the investigation.

And, in the case of FSIS, their justification is:

FSIS issues Public Health Alerts to make the public aware of a public health hazard. FSIS is not announcing a recall at this time because the goal of such an action is to have the establishment most directly associated with producing adulterated product remove the product from commerce. In this case, the establishment was XL Foods, Inc., a Canadian firm, and that recall has been initiated in Canada. CFIA is overseeing the effectiveness of the recall in Canada and FSIS is overseeing the effectiveness in the United States. FSIS continues to verify U.S. establishments’ use of primal and non-primal cuts associated with the XL Foods recall and will take appropriate action if prohibited activity is found.

It still boils down to “It’s Not Our Job!”

This rationalization flies in the face of logic, and of what should be the primary role of FSIS – to protect public health. It also is completely at a variance with recent FSIS actions in other recall situations involving “secondary” recalls.

A scan of the Active Recall list on the FSIS web site yielded the following examples:

July 14, 2011:- Palmex, Inc. (Champlain, NY) recalled imported, ready-to-eat smoked duck breast products. The product was recalled by the Canadian manufacturer due to possible Salmonella contamination.
July 14, 2011:- Sid Wainer & Son, Inc. (New Bedford, MA) recalled imported, ready-to-eat smoked duck breast products. The product was recalled by the Canadian manufacturer due to possible Salmonella contamination.
October 1, 2011:- Greencore USA, Inc. (Cincinnati, OH) recalled Thornton’s Quick Café’s Chef Salad products after being notified by its grape tomato supplier that the grape tomatoes used in the products were potentially contaminated with Salmonella. The grape tomatoes were the subject of a Food and Drug Administration recall.
February 2, 2012:- Greencore USA, Inc. (Cincinnati, OH) recalled Chef Salad products because the salads contained eggs that were the subject of a Food and Drug Administration recall due to possible Listeria monocytogenes contamination.
July 27, 2012:- LSG Sky Chefs (Orlando, FL) recalled RaceTrac Chipotle Chicken Wrap, because the product contained diced onions that were the subject of a Food and Drug Administration recall due to possible Listeria monocytogenes contamination.
August 1, 2012:- Garden Fresh Foods (Milwaukee, WI) recalled 13,600 pounds of meat and poultry salad products, because the product contained diced onions that were the subject of a Food and Drug Administration recall due to possible Listeria monocytogenes contamination.

And let’s not forget this example from the Recall Archives:

Sysco Seattle Inc. (Seattle, WA) recalls 16,800 pounds of ground beef patties imported from Canada because the patties may have been contaminated with E. coli O157:H7. The products were manufactured by New Food Classics (Burlington, Ontario) and imported by Sysco Seattle.

So how does FSIS justify its utter lack of leadership in publicizing the product recalls initiated by companies such as Interstate Meat Distributors, Morasch Meat, Wolverine Packing Co. and other US establishments?

Meat processing companies, distributors, food service operators, retailers, AND CONSUMERS deserve – and should demand – the active support of FSIS in this recall. We should not have to rely on retailers’ web pages and on food service companies such as US Foods to provide us with a list of recalled products. We should not have to rely on good luck to avoid purchasing and consuming contaminated food.

If the people at FSIS can’t do their jobs, then they should stand aside and let a more competent crew take over.

“It’s Not Our Job!” doesn’t cut it any more.