CFIA still searching for E. coli source in frozen burgers

Wednesday, March 21, 2012

by SUSAN MANN

Canada’s food safety agency is continuing its investigation into what happened at a financially troubled frozen hamburger maker that may have caused an E. coli contamination in its products.

Garfield Balsom, Canadian Food Inspection Agency food safety and recall specialist based in Ottawa, says they’re not aware if the financial troubles of bankrupt burger manufacturer New Food Classics may have contributed to the potential E. coli 0157:H7 contamination of its products now part of of a massive voluntary recall.

Balsom says they don’t yet have a cause for the E. coli contamination. The agency is focusing “on the food safety investigation part and we’re not aware of any other issues that may cause or trigger this issue. Our investigation is still looking into that.”

Rick Holley, a University of Manitoba food safety and microbiology professor, says the CFIA’s announcement earlier this week that its recalling all of the frozen beef burger products made at the Saskatoon facility of New Food Classics from July 1, 2011 to Feb. 15 shows the company’s recordkeeping was not what the agency would have expected. “When you have information about lot identities that are less than clear the CFIA has no alternative but to expand the recall to include lots that previously hadn’t been implicated.”

Balsom says the product has an eight to 12-month shelf life. He says he doesn’t have exact numbers for the amount of product the company made from July 1, 2011 to Feb. 15 but did say “it’s quite a large amount of product no doubt.”

Asked how the agency knows it’s getting all of the product in the marketplace, Balsom says products are being tracked by their universal product codes and locations rather than volume.

It’s up to individual retailers and distributors to decide what to do with the removed product, he says. Usually the product is brought to a central location and destroyed. CFIA operation’s staff ensures recalled product “is adequately dealt with.”

Based in Ontario and Western Canada, New Food Classics made value-added meat and meatless protein consumer products while frozen hamburgers was its main product line. It went into receivership on Feb. 22. Receiver FTI Consulting Canada Inc. couldn’t be reached for comment.

On Feb. 18 CFIA issued the first of seven health hazard alerts during that month and this month as part of the voluntary recall. On March 17, the agency issued what it called a ‘public warning’ advising people not to consume ground beef products produced from Establishment 761, the New Food Classics Saskatoon facility, and manufactured from July 1, 2011 to Feb. 15. The updated list includes more than 135 products under various brand names and UPC codes. All of the New Food Classics facilities were closed last month and employees were let go.

Balsom says the receiver is handling the voluntary recall. It’s not normal for the CFIA to issue multiple health hazard alerts for one product but larger investigations like this one can be very complicated and several alerts are not unusual for bigger cases.

Since the investigation is continuing there may be more health hazard alerts, he says.

Balsom says they’ve had good cooperation from the receiver and some company officials are still involved in identifying where the product was distributed.

Heather Travis, spokesperson for Canada Beef Inc. the worldwide marketing organization for the country’s 83,000 beef farmers, says the recall is a good thing because it caught the problem. “Canadians can be reassured that Canadian beef continues to be a safe and nutritious choice. It has 14 essential nutrients that we need every day and this includes our ground beef.”

Canadian meat processors have processes in place to control and prevent E. coli 0157:H7 from occurring in beef products, she says. All CFIA-supervised processors must develop food safety plans that target E. coli. But Canada Beef Inc. is concerned about E. coli and “we continue to look at new and better ways to educate our partners in retail, foodservice and consumers about how they can protect themselves.”

A jingle consumers can remember is “your burger is done at 71” meaning all ground beef, including frozen patties, must be cooked to the safe internal temperature of 71 degrees Celsius or 160 degrees Fahrenheit, she says, noting the only way to know for sure is to use a meat thermometer.

Travis says Canada Beef doesn’t have an opinion on how the recall is being handled nor does it take part in it. As for the recall’s effect on beef consumption, she says beef sales and consumption have both remained consistent for the past number of years and she doesn’t have any up-to-date data to show if beef sales are taking a hit due to the recall. Canada Beef hasn’t had any calls from people concerned about beef products. BF