CFIA to assess XL Foods plant
E. coli case in B.C. confirmed
CALGARY — Thirteen days after its operating licence was indefinitely yanked amid an E. coli outbreak, the XL Foods processing plant at the centre of an international beef recall has asked for permission to get back to work.
The Brooks plant is opening its doors today to a Canadian Food Inspection Agency “indepth assessment” that will scrutinize whether it has fixed a long list of problems uncovered in an audit in the wake of the massive product recall.
Even if the inspection clears the plant of several “deficiencies,” it’s only the first step toward a gradual reopening, said Dr. Harpreet Kochhar, CFIA executive director of western operations.
“We will walk through the establishment, make sure the corrective action plan has been implemented, the food safety controls are there, and after that we will make a recommendation to senior CFIA officials to go progressively to the next step,” Kochhar said Monday.
“At this point there is no specific date or indication if the plant will be operational.”
The XL Foods bid to get back to work comes as public health officials confirmed a case of E. coli poisoning in B.C. with a “matching genetic fingerprint” to previous cases linked to the tainted meat.
That brings the national total to 11, including seven cases in Alberta, two in Quebec, and one each in Newfoundland and B.C.
Last week, the CFIA released summaries of several “corrective action requests” given to XL Foods following an in-depth review triggered by positive E. coli findings on beef trimmings from the facility during routine testing Sept. 4. Among its findings, the federal food inspectors cited clogged water nozzles, condensation above exposed product and unsanitary handling of meat at the Brooks beef processing plant, which handles up to 4,000 cattle a day.
Kochhar said XL Foods sent a written request to the food-inspection agency asking for the reinstatement of its operating licence, which has been indefinitely suspended since Sept. 27.
The licence will remain suspended during the inspection and operations will only resume if the CFIA is satisfied the plant has fixed the problems that led to the E. coli scare, Kochhar said.
The CFIA inspectors will also examine the sanitary conditions of the slaughter and processing areas of the processing facility, he said.
Beef at the plant remains under CFIA detention and control.
United Food and Commercial Workers Local 401 negotiator Tom Hesse said workers are eager to get back to work if the plant has proved it is operating safely.
“We certainly want to see the plant operating, and operating properly and showing adequate attention to food safety and the workers’ concerns,” he said.
Quality-assurance employees were told Monday to report for work at the Tuesday morning shift, although no processing or slaughter staff were called in.
The B.C. Centre of Disease Control, meanwhile, said it received confirmation Monday that a person from Vancouver Island tested positive for E. coli 157, the same strain linked to the XL Foods food safety investigation. That patient has recovered from the illness, according to a statement from the B.C. agency.
The XL Foods recall, which has yanked ground beef, steak and other cuts from grocery store shelves across Canada and the United States, has also affected overseas markets. Hong Kong health officials have suspended the import of affected XL products and pulled beef that already made it to grocery store shelves.
Richard Arsenault, CFIA’s director of the meat inspection program, said XL Foods has a large global reach, exporting to more than 20 countries, including the United States, Mexico and some locations in Asia.
“There are considerable amounts of product that were exported out of Canada. When the recall steps were initiated, immediate actions were taken to communicate with those trading partners with regards to any shipments that were corresponding to the five days we acted on,” he said.
“Our understanding now is those products have all been identified, we have our hands wrapped around them, so to speak, and they’re in the process of being brought back or disposed under control at location.”
Arsenault said he couldn’t speculate Monday whether the CFIA is considering legal action against XL Foods.
He said the federal agency has a “progressive enforcement strategy,” ranging from verbal warnings to prosecution under the Meat Inspection Act or Food Inspection Act. Prosecution is used only in “very extreme cases,” he added.