E. coli forces four beef recalls in month

EDMONTON — Canada’s food safety watchdog has ordered another beef recall over possible E. coli contamination — the fourth this month, including one linked to at least nine people getting sick in Ontario.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency said Thursday the recalls show that government safeguards are working and that consumers are not at greater risk of getting sick as long as they handle and cook meat properly.

“It shows the system works,” said Fred Jamieson, an agency spokesman from Ottawa. “I wouldn’t say there is any increase or greater risk.”

The latest “health hazard alert” recall involves Kirkland Signature brand lean ground beef sold at a Costco store in Lethbridge, Alta.

The food inspection agency and Costco are warning people not to eat the product because it may contain E. coli bacteria. The agency classifies the risk to consumers as moderate.

The agency said this is an expansion of a similar recall earlier this month of Kirkland Signature brand organic lean ground beef sold at Costco stores in Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba and Saskatchewan.

There are no reported illnesses from the ground beef, the CFIA said. The E. coli was detected by tests done by Canadian inspectors within a shipment of 6,350 kilograms of beef imported from the U.S.

Earlier this month, the agency recalled Compliments brand Super 8 Beef Burgers sold in Sobeys, Foodland, Freshco and Price Chopper stores in Ontario and Atlantic Canada.

The Ontario Ministry of Health said Thursday that the Compliments beef has been linked to nine confirmed cases of people getting sick from E. coli in the province, two probable cases and four suspected cases.

The Compliments recall was later expanded to include some President’s Choice Beef Burgers and Webers Bucket of Burgers sold in Loblaw stores that may have been distributed across Canada.

The agency said ground beef from the recalls was processed at Toronto-based Belmont Meats Ltd. and could be from Canadian, U.S. or other imported beef.

The CFIA has designated the two recalls as Class 1, or high risk.

The CFIA said the E. coli in the recalls was discovered after people got sick and inspectors traced where the beef they ate originated.

The agency said the cause or source of the E. coli is still under investigation.