CFIA to review Alta. meat processor

OTTAWA The Canadian Food Inspection Agency will be conducting a detailed assessment today of the Alberta processing plant at the heart of a massive tainted beef recall.

The review follows a written request from XL Foods Inc. to have its licence reinstated after it was revoked in late September due to deficiencies in its operations.

A slew of problems was uncovered following the discovery of E. coli in meat products from the Brooks, Alta., facility, which led to the recall of hundreds of products around the world and public outcry over why that recall took so long to be issued.

This week’s assessment won’t necessarily green-light the plant to reopen, CFIA officials said in a conference call late Monday afternoon.

“This is a pre-resumption of operation inspection. In no way it should be construed as they will be in production at this point,” said Dr. Harpreet Kochhar, the executive director of western operations for the food agency.

Kochhar said reopening the plant would be a gradual process that begins with determining whether the plant has addressed all the issues raised by inspectors since E. coli was first detected.

They include maintenance and sanitation issues as well as the management of E. coli risk.

The number of illnesses linked to the plant’s beef stands at 11 from four provinces.