CFIA closes the books on frozen hamburger recall

Tuesday, May 29, 2012

by SUSAN MANN

It appears the source of E. coli contamination at the Saskatoon facility of a frozen hamburger maker that has gone out of business will remain a mystery.

Canadian Food Inspection Agency spokesperson Lisa Gauthier says by email the agency was “unable to pinpoint the source of the contamination,” despite an investigation that included extensive testing and risk assessment.

The recall crisis that lasted nearly a month involved more than 135 products under various brand names and UPC codes made by New Food Classics.

On Feb. 18 the CFIA issued the first of seven health hazard alerts as part of a voluntary recall of the company’s product. Days later, on Feb. 22, the company went into receivership. In March, Garfield Balsom, a CFIA food safety and recall specialist, said the agency was not aware if the company’s financial troubles contributed to the contamination of the products.
 
There was one confirmed illness associated with the consumption of one of the affected products at the onset of the investigation but no further illness was reported. The CFIA investigation has now been closed and the agency’s monitoring of the recall’s effectiveness is finished, Gauthier writes.

Gauthier notes effectiveness checks verify that all recalled product has been removed from the marketplace. She didn’t give a total for the amount of product removed.

Retailers and homeowners were responsible for throwing away the product, she says. BF