HEALTH HAZARD ALERT

CERTAIN GROUND BEEF PRODUCTS MAY CONTAIN E. coli O157:H7 BACTERIA

OTTAWA, May 14, 2008 - The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) is warning the public not to consume the ground beef products described below because these products may be contaminated with E. coli O157:H7 bacteria.

The following ground beef products are affected by this alert.

Retailer	Product Description	Size	Dates of Sale (inclusive)
Eric's Meat Market, Kaslo BC	Lean ground beef (fresh)	Various	March 6 to 16, 2008; and, April 16 to May 11, 2008.
Slaters Meats Ltd., Victoria BC	Bison Patties (frozen) Prime Rib Patties (frozen) Chuck Patties (frozen)	5 units per package	March 18 to May 13, 2008.
	Trimpac brand Beef Prime Rib Burger 6 oz. (frozen) Item # 10915	Various weights	Pack Dates: 2008.MR.14 2008.AL.18 2008.AL.22 Regardless of date of sale.
Ozark Country Meats, Surrey BC	6 oz. Prime Rib Beef Burgers (frozen)	2, 3 or 4 units per package	March 14 to March 28, 2008.
Tango's Gourmet Meats Ltd., Vancouver BC	Prime Rib Burgers (frozen)	2 or 4 units per package	Feb. 22 to 29, 2008; March 20 to 27, 2008; and, May 2 to 9, 2008.
Heringer's Olde Fashioned Quality, Richmond BC	1/4 Pound Burgers (frozen)	Various	March 28 and 29, 2008.
Jackson's on Granville Vancouver BC	Prime Rib Beef Patties (frozen)	Various	Feb. 26 to March 26, 2008; and, April 25 to May 13, 2008

Consumers who may have purchased these products and still have them in their freezers are advised not to consume these products.

There have been no reported illnesses associated with the consumption of these products.

Food contaminated with E. coli O157:H7 may not look or smell spoiled. Consumption of food contaminated with this bacteria may cause serious and potentially life-threatening illnesses. Symptoms include severe abdominal pain and bloody diarrhea. Some people may have seizures or strokes and some may need blood transfusions and kidney dialysis. Others may live with permanent kidney damage. In severe cases of illness, people may die.

The supplier, Trimpac Meat Distributors, Inc, of Vancouver, BC and the retailers are voluntarily recalling the affected products from the marketplace. The CFIA is monitoring the effectiveness of the recall.

For more information, consumers and industry can call the CFIA at 1-800-442-2342 / TTY 1-800-465-7735 (8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Eastern time, Monday to Friday).

For information on E. coli O157:H7, visit the Food Facts web page at http://www.inspection.gc.ca/english/fssa/concen/cause/ecolie.shtml.

For information on receiving recalls by e-mail, or for other food safety facts, visit our web site at www.inspection.gc.ca.

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