HEALTH HAZARD ALERT

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

OTTAWA, March 11, 2009 - The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) is warning the public not to consume certain ground beef products described below because these products may be contaminated with E. coli O157:H7.

The following ground beef products, sold in Manitoba, Northwest Territories and Ontario, are affected by this alert.

Brand/Store	Products	Codes/Dates
Dakota Family Foods 1099 St Mary's Rd., Winnipeg MB	Regular Ground Beef	Packed On dates between March 2 and 9, 2009, inclusive.
Dakota Family Foods 1099 St Mary's Rd., Winnipeg MB	Lean Ground Beef	Packed On dates between March 2 and 9, 2009, inclusive.
Family Foods 1881 Portage Ave., Winnipeg MB	Ground Beef Regular	Packed On dates between March 3 and 9, 2009, inclusive.
Family Foods 1881 Portage Ave., Winnipeg MB	Lean Ground Beef	Packed On dates between March 3 and 9, 2009, inclusive.
Family Foods 1881 Portage Ave., Winnipeg MB	Ground Beef Extra Lean	Packed On dates between March 3 and 9, 2009, inclusive.
Yellowknife Direct Charge Co-op Yellowknife N.W.T	Range Fed Lean Ground Beef	Purchased between February 8 and March 10, 2009, inclusive.
Shop Rite Fine Foods Ignace ON	Lean Ground Beef	Best Before dates between 2009MR05 and 2009MR11, inclusive.
Shop Rite Fine Foods Ignace ON	Medium Ground Beef	Best Before dates between 2009MR05 and 2009MR11, inclusive.

The following products, sold in British Columbia are also affected by this alert. They were sold only from the following Thrifty Foods stores (appear on the bottom of the label): #1 - Fairfield, # 2 - Quadra, #3 - Mill Bay, #7 - Nanaimo, #8 - Colwood, #9 - Broadmead, #12 - Courtenay, #14 - Central Saanich, #16 - Longwood Station, #17 - Hillside, # 18 - Tsawwassen, #19 - Campbell River and #20 - Coquitlam.

Product	UPC begins with	Best Before Dates
Beef Ground Sirloin Extra Lean	2 91639	Between 2009.FE.12 and 2009.MR.12, inclusive.
Extra Lean Ground Beef	2 01634	Between 2009.FE.12 and 2009.MR.12
Extra Lean Ground Beef Family Pack	2 01639	Between 2009.FE.12 and 2009.MR.12
Lean Ground Beef	2 01643	Between 2009.FE.12 and 2009.MR.12
Lean Ground Beef Family Pack	2 01648	Between 2009.FE.12 and 2009.MR.12
Meat Loaf (veal pork beef)	2 01684	Between 2009.FE.12 and 2009.MR.12
Medium Quality Ground Beef	2 01652	Between 2009.FE.12 and 2009.MR.12
Medium Quality Ground Beef Family Pk	2 01657	Between 2009.FE.12 and 2009.MR.12
Regular Quality Ground Beef	2 01661	Between 2009.FE.12 and 2009.MR.12
Regular Quality Ground Beef F Pk	2 01666	Between 2009.FE.12 and 2009.MR.12
Beef Ground Round	2 21643	Between 2009.FE.12 and 2009.MR.12
Beef Ground Sirloin Extra Lean	2 11639	Between 2009.FE.12 and 2009.MR.12
Lean Ground Beef	2 21648	Between 2009.FE.12 and 2009.MR.12
Lean Ground Beef Family Pack	2 31648	Between 2009.FE.12 and 2009.MR.12
Beef Burger Bacon Cheddar	2 71678	Between 2009.FE.12 and 2009.MR.12
Beef Burger Blue Cheese	2 61678	Between 2009.FE.12 and 2009.MR.12
Beef Burger Rsd Red Ppr Feta	2 51678	Between 2009.FE.12 and 2009.MR.12
Beef Ground Chuck Patties BBQ Ssn	2 41648	Between 2009.FE.12 and 2009.MR.12
Beef Burger Bacon Cheddar	2 21678	Between 2009.FE.12 and 2009.MR.12
Stuffed Bell Peppers	2 91708	Between 2009.FE.12 and 2009.MR.12, inclusive.
Beef Ground Chuck	2 21693	Between 2009.FE.12 and 2009.MR.12
Beef Ground Sirloin	2 21699	Between 2009.FE.12 and 2009.MR.12
Beef Ground Chuck	2 01693	Between 2009.FE.12 and 2009.MR.12
Beef Ground Chuck Family Pack	2 31693	Between 2009.FE.12 and 2009.MR.12
Beef Ground Sirloin	2 01699	Between 2009.FE.12 and 2009.MR.12
Beef Lean Ground	2 11767	Between 2009.FE.12 and 2009.MR.12
Beef Lean Ground Family Pack	2 21767	Between 2009.FE.12 and 2009.MR.12

There has been no reported illness 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 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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