The 91原创 Food Inspection Agency has expanded its health hazard warning about ground beef products from XL Foods of Alberta to more stores and provinces because of concerns about possible dangerous E. coli contamination.
Hamburgers and other ground beef products produced by Edmonton-based XL Foods are now being recalled from grocery stores in Atlantic Canada. The original warning covered some store chains in Ontario, Alberta, B.C., Saskatchewan and Manitoba.
The agency hasn't said exactly how much meat is involved in the warnings or the recall.
"With regard to the distribution and the area of coverage and the number of retailers who are providing us information on the product, it is fairly extensive," Garfield Balsom of the 91原创 Food Inspection Agency said Tuesday.
Consumers are being warned not to eat, sell or serve the meat products.
Sobeys stores in every province carried the beef, along with Foodland stores in Ontario and Atlantic Canada and Metro stores in Ontario and Quebec.
Thrifty Foods, a division of Sobeys, said in a statement Wednesday that beef products found in its stores are not affected by the recall. Thrifty Foods procures its beef products from Cargill of High River, Alta.
The recalled meat was also available at Giant Tiger locations in Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and the Northwest Territories.
And the list of retailers carrying the beef includes several corporate and franchised stores of Loblaw Companies Ltd., but not Loblaws stores themselves, says the company.
It says the stores include locations of Extra Foods, No Frills, Real 91原创 Wholesale Club, Shop Easy, SuperValu, Real 91原创 Superstore, Westfair and Your Independent Grocer from Manitoba to British Columbia. It also includes these stores in Ontario: No Frills, Kenora; Extra Foods in Marathon, Dryden and Geraldton; Real 91原创 Superstore in Thunder Bay; and Real 91原创 Wholesale Club in Kenora and Thunder Bay.
The CFIA initially said Sunday that the beef was sold under the Kirkland Signature brand, which is carried by Costco stores across Canada. It was also sold under the Safeway brand in Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and B.C.
There have been no reported illnesses to date.
