Meat&Poultry - October 2012 - 8

Business Notes

CFIA issues corrective actions for XL Foods following recall
Various Corrective Action Requests (CARs) have been issued by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) to XL Foods Inc. as a result of the agency’s in-depth review of the company’s Brooks, Alberta-based plant following the initiation of an expanding recall of various beef products from that plant due to E. coli O157:H7 fears. Based on CFIA’s in-depth review team observations, one CAR was issued requiring the company to address issues related to its management of E. coli O157:H7. During an in-depth review or audit situation, all fi ndings are issued CARs immediately, the agency relayed. Regarding the company’s management of E. coli risks, the team determined although the company had an appropriate plan to control food-safety risks, which had been verified by the CFIA, its hazard analysis and critical control point (HACCP) plan was not being fully implemented or regularly updated. Specific observations included a lack of detailed documents outlining required steps when product was positive for E. coli O157:H7 or when there were a high number of positives in a 24-hour period; inconsistent trend analysis on positive samples and no process to include test results from client establishments; insufficient record keeping related to on-going monitoring and validation of processes, procedures and equipment maintenance; and deficiencies in sampling techniques and procedures. There was no one single factor that would lead to E. coli O157:H7 contamination, the in-depth review determined - the combination of several deficiencies could have played a role. Individually, each fi nding would not typically signal an immediate concern during the course of normal inspection activities, the CFIA explained. On Oct. 7, prior to press date, the CFIA added more products to the previously announced voluntary recall of more than 400 beef products from the XL Foods plant. Illnesses linked to beef products from the plant to date totals 10 people from three Canadian provinces, the Canadian Press relays. Identified products in this recall are listed on the CFIA website at www.inspection.gc.ca/recalls. The most recent products announced in the recall have the same manufacturing dates of Aug. 24, 27, 28, 29 and Sept. 5, 2012, as in the previously recalled ground-beef products. The trace-out from XL Foods to secondary and tertiary distributors, manufacturers and retailers could result in a large number of affected products over a wide range of codes and dates, CFIA warns. This recall also includes unlabeled and/or unbranded beef products sold at retail stores not identified in the CFIA’s product list, which may include small retailers, local meat markets, butcher shops and more. In addition, the USDA FSIS now estimates that approximately 1.1 million lbs. of trim and approximately 1.4 million lbs. of primal and sub-primal cuts used to produce steaks, roasts, mechanically tenderized steaks and roasts plus ground beef were received by US fi rms from XL Foods Inc. ■

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Meat&Poultry - October 2012

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