CFIA/Health Hazard Alert:The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) and Canada Safeway arewarning the public not to consume certain Safeway lean ground beefdescribed below because it may be contaminated with E. coli O157:H7.
Lean Ground Beef affected by this alert was sold in packages ofapproximately 0.450 kg, with the first part of UPC being 201670.Product label bears Canada establishment number 573 and the productwas prepared for certain Canada Safeway stores in NortheasternOntario, Manitoba and Saskatchewan.
The affected packages bear a Best Before or a Freeze By date of March19 and were sold from March 13 to March 19, inclusive and are nolonger available for sale. Consumers who may have previouslypurchased this product and still have it in their freezers, areadvised not to consume this product.
There has been no reported illness associated with the consumption ofthis product.
Food contaminated with E. coli O157:H7 may not look or smell spoiled.Consumption of food contaminated with this bacteria may causeserious and potentially life-threatening illnesses. Symptoms includesevere abdominal pain and bloody diarrhea. Some people may haveseizures or strokes and some may need blood transfusions and kidneydialysis. Others may live with permanent kidney damage. In severecases of illness, people may die.
The manufacturer, Vantage Foods, Winnipeg, is voluntarily recallingthe affected product from the marketplace. The CFIA is monitoringthe effectiveness of the recall.
Last update: 10:41 p.m. EDT April 7, 2009
OTTAWA, ONTARIO, Apr 07, 2009 (MARKET WIRE via COMTEX)