Frozen Canadian beef burgers recalled for E. coli

Feb 21, 2013

Ontario meat plant linked in E. coli contamination investigation

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has launched an investigation into some frozen beef burgers sold by Canada Safeway Ltd. over concerns that some of the frozen product might be contaminated with E. coli bacteria.

The investigation was launched after CFIA officials received notice that two people in Manitoba and Ontario became sick.

The recall includes the following frozen burgers: Gourmet Meat Shoppe Big & Juicy Burger, Gourmet Meat Shoppe Prime Rib Burger, and Butcher's Cut Pure Beef Patties sold in packages of 10, 20 and 40, with a best before date of (Aug. 14, 2013).

Officials say that the products were distributed in Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta, British Columbia and the Northwest Territories.

The potential E. coli contamination has been linked back to Cardinal Meat Specialists, which operates in Brampton, Ontario. CFIA officials said on Wednesday that the investigation might expand since Cardinal Meat Specialists is one of the largest producers of frozen burger patties in Canada.

This case is thought to be unrelated to the XL Foods beef recall, which was the largest beef recall in Canadian history.

Video: Evolution of Beef Cattle Farming

The Clear Conversations podcast took to the road for a special episode recorded in Nashville during CattleCon, bringing listeners straight into the heart of the cattle industry. Host Tracy Sellers welcomed rancher Steve Wooten of Beatty Canyon Ranch in Colorado for a wide-ranging discussion that blended family history and sustainability, particularly as it relates to the future of beef production.

Sustainability emerged as a central theme of the conversation, a word that Wooten acknowledges can mean very different things depending on who you ask. For him, sustainability starts with the soil. Healthy soil produces healthy grass, which supports efficient cattle capable of producing year after year with minimal external inputs. It’s an approach that equally considers vegetation, animal efficiency, and long-term profitability.

That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.