Guest guest Posted June 25, 2000 Report Share Posted June 25, 2000 TORONTO (Reuters) - The Canadian Food Inspection Agency warned consumers on Friday not to eat fresh lean ground beef purchased from certain Costco Wholesale stores as it may contain the same strain of E. coli bacteria that devastated the town of Walkerton, Ontario, last month. Jean Kamanzi, the agency's chief of food-borne pathogens, said: ``The product was tested and it was found positive for E. coli so we recalled it due to caution.'' Speak your mindDiscuss this story with other people. [start a Conversation] (Requires Messenger) Kamanzi stressed there had been no cases of illness connected to the tainted hamburger and consumers should not panic. The ground beef was contaminated by the same deadly bacterium that contaminated Walkerton's water supply, infecting about 2,000 people and resulting in as many as 18 deaths in the farming community about 200 kilometres (125 miles) northwest of Toronto. The contaminated beef was sold in Costco stores in the provinces of Ontario, Quebec, Saskatchewan, Alberta and British Columbia. A similar case of infected ground beef occurred at the Provigo supermarket chain in Quebec. Escherichia coli O157:H7 is a deadly form of a common type of bacteria usually found in the intestines of humans and animals. It attacks and breaks down the lining of the intestines before damaging the kidneys, possibly leading to kidney failure and death. According to the Food Inspection Agency, food contaminated with E. coli will not look or smell spoiled. Get Mail - Free email you can access from anywhere! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You are posting as a guest. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.