HEALTH HAZARD ALERT

CERTAIN GROUND BEEF PRODUCTS MAY CONTAIN E. coli 0157:H7 BACTERIA

OTTAWA, May 2, 2008 - The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) is warning the public not to consume the ground beef products described below because these products may be contaminated with E. coli O157:H7 bacteria.

The following frozen ground beef products are affected by this alert.

Distribution	Product Description	Size	Lot code / UPC
Costco Wholesale in Ontario	Belmont Meat Products Ltd. 100% Pure Ground Beef Patties Restaurant Pack ITM. / ART. 853629	10 lb / 4.54 kg (40 x 4 oz / 113 g)	Code Date 0858 UPC 0 60597 35020 9
M&M Meat Shops Across Canada	Steakhouse Beef Burgers PLU # 18	2.25 lb / 1.02 kg (6 x 6 oz / 170 g)	Code Date 0858 UPC N/A

Also affected by this alert are the fresh, not frozen Regular Ground Beef packages of variable weights sold from the following stores between March 13 and 21, 2008 inclusive.

Lone Tai Supermarket, 2300 Lawrence Ave. E., Toronto, Ontario, M1P 2R2

Hong Tai, 2555 Victoria Park Ave., Scarborough, Ontario, M1T 1A3

Ton Tai, 3030 Don Mills Road, North York, Ontario, M2J 3C1

Consumers who may have purchased these products and still have them in their freezers are advised not to consume these products.

There have been no reported illnesses associated with the consumption of these products.

Food contaminated with E. coli O157:H7 may not look or smell spoiled. Consumption of food contaminated with this bacteria may cause serious and potentially life-threatening illnesses. Symptoms include severe abdominal pain and bloody diarrhea. Some people may have seizures or strokes and some may need blood transfusions and kidney dialysis. Others may live with permanent kidney damage. In severe cases of illness, people may die.

The retailers are voluntarily recalling the affected products from the marketplace. The CFIA is monitoring the effectiveness of the recall.

For more information, consumers and industry can call the CFIA at 1-800-442-2342 / TTY 1-800-465-7735 (8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Eastern time, Monday to Friday).

For information on E. coli O157:H7, visit the Food Facts web page at http://www.inspection.gc.ca/english/fssa/concen/cause/ecolie.shtml

For information on receiving recalls by e-mail, or for other food safety facts, visit our web site at www.inspection.gc.ca.

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