Questions and Answers - Information about the recall and recalled products

What prompted this voluntary recall by XL Foods Inc.? How did the recall happen?

For more information, view the Timeline of Events.

Where were the recalled products distributed?

The recalled products were distributed to grocery stores, hotels, restaurants and institutions within certain provinces and in some cases nationally. For a list of products and their distribution. Please refer to the recall notice on the CFIA website at inspection.gc.ca/recalls_XLFoods.

If consumers are unsure if they have affected products they should check with the store where they purchased their meat.

Will cooked product, whether from recalled meat or from products that were at the plant the day of suspension, enter the marketplace? What will happen to the recalled meat?

XL Foods Inc. has confirmed that all recalled product will be destroyed.

Product that remains in Establishment 38 that is not affected by the recall will be rendered or subjected to a high temperature treatment. High temperature treatment is an established process for dealing with E. coli contamination and ensures that all bacteria are destroyed.

If the company chooses to use a high temperature treatment, the CFIA will oversee the effectiveness of this process and as an extra precautionary measure, will test afterwards to ensure the product is safe. US authorities have already permitted recalled product to undergo this process.

What is rendering?

Rendering is a high temperature cooking process that uses animal carcasses or their by-products - including bone, fat and hide - to produce purified fat and protein products for use in products as animal feed, fertilizer or industrial applications.

Rendered products do not enter the human food chain.

Why does the CFIA continue to issue expanded alerts?

Recall investigations are driven by three considerations: accuracy, thoroughness and expediency.

When dealing with potentially unsafe food, the CFIA needs to be sure that it has the right products identified. This can be a time consuming process. It involves securing and analyzing production and distribution records, which are often extensive and contained in various sources. It can also entail locating appropriate food samples and conducting tests. At the retail level, it can entail reviewing labels, distribution information and identification codes so that consumers can be properly informed of products at risk. Balancing the need to have reliable information with the need to inform the public as soon as possible means that the CFIA regularly alerts consumers of recalled product while investigations are still ongoing. With this approach, several public alerts may be issued for the same recall.

These recall expansions are common because today's food suppliers have developed intricate webs of distribution.

With this recall, some of the affected products were sent to other distributors before going to retailers meaning affected products could be processed further to make other meat products such as patties or sausages. Also, some of the affected ground beef products that were shipped to small retailers and local meat markets were re-packaged leaving them unlabelled and/or unbranded.

The CFIA continues to work with XL Foods Inc. to collect information from suppliers, distributors and retailers to identify where affected product has been distributed.

How much product has been recalled?

For specific information on the volume of the meat that has been recalled, contact XL Food Inc. by phone at 403-501-2596 or by email at mediainformation@xlfoods.com.

Are there any illnesses related to this recall?

Public health authorities have confirmed a number of illnesses linked to products from XL Foods Inc. or illnesses associated with the XL Foods Inc. food safety investigation. For more information, visit the Public Health Agency of Canada's website.