Questions and Answers - CFIA Investigation into Cardinal Meat Specialists Ltd. (E. coli O157:H7)

Background on the plant

What products are produced at Establishment 752, Cardinal Meat Specialists?

Establishment 752, Cardinal Meat Specialists Limited, produces various types of fresh and frozen meat and vegetable burgers. All burgers are uncooked.

How many plant employees and how many inspectors are in this plant?

Currently, there are 55 employees at the plant. There are three CFIA inspectors who cover three shifts at the plant (day, morning and night).

Does this plant ship internationally?

This plant is eligible to export to the U.S. and the Philippines. No products from the recalled lot were exported.

Has the CFIA issued CARs to this plant in the past?

Yes. Since January 2012, two CARs have been issued.

Both CARs were issued on January 26, 2012, and closed on March 29. These CARs related to improper storage of cheese ingredients and improper tracking of lot numbers of cheese ingredients.

Does this company have a history of recalls?

Product from this company was last recalled in 2007.

What are the results of CFIA and company E. coli testing?

All monitoring sampling results have been negative for E. coli.

What are the next steps in the food safety investigation?

CFIA laboratories will continue to report test results for the retail samples submitted. To date, two retail samples have been confirmed positive for E. coli O157:H7.

The CFIA will also continue the in-depth review at the establishment to assess how and where contamination may have occurred. Initial findings have not identifed any issues with the company's E. coli O157:H7 control measures. The Agency will continue to work with the company to determine if there were other affected products and will take immediate action in response to any issues of concern at the establishment.

How does the company manage E. coli risks?

Establishment 752, Cardinal Meat Specialists Limited, employs its own Quality Assurance (QA) personnel and has a Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points (HACCP) system in place. This is typical of a federally registered meat plant, where there are QA staff employed by the company as well as CFIA inspectors that visit the plant during operations.

QA staff observe and monitor that employees carry out their duties correctly and take regular product and environment samples to verify that the plant's HACCP system continues to control all food related hazards. When QA staff find a product or process that is not in compliance with federal food standards, they are responsible to develop and implement an effective action plan to correct the non-compliance and prevent it from re-occurring. QA staff must also reassess the operators HACCP system annually to ensure that it is still effective in controlling all food related hazards.

CFIA inspectors are responsible for verifying that industry is following federal food safety rules and that federally registered establishments have effective preventive measures in place to reduce risks.

Inspectors divide their time between assessing each establishment's implementation of their food safety program and conducting on-site inspections, which include observing plant processing activities, interviewing plant personnel, reviewing test results and assessing plant control measures. CFIA inspectors also take samples for testing as per the National Sampling plan guidelines. Depending on the type of facility being inspected and the type of product being processed, different verification tasks must be performed daily, weekly, monthly or yearly.

While performing these tasks, if an inspector identifies a product or process that is not in compliance with federal food standards, the nature of the issue identified will dictate the course of corrective action. Food safety issues are dealt with immediately. Other deviations to the applicable regulatory requirements or HACCP system are unacceptable and must be addressed by the company within a specific timeframe.

When a problem is identified, a CAR is issued. The CFIA requires that the plant operator submit an action plan to fix the problem and prevent it from re-occurring. The CFIA also verifies that the operator's plan has been implemented appropriately. When the plan is not effective or when the operator is unwilling or unable to correct the problem, the CFIA pursues stronger enforcement options.

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