The fourth recall in as many days on Tuesday is taking the breadth and scale of the Alberta beef recall to even higher levels.
The recall is now the largest one in Canadian history, the CBC is reporting, with more than 1,500 different kinds of meat items being pulled from shelves in every province and 41 states across the border.
The recall has sparked questions and unease from the beginning – the first person to become ill from eating tainted meat was a young Alberta girl who fell ill on Sept. 4. Health warning were later issued on Sept. 16, cautioning consumers about certain packets of ground beef.
All-out recalls were finally implemented by the CFIA, and have been coming steadily for nearly three weeks and every day for the last four days, reaching a scale never before seen in Canadian history.
Shortly after, authorities on the U.S. side of the border came under fire for what critics described as a 'stunningly' slow response to the presence of the bacteria coming into the country from Canada.
The USDA waited 17 days after learning about the threat before putting out a health warning on Sept. 20. It was then criticized for not implementing a recall, despite the fact the CFIA had already done so.
Alberta health officials originally said they were dealing with a typical number of E. coli cases for a typical September in Alberta, and assured the public none could be tied to the tainted beef coming from the Brooks plant. Health officials now confirm five cases have been linked to meat processed at the southern Alberta facility.
Original Article
Source: huffington post
Author: The Huffington Post Canada
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