USDA: Canadian Beef Likely Cause of U.S. E. coli Cases

WASHINGTON — A defunct Canadian meatpacker is "a likely source" of beef that caused an outbreak of food-borne illnesses in the United States and Canada, according to the U.S. meat safety agency.
 
Nearly 100 illnesses have been reported due to the E. coli O157:H7 bacteria in the two nations. The U.S. Food Safety and Inspection Service said a comparison of "DNA fingerprints" of beef samples pointed to Ranchers Beef Ltd, of Balzac, Alberta.

The Food Safety and Inspection Service directed U.S. food makers not to use boneless beef "trim" from Ranchers Beef and to hold all raw products made from it until both nations complete the investigation. FSIS de-listed Ranchers Beef as an importer on October 20.

In a statement, U.S. Agriculture Undersecretary Richard Raymond said the Canadian Food Inspection Agency provided so-called PFGE patterns from Ranchers Beef products that "helped us determine a likely source of contaminated product which led to the September 29 Topps Meat expanded recall.”

Read the full Reuters story here.