Despite seeing no evidence yet of nationwide contamination, several major Canadian grocers are pulling romaine lettuce from sale across Canada in the wake of E. coli-related illness outbreaks in three provinces. Loblaw Companies announced Wednesday it was recalling and removing from its store shelves across the country all romaine lettuce products “out of an abundance […] Read more
Major grocers pull romaine lettuce nationwide
Abstain from romaine: Canada, U.S. warn on E. coli in lettuce
Reuters — Public health officials in the U.S. and Canada on Tuesday warned against eating romaine lettuce while they investigate an outbreak of E. coli that has sickened 50 people in the two countries, including 13 who were hospitalized. The alerts, issued as millions of Americans plan their Thanksgiving Day menus, covered all forms of […] Read more
There’s a magic number when cooking beef — and it’s 71 C
Doubts had been raised on the safe temperature for cooked beef, but new research has settled the question
Reading Time: 2 minutes Your burger is still done at 71 C. New research has concluded that all E. coli pathogens are killed at that temperature. “The last time people wrote articles about this in 2016, there was work that referenced the implication that 71 C was not safe,” said Mark Klassen, director of technical services with the Canadian Cattlemen’s […] Read more
Flour recalls widen in E. coli probe
Federal public health officials and flour miller Ardent Mills are warning Canadians to follow “safe flour handling practices” as an E. coli-related flour recall widens from one specific batch of Robin Hood flour to include several other Ardent-made products. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency on Sunday updated its food recall warnings to include several lots […] Read more
Robin Hood flour pulled in E. coli probe
Federal health officials investigating over two dozen cases of E. coli poisoning across Canada are warning consumers to get rid of a certain batch of Robin Hood flour. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) on Tuesday issued a food recall warning for Robin Hood All-Purpose Flour, Original, distributed in British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba. […] Read more
Health Canada clears ground beef irradiation
Fresh and frozen ground beef treated with irradiation can now be sold in Canada, the federal health department announced Wednesday. Health Canada has published regulations in the Canada Gazette which add fresh and frozen ground beef to the short list of irradiated foods, such as potatoes, onions, spices and flour, that are permitted for sale, […] Read more
Alberta scientists discover new heat-resistant strains of E. coli
The new strains found by U of A scientists can survive the temperature recommended by Health Canada for proper cooking
Reading Time: 2 minutes You might need to cook your meat at a higher temperature next time you fire up the barbecue. Scientists from the University of Alberta have found a new heat-resistant E. coli that can survive at 71 C — the level of heat advised by Health Canada for proper cooking. “We discovered that some strains of […] Read more
Chipotle shuts for staff food safety meeting
Reuters — U.S. burrito chain Chipotle Mexican Grill shut its stores for four hours on Monday to hold a nationwide staff meeting, where CEO Steve Ells apologized for E. coli and norovirus outbreaks and laid out the company’s recently developed food safety program. Chipotle also said it would spend about $10 million to help local […] Read more
Preventing negative side-effects of vaccinations in cattle
Beef 911: Vaccinating is a great tool, but producers need vaccination protocols and should be ready to deal with their negative effects
Reading Time: 4 minutes There is now a multitude of vaccines on the market for all facets of the beef and dairy industry. Vaccinating has become part of the biosecurity program on your farm, ranch or dairy. It is good for our industry as it controls disease, minimizes antibiotic use, improves production, and decreases death or losses from abortion. […] Read more
Alberta researchers hot on the trail of deadly bacteria
In response to the E. coli contamination at XL Foods, scientists have devised a test that slashes detection time in half
Reading Time: 3 minutes The time it takes to detect E. coli in a meat-processing plant has been cut in half, thanks to technology developed by researchers from the University of Alberta. “We have been able to shorten the time and we can go from cold meat to detection of Enterohaemorrhagic E. coli within five to six hours,” said Lynn […] Read more
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
