Smith debunks Belmont Meats link to source of E.coil

NaijaAgroNet

The Chief Executive Officer of Belmont Meats, Duffy Smith has debunked the assertion that the possible E.coil contamination of a ground beef originated from his Toronto plant, NaijaAgroNet reports.

Smith, whose company has been at the center of a ground beef recall, said that the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) is checking where the beef trim that his company uses to make burgers came from so that the source of the E. coli can be traced.

"We fully vetted all our production systems and checks. They cover the gamut of federal requirements for handling raw meat and our operations are clean. They (CFIA) have gone back into the supply chain and they are working with several suppliers trying to source where the contamination came from," Duffy said.

Smith said the beef Belmont uses is certified and inspected by the CFIA from Canadian beef suppliers, which he declined to name, while a spokesman for the CFIA, Guy Gravelle said in an email from Ottawa that he could confirm that the agency continues to investigate.

It will be recalled that NaijaAgroNet reported this story of beef that has been linked to nine confirmed cases of people getting sick from E. coli in the province, two probable cases and four suspected cases.

It recorded also that the three main beef-processing plants in the country include two operated by Cargill Canada in High River, Alta., and Guelph, Ont, and the other is the JBS Food Canada Inc. plant in Brooks, Alta., formerly owned by XL Foods which was at the centre of the largest meat recall in Canadian history last year when eighteen people became ill.

 Since the agency began issuing health hazard alerts earlier this month about possible E. coli, Belmont has recalled about 68,000 kilograms of beef, including products distributed across Canada.While details of the alerts and recalls, including which products are involved, are posted on the agency's website.

AN/GEE

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