The XL Foods cattle processing plant in Brooks, Alta., has regained its operating licence.
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency this morning announced that its investigations are complete and it is confident the issues that led to Canada’s largest meat recall have been addressed.
The CFIA revoked the plant’s operating licence Sept. 27 after E. coli 0157:H7 was discovered in some of the plant’s products. At least 11 people were made ill by eating some of the products.
The plant will be subject to enhanced inspection by CFIA officials for the foreseeable future, said CFIA associate vice-president Paul Mayers in a news conference this morning.
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“Enhanced oversight will allow the CFIA to ensure that food safety controls are being implemented consistently within ongoing daily operations,” he said.
That will include additional testing for the presence of E. coli, beyond the tests the company is required to make as part of its food safety protocol, said Mayers. Two more inspectors will be added to the current complement of 46 to focus on work at key stages of production at the plant.
All tests will be assessed by the CFIA and no meat will be released until results are assessed.
“Events such as this underscore the need for continuous review. That’s why the CFIA will be convening its expert advisory committee to conduct a thorough review of all events and circumstances related to the XL foods inc. investigation.”
Mayer said results of this internal investigation would be made public. That falls short of federal opposition and union demands for a public inquiry into the matter.
Federal agriculture minister Gerry Ritz, who has been criticized for his handling of the beef recall, acknowledged the news through a reminder about the Safe Foods for Canadians Act that is now in the legislative process.
The Brooks plant, owned by Nilsson Brothers, will now be operated by managers from JBS USA, the multinational meat processing firm that struck a deal with Nilsson Brothers last week.
The deal gives JBS 60 days to consider buying several of the Alberta company’s holdings for $50 million in cash and $50 million in JBS shares.
Those holdings include the Brooks plant, a feedlot and farmland near the plant, a Calgary meat plant and two others in the United States.
