News
Ontario stores not part of voluntary beef recall
Initial reports of a voluntary recall of ground beef at Whole Foods Markets in Canada and many states south of the border are inaccurate. Outlets in Toronto and Oakville are not part of the recall, although four locations in Vancouver are.
August 11, 2008 By Top Crop Manager -with files from Toronto Star and meatingplace.com
August 11, 2008
Initial reports of a voluntary recall of fresh ground beef at all Canadian outlets of Whole Foods Market is actually incorrect, according to a story in the Aug. 11th Toronto Star. First reported by meatingplace.com on Aug. 8th, the Austin, Texas-based Whole Foods franchise announced a voluntary recall in 25 states and Canada, due to a potential E. coli contamination.
However, today’s Toronto Star reported that Whole Foods outlets in Oakville and Toronto are not subject to the recall, only the four stores in Vancouver. The meat in question was supplied by a Nebraska processing plant, and was sold between June 2nd and August 6th. Beef sold at the Toronto and Oakville stores is supplied by Beretta Organic Farms near King City, Ontario.
Illnesses have been linked to product purchased at Whole Foods stores in Massachusetts and Pennsylvania. Whole Foods representatives said the beef in question apparently came from Coleman Natural Beef and was processed at Nebraska Beef Ltd.
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) said on Friday that Nebraska Beef recalled about 1.2 million pounds of primal cuts, subprimal cuts and boxed beef that were branded "Coleman Natural" because they may be contaminated with E. coli O157:H7. These products were sent to establishments and retail stores nationwide for further processing. In July, Nebraska Beef recalled some 5.3 million pounds of ground beef.
"At the time of the previous recall, Whole Foods Market received assurances from Coleman Natural Beef that no product delivered to Whole Foods Market was linked to the recall. Those assurances are now in question and Whole Foods Market is actively investigating the issue," Whole Foods said in a news release.
Massachusetts health authorities are warning consumers not to eat ground beef bought from Whole Foods Markets over the last two months after seven infections have been linked to meat bought there, some after Nebraska Beef's July recall.
As a precaution, it has also included the following states in its voluntary recall: Connecticut, Rhode Island, Maine, Florida, New Jersey, New York, Kentucky, Maryland, Ohio, Virginia, Washington D. C., Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska and Wisconsin.
