The Canadian Food Inspection Agency's (CFIA) is working closely with the Public Health Agency of Canada and provincial authorities in response to cases of E. coli illness reported in the Maritimes and Ontario.
The latest evidence in the Public Health Agency of Canada's outbreak investigation indicates that the most probable cause of the E. coli O157:H7 illnesses is shredded lettuce distributed by FreshPoint Inc. primarily to some KFC and KFC-Taco Bell restaurants
Lettuce has a short shelf life, therefore contaminated products are unlikely to still be available. As a precaution, the CFIA is working with FreshPoint Inc. to recall any remaining affected products from restaurants. At this point, the source of contamination for the shredded lettuce has not been determined. The CFIA has traced the lettuce to its origin in California and has notified U.S. authorities of this finding. The CFIA is verifying that appropriate food safety controls were followed at each step of production, processing and distribution. Immediate action will be taken to ensure that any unsafe food is removed from the marketplace.
As a precaution, FreshPoint Inc. initiated a recall for shredded lettuce shipped during the time of the outbreak to KFC and KFC-Taco Bell restaurants. There is no indication that the lettuce was sent to grocery stores.
