Ottawa, October 11, 2013 - The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) and Costco Wholesale Canada Ltd. are warning the public not to consume the Kirkland Signature brand Organic Lean Ground Beef described below because it may be contaminated with pathogenic E. coli bacteria.
This product has been sold from Costco warehouses in BC, Alberta, Manitoba and Saskatchewan.
There have been no reported illnesses associated with the consumption of this product.
The importer, Costco Wholesale Canada Ltd., Ottawa, Ontario, is voluntarily recalling the affected product from the marketplace. The CFIA is monitoring the effectiveness of the recall.
The following Kirkland Signature brand product, Product of USA, is affected by this alert:
For more information, consumers and industry can contact:
Costco Wholesale Canada Ltd., at 1-800-463-3783; or,
CFIA by filling out the online feedback form.
Food contaminated with pathogenic E. coli may not look or smell spoiled. Consumption of food contaminated with these bacteria my cause serious and potentially life-threatening illnesses. Symptoms include severe abdominal pain and bloody diarrhoea. Some people may have seizures or strokes and some may need blood transfusions and kidney dialysis. Others may live with permanent kidney damage. In severe cases of illness, people may die.
For more information on foodborne pathogens, visit the Causes of Food Poisoning web page.
