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HEALTH HAZARD ALERT

VARIOUS WESTFAIR FOODS LTD. GROUND BEEF PRODUCTS MAY CONTAIN E. coli 0157:H7 BACTERIA

OTTAWA, August 6, 2004 - The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) and Westfair Foods Ltd. are warning the public not to consume various Westfair Foods Ltd. Ground Beef products listed below because the products may be contaminated with E.coli 0157:H7 bacteria.

The following products are affected by the recall:

1. Regular Ground Beef
2. Lean Ground Beef
3. Extra Lean Ground Beef

The affected products may have been sold at the various stores listed below between June 12 and June 21, 2004 and bear Best Before dates from June 15 to June 24 inclusive.

1. The Real Canadian Superstore
2. Real Canadian Wholesale Club
3. Extra Foods
4. Shop Easy
5. Super Valu
6. Food Fair, Whitehorse, Yukon

Westfair Foods Ltd., Calgary, Alberta, is voluntarily recalling the affected products from the marketplace. The affected products have been distributed in British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, the Northwest Territories, Yukon and Ontario west of Thunder Bay.

E.coli 0157:H7 causes serious and potentially life-threatening illness by producing a toxin that can break down the lining of the intestines and damage the kidneys. Food contaminated with the E. coli bacteria will not look or smell spoiled. These products should not be consumed. There have been two reported illnesses associated with the consumption of these products.

The CFIA is monitoring the effectiveness of the recall.

CFIA’s Food Safety Tips on Escherichia coli O157:H7 can be viewed at www.inspection.gc.ca

For more information, consumers and industry can call the CFIA at 1-800-442-2342. 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. local time - Monday to Friday.

For information on receiving recalls by electronic mail, or for other food safety facts, visit our web site at www.inspection.gc.ca.

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