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HEALTH HAZARD ALERT

GROUND BEEF SOLD FROM CERTAIN STORES IN BRITISH COLUMBIA MAY CONTAIN E. coli 0157:H7 BACTERIA

OTTAWA, July 22, 2005 - The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) and Westfair Foods Ltd. are warning the public not to consume all varieties of ground beef including ground sirloin sold from the four stores listed below. These products may be contaminated with E. coli 0157:H7 bacteria.

Only the following stores are affected by this alert.

Westfair Foods Ltd., Calgary, Alberta, is voluntarily recalling the affected products from the marketplace.

Although the affected products are not in the stores, some consumers may have affected products in their freezers. For this reason, consumers are advised to check their freezers and not to consume the affected products.

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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