New problems found at XL Foods plant, says CFIA
New problems have been found at XL Foods Inc., after the company at the centre of a massive beef recallresumed operations last week.
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency said this weekend they have ordered some changes at the Brooks, Alta., meat processing plant. But the agency said the plant is still being effectively managed overall.
Among other things, the CFIA said meat-cutting areas were not adequately cleaned, there was no sanitizing solution in the mats where employees clean their boots and the temperature of the water in the sanitizer was too low.
The agency ordered the plant to fix the deficiencies immediately, but added that some problems were anticipated because the plant was idle for so long.
"As would be expected in a facility that has not been in regular operation for some time, there have been some observations made by CFIA that resulted in the CFIA issuing new Corrective Action Requests (CARs) to XL Foods Inc. since the plant reopened," the agency said in a statement on its website.
The CFIA said XL Foods has submitted a corrective action plan, and that the company has addressed its concerns.
XL Foods resumed operations on Oct. 29 under the new management of Brazilian-based JBS USA. The plant's licence was suspended by the CFIA on Sept. 27.
The beef recall is the largest in Canadian history and affected more than 2,000 products. Seventeen people were diagnosed with E. coli that had been linked to the meat. The latest case, out of Quebec, was announced Saturday.
The U.S. Food Safety and Inspection Service visited the plant Friday to check on operations. Their findings have not yet been released.
