The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) completed its E. coli investigation into ingredients used in burgers produced at Cardinal Meat Specialists Limited that sickened five people in Ontario and Alberta. The agency concluded there is no evidence available to identify a source of contamination.
The burgers were recalled between Dec. 12 and Dec. 15, 2012, as part of an E. coli investigation. The agency had found the same genetic fingerprint for the recalled burgers on one production day. CFIA specifically investigated whether the contamination came from spices, domestic beef ingredients and international beef ingredients used to make the burgers.
Spices tested negative for E. coli and were ruled out of the investigation. It also was determined that international ingredients had met all import certification and testing requirements. The agency also said no reported cases of illness in those countries with the same E. coli O157:H7 genetic fingerprint. The CFIA has confirmed that all available domestic beef ingredient products have tested negative for E. coli O157:H7.
