E. coli outbreak linked to pork products from Alberta meat shop, 1 dead, 35 sick

EDMONTON — Investigators have linked an E. coli outbreak that has sickened 36 people, including a person who is likely to have died from the bacteria, to pork products from a meat shop south of Edmonton.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency has issued a recall warning for pork products sold and distributed by the Meat Shop at Pine Haven between Feb. 19 and April 24.

Alberta Health Services says there is a link between the E. coli cases and some meat from the business.

It warns eating the products is a health risk.

Late Wednesday, the agency said the recall has been expanded to include some pork products from K&K Foodliner in Edmonton that were packed between March 2 and April 13.

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On Thursday, certain pork products sold by Irvings Farm Fresh between Feb. 21 and April 25 were added to the recall list.

The agency says people should throw the meat away or return it for a refund.

“If you think you became sick from consuming a recalled product, call your doctor,” the CFIA said in a release out of Ottawa.

Last week, Alberta Health Services said 21 of the lab-confirmed cases were linked to Mama Nita’s Binalot restaurant in Edmonton.

Officials say the person who died did not dine at Mama Nita’s, and there are no longer health concerns about the restaurant.

“All the cases that we’ve identified to this point have a linkage to some degree back to the meat shop (at Pine Haven),” Dr. Jasmine Hasselback, medical officer of health, said Wednesday.

“When we were looking at the foods people ate at the restaurant, there actually wasn’t a consistent pattern at that time. It wasn’t until we were able to start adding information regarding the individuals not linked to the restaurant that pork became clearer.”

E. coli O157:H7 infections are generally caused when a person eats food or drinks water that is contaminated with human or animal feces, or through direct contact with a person who is sick or with animals that carry the bacteria.

Symptoms can include bloody diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, stomach cramps and kidney failure.

(CTV Edmonton, The Canadian Press)

The Canadian Press