Independent review of XL Foods Inc. beef recall 2012 : Examen indépendant du rappel des produits de bœuf de XL Foods Inc. 2012

That review, led by Sheila Weatherill, yielded the 2009 Report of the Independent Investigator into the 2008 Listeriosis Outbreak (the ‘Weatherill Report’); it is widely recognized for its comprehensive and rigorous investigation of both the circumstances of the outbreak and the nation’s foodborne emergency response system. [...] Impact of the recall on the beef industry For many of the same reasons, the country’s beef industry, which represents a significant component of our economy, was also greatly affected by the XL Foods Inc. [...] Considered in this Review Before delving into the risk factors associated with E. coli O157:H7 contamination of meat that underlay the need for this review, the Panel would like to present the following general understanding of the bacterium to help place it in the appropriate context. [...] In the mechanical tenderizing process, E. coli O157:H7 can be transferred either from the surface of the meat or from contaminated needles or blades to the interior of the meat. [...] In fact, with the exception of the waterborne outbreak of E. coli O157:H7 in Walkerton, Ontario in 2000, which took the lives of seven and affected hundreds more, the decline of reported cases goes back to 1995.