Local residents should take a moment before biting into that homemade burger to check the packaging.
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency announced a beef recall on Sunday spanning several provinces.
The products, voluntarily recalled by XL Foods, may be contaminated with E.Coli O157: H7.
The brands that may be affected in B.C. include Kirkland, Safeway and ground beef sold at Walmart stores.
Kirkland Signature lean ground beef, lean ground beef patties and ground beef tubes with packaging dates between Aug. 30 and Sept. 15 are included in the recall.
Recalled products under the Safeway brand in B.C. include MS lean ground beef patties with sundried tomato and asiago cheese, MS lean beef patties with cheddar cheese, MS lean ground beef meatloaf, MS lean ground beef sliders, MS meatballs made from ground beef and pork, MS beef lean ground stuffed peppers, MS ground sirloin patties, lean ground beef, regular ground beef and medium ground chuck with best before dates between Aug. 29 and Sept. 19.
Recalled products sold at Walmart include three-pound packages of regular ground beef stamped with the dates Sept. 17, 18 or 20, three-pound packages of medium ground beef stamped Sept. 18 and one-pound packages of lean ground beef stamped with the dates Sept. 17 or 20.
On Wednesday, the recall was expanded to include tubes of lean ground beef from Extra Foods, No Frills, Real Canadian Wholesale Club, Shop Easy, Supervalu, Superstore, Westfair and Your Independent Grocer. The beef is stamped best before up to and including Sept. 28, and the UPC code starts with 285505.
On Thursday, the recall was expanded to include beef sold at CO-OP stores in B.C. The many products listed, with packed on dates between Aug. 29 and Sept. 17, include varieties of ground beef, sausages and pepperoni.
Check UPC codes with the recall notices posted on the agency's website to determine whether or not beef from these locations is included in the recall.
The food may not look spoiled, according to the agency, but consuming food contaminated with the bacteria can cause serious and possibly life-threatening illnesses.
Symptoms include severe abdominal pain and bloody diarrhea. People who become ill may have seizures or strokes, and some may require blood transfusions or kidney dialysis.
No illnesses have been reported in association with the products, according to the agency.
For more information, call the agency at 1-800-442-2342, or go to www.inspection. gc.ca/recalls.
