Union says Alberta plant shipping beef for first time since E. coli closure
November 15, 2012 - 2:19 PM
EDMONTON - The plant at the centre of an extensive beef recall has resumed shipping products for the first time since an E. coli outbreak forced its closure in September.
The union representing workers at the XL Foods Inc. plant in Brooks, Alta., says the shipments include a full range of products, including ground beef and steaks.
The beef has been packaged under the banner of JBS, which took over management of the Brooks plant from XL Foods last month.
Doug O'Halloran of the United Food and Commercial Workers union says employees at the plant are upbeat about the shipments and hopeful about the plant's future.
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency says once beef at the plant has tested negative for E. coli, it is allowed to enter the marketplace in Canada.
The agency says it will soon ask U.S. officials for permission to export beef from the plant to the U.S.
News from © The Canadian Press, 2012