The truth is out there

For some reason, the once popular sci-fi television series “The X-Files” came to mind last week as the unfolding debacle at XL Foods led to an ever-widening beef recall — and not just because of the X in the company’s name. There’s something surreal about advice from public health officials telling you to go to


Economic gloom hits U.S. live cattle futures

chicago / reuters / U.S. live cattle futures fell to a 2-1/2-month low the last week in September in a broad-based sell-off sparked by renewed concerns about the global economy that led to safe-haven investing in the dollar at the expense of other investments such as cattle, traders and analysts said. “It’s a technical meltdown

Independent look at XL needed

Four years ago, the Harper government was mired in the Maple Leaf listeria crisis and sought to reassure voters in the upcoming federal election by appointing an independent inquiry into the deadly event. While the XL Foods E. coli incident has produced only four confirmed cases of illness compared to the 22 deaths and scores


CFIA officials reviewing XL procedures

The number of Canadian confirmed cases of E. coli from the XL beef plant at Brooks, Alta. had reached 11 by press time Monday. Meanwhile, the beef recall had spread from North America to Hong Kong. The Hong Kong Centre for Food Safety had advised local companies to stop selling and to recall “a small

Canada Beef: Celebrating first birthday

So far, so good. That seemed to be the mood as 150 industry players recently gathered to mark Canada Beef Inc.’s first birthday. “We learned a lot on the fly,” said president Rob Meijer. “I think structurally our business plan and vision is sound. It probably holds stronger today than a year ago when we



Canada beef warning broadened to new products

Reuters / A public warning in Canada about beef possibly tainted with E. coli has been updated to include additional products. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) released a list of dozens of products Sept. 30 made from beef voluntarily recalled by XL Foods, whose plant in Brooks, Alberta, was temporarily shut by the agency


CFIA temporarily closes XL plant

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has temporarily shut one of the country’s largest meatpacking plants after contaminated beef products, that were distributed across Canada and the United States, are believed to have sickened several people. The operators of privately held XL Foods’ plant in Brooks, Alberta have not done enough to prevent contamination by

U.S. drought heading from croplands to the meat counter

The worst drought to hit U.S. cropland in more than half a century could soon leave Americans reaching deeper into their pockets to fund a luxury that people in few other countries enjoy: affordable meat. Drought-decimated fields have pushed grain prices sky high, and the rising feed costs have prompted some livestock producers to liquidate