OTTAWA, ONTARIO -- (Marketwire) -- 02/20/13 -- The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) and Canada Safeway Limited are warning the public not to consume The Gourmet Meat Shoppe and The Butcher's Cut brands of Frozen Beef Burgers described below because these products may be contaminated with E. coli O157:H7 bacteria.

The following products are affected by this Alert:

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Brand              Product        Size               UPC                Code
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The Gourmet    Big & Juicy     1.13 kg   0 58200 10650 3        BEST BEFORE 
 Meat Shoppe        Burger                                2013 AU 14 EST 752
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The Gourmet      Prime Rib       907 g   0 58200 10733 3        BEST BEFORE 
 Meat Shoppe        Burger                                2013 AU 14 EST 752
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The              Pure Beef     1.13 kg   0 58200 21604 2        BEST BEFORE 
 Butcher's         Patties                                2013 AU 14 EST 752
 Cut            10 Patties                                                  
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The              Pure Beef     2.27 kg   0 58200 21592 2        BEST BEFORE 
 Butcher's         Patties                                2013 AU 14 EST 752
 Cut            20 Patties                                                  
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The              Pure Beef     4.45 kg   0 58200 21594 6        BEST BEFORE 
 Butcher's         Patties                                2013 AU 14 EST 752
 Cut            40 Patties                                                  
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These products have been distributed in Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta, British Columbia and Northwest Territories. Canada Safeway Limited, Calgary, Alberta, is voluntarily recalling the affected products from the marketplace. The CFIA is monitoring the effectiveness of the recall.

This recall is the result of E. coli O157:H7 product testing by the CFIA related to an ongoing outbreak investigation. The CFIA is currently conducting a food safety investigation at the producing facility to determine if any additional products may be affected.

Food contaminated with E. coli O157:H7 may not look or smell spoiled. Consumption of food contaminated with these bacteria may cause serious and potentially life-threatening illnesses. Symptoms include severe abdominal pain and bloody diarrhoea. Some people may have seizures or strokes and some may need blood transfusions and kidney dialysis. Others may live with permanent kidney damage. In severe cases of illness, people may die.

For more information, consumers and industry can call one of the following numbers:

Canada Safeway Limited at (403) 730-3511;

CFIA at 1-800-442-2342 / TTY 1-800-465-7735 (8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Eastern time, Monday to Friday).

For information on E. coli O157:H7, visit the Food Facts web page at: http://www.inspection.gc.ca/english/fssa/concen/cause/ecolie.shtml

For information on all food recalls, visit the CFIA's Food Recall Report at: http://active.inspection.gc.ca/eng/corp/recarapp_dbe.asp

To find out more about receiving recalls by e-mail, and other food safety facts, visit: www.foodsafety.gc.ca. Food and consumer product recalls are also available at http://www.healthycanadians.gc.ca.

Photos of the products are available at the following address: http://media3.marketwire.com/docs/CFIA-ACIA_130220.pdf.