These raw pork products may have been sold by other retailers. Consumers who are unsure if they have the affected products are advised to check with their retailer.

This recall was triggered by the E. coli O157:H7 foodborne outbreak investigation led by Alberta Health Services (http://www.albertahealthservices.ca/10353.asp) and supported by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) that has sickened 152.

And, do not be surprised that it is in pork:

Samadpour M, Ongerth JE, Liston J, Tran N, Nguyen D, Whittam TS, Wilson RA, Tarr PI. 1994. Occurrence of Shiga-like toxin-producing Escherichia coli in retail fresh seafood, beef, lamb, pork, and poultry from grocery stores in Seattle, Washington. Applied and Environmental Microbiology 60 (3): 1038-1040 Samadpour et al (1994), found non-O157 STEC in 9 (18%) of 51 pork samples, 10 (48%) of 21 lamb samples, 5 (63%) of 8 veal samples, 4 (12%) of 33 chicken samples, 1 (7%) of 15 turkey samples, 6 (10%) of 62 fish samples, and 2 (5%) of 44 shellfish samples tested.

Fratamico PM, Bagi LK, Bush EJ, Solow BT. 2004. Prevalence and characterization of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli in swine feces recovered in the National Animal Health Monitoring System’s Swine 2000 study. Applied and Environmental Microbiology 70(12):7173-8. Fratamico et al., (2004) determined that 70% of 687 swine fecal samples tested positive for the presence of Shiga toxin, and found that most of the serogroups isolated have been associated with human illness. These authors concluded that swine could be a potential reservoir of STEC strains that cause human illness, but conceded that the extent to which swine play a role in the epidemiology of human infection needs further investigation.

Shiga toxigenic and atypical enteropathogenic Escherichia coli in the feces and carcasses of slaughtered pigs 14.dec.12 Foodborne Pathogens and Disease. December 2012, 9(12): 1119-1125 Clarissa Araújo Borges, Lívia Gerbasi Beraldo, Renato Pariz Maluta, Marita Vedovelli Cardozo, Beatriz Ernestina Cabilio Guth, Everlon Cid Rigobelo, and Fernando Antônio de Ávila http://online.liebertpub.com/doi/abs/10.1089/fpd.2012.1206#utm_source=ETOC&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=fpd Abstract Escherichia coli is a pathogen of major importance in swine and public health. To determine the prevalence of Shiga toxigenic E. coli (STEC) and enteropathogenic E. coli (EPEC), samples were collected from the feces and carcasses of swines. In total, 441 samples were collected in four samplings, of which 141 samples tested positive for either the stx1, stx2, and/or eae genes. From the positive samples, one STEC and 15 atypical EPEC (aEPEC) isolates were obtained, and all originated from the same sampling. In addition to eae, lpfAO157/OI-141, ehxA, toxB, and lpfAO113were present in the aEPEC isolates. The only
stx2-containing isolate carried stx2e and belonged to serotype O103:HNT. Resistance to four or more antimicrobials was found in almost half of the isolates, and some isolates shared the same fingerprint patterns by enterobacterial repetitive intergenic consensus–polymerase chain reaction (ERIC-PCR). The presence of
certain virulence genes and the high level of resistance to antimicrobials, as well as the possible fecal contamination of carcasses showed that some of the isolates are of public health concern.

Escherichia coli O157:H7: Animal reservoir and sources of human infection 31.mar.11 Foodborne Pathogens and Disease. April 2011, 8(4): 465-487 Witold A. Ferens, Carolyn J. Hovde http://www.liebertonline.com/doi/abs/10.1089/fpd.2010.0673 Abstract This review surveys the literature on carriage and transmission of enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC) O157:H7 in the context of virulence factors and sampling/culture technique. EHEC of the O157:H7 serotype are worldwide zoonotic pathogens responsible for the majority of severe cases of human EHEC disease. EHEC O157:H7 strains are carried primarily by healthy cattle and other ruminants, but most of the bovine strains are not transmitted to people, and do not exhibit virulence factors associated with human disease. Prevalence of EHEC O157:H7 is probably underestimated. Carriage of EHEC O157:H7 by individual animals is typically short-lived, but pen and farm prevalence of specific isolates may extend for months or years and some carriers, designated as supershedders, may harbor high intestinal numbers of the pathogen for extended periods. The prevalence of EHEC O157:H7 in cattle peaks in the summer and is higher in postweanedcalves and heifers than in younger and older animals. Virulent strains
of EHEC O157:H7 are rarely harbored by pigs or chickens, but are found in turkeys. The bacteria rarely occur in wildlife with the exception of deer and are only sporadically carried by domestic animals and synanthropic rodents and birds. EHEC O157:H7 occur in amphibian, fish, and invertebrate carriers, and can colonize plant surfaces and tissues via attachment mechanisms different from those mediating intestinal attachment. Strains of EHEC O157:H7 exhibit high genetic variability but typically a small number of genetic types predominate in groups of cattle and a farm environment. Transmission to people occurs primarily via ingestion of inadequately processed contaminated food or water and less frequently through contact with manure, animals, or infected people.