President of Edmonton meat plant speaks about food safety closure
EDMONTON - The president of an Edmonton meat-processing plant says its operating licence was suspended over record-keeping problems, not because of product hygiene.
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency suspended the licence of Capital Packers Thursday because it said adequate controls for food safety at the plant were not being reliably and consistently used.
Capital Packers President Brent Komarnicki says the plant was in the process of voluntarily recalling 378 cases of ham sausages after a worker's sleeve tested positive for Lysteria.
He says the sausages were sold at Loblaws and Sobeys stores in western Canada under the Compliments and Capital brands.
Komarnicki says the suspension was handed down because the company's recall program was ineffective and he admits the plant has record keeping problems that staff are working to correct.
Lysteria is a food-borne illness that can cause high fever, severe headache, neck stiffness and nausea.
