AHS rescinds closure orders for Calgary food businesses found with uninspected meat

CALGARY – Alberta Health Services Environmental Public Health (EPH) has rescinded closure orders issued to seven of eight food service facilities for receiving uninspected meat.

These food businesses, which included commercial and restaurant services, were issued closure orders between April 19 and April 22. Seven have been verbally informed by EPH that the closure orders concerning their businesses have been rescinded. Rescind orders will be posted online shortly.

Four of these facilities were reopened on May 1. Three more were reopened today and EPH expects the remaining facility to be able to reopen over the next few days.

As directed by EPH, all uninspected meat has been destroyed and the facilities have been cleaned under scrutiny of an AHS Public Health Inspector. The operators were also required to sign an agreement that going forward they will only acquire and provide food from an approved source. These were all required actions before the closure orders could be rescinded.

At this time, AHS is not aware of any illness connected with uninspected meat acquired by these eight establishments.

Anyone who purchased meat or products containing meat from the Calgary-based businesses below before April 23, is instructed to dispose of these products immediately and watch for symptoms of gastro-intestinal bacterial infection. This includes leftovers brought home from any meals eaten at any of these businesses.
Common symptoms of foodborne illnesses include diarrhea, nausea, vomiting and stomach cramps. Some foodborne illness can cause a high fever and blood in your stool. Most of the time, foodborne illnesses are mild and go away after a few days.

As this is an ongoing investigation, no details can be released at this time. AHS is collaborating with the following partners: Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA), Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), Alberta Health, and Alberta Agriculture and Irrigation (AAI), in an ongoing investigation into this issue.

Safe food handling practices should always be observed, whenever storing, preparing and serving food. Learn more here: Foodborne Illness and Safe Food Handling (alberta.ca).

Alberta’s meat and dairy inspection system helps ensure food safety and animal welfare. For information on the meat inspection process, see: Meat and dairy inspection (alberta.ca).

Status of closure orders:

• Alta Halal Meat – rescinded.
• Bismillah Meat and Grocery – rescinded.
• Madina Halal Meat and Grocery – rescinded.
• Maher Fresh Halal Meat – Closure order remains in place.
• Mediterranean Halal Meats and Deli – rescinded.
• Mustafa Madina Halal Meat and Grocery – rescinded.
• Shawdesi Bazaar – rescinded.
• Shawdesi Foods & Catering – rescinded.

Alberta Health Services is the provincial health authority responsible for planning and delivering health supports and services for more than four million adults and children living in Alberta. Our mission is to provide a patient-focused, quality health system that is accessible and sustainable for all Albertans. Our current focus is on reducing emergency department wait-times, improving EMS response times, increasing access to surgeries, and improving patient flow.