The U.S. Food Safety and Inspection Service has used “DNA fingerprints” to trace the source of recent U.S. outbreaks of contaminated beef back to one shoddy supplier in Alberta, Canada. The company most likely responsible is Rancher’s Beef, Ltd, which went out of business on August 15th, but not before helping sink Topps and contributing to nearly 100 illnesses in the U.S. and Canada.

Canada seems have reached a similar conclusion, although, being Canadian, they announced it in a more polite and understated way. (Those stupid Canadians!)

Some 45 cases of illness caused by E. coli were reported in five Canadian provinces from July to September, including one death, said the CFIA in a statement. It said genetic testing found “the same unique E. coli pattern” in beef from an unnamed meat facility in Alberta that is “currently not operating.”

“Canadian beef likely cause of U.S. E. coli cases: USDA”

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