The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has suspended the licence of Capital Packers' facility in Edmonton, Alberta, effective 22 November 2012.

This move comes after CFIA identified that adequate controls for food safety are not being reliably implemented in the facility on a consistent basis. In addition, CFIA found that the company failed to correct deficiencies previously identified through CFIA inspections.

All products currently at this plant are under CFIA detention and control. The CFIA is also conducting a food safety investigation to determine if products shipped from the plant pose potential risks to consumers, particularly related to Listeria monocytogenes contamination. The CFIA plans to immediately alert the public if unsafe food could be in the marketplace.

Capital Packers will not be able to resume operations until they have fully implemented the necessary corrective actions and the CFIA is fully confident in the plant's capacity to effectively manage food safety risks.