Meatloaf likely source of Calgary daycare E. coli outbreak as shared kitchen charged
CMOH said there are ‘extremely high odds’ outbreak caused by meatloaf served at daycares
The City of Calgary said Wednesday it has laid charges against a shared kitchen — used by several daycares experiencing an E. coli outbreak — for operating without the proper licence.
Minutes after that announcement, Alberta's chief medical officer of health said investigators have narrowed down the cause of the outbreak to one likely source.
This comes after an outbreak of shiga toxin-producing E. coli, which has resulted in 351 lab-confirmed cases and 37 secondary cases, Alberta's Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Mark Joffe said.
During an investigation into the cause of the outbreak, Joffe said that investigators believe one meal has "extremely high odds" of being the source of the outbreak.
"Based on our investigation, we believe that meatloaf and vegan loaf meals that were served for lunch on Aug. 29 most likely contain the E. coli bacteria that led to these infections," he said.
"Unfortunately, neither of these items could be tested as they were either eaten or discarded before this outbreak was identified."
Joffe added that the investigation is still ongoing, and four children remain in hospital. Several children connected to the outbreak have developed hemolytic uremic syndrome, a disease which affects the kidneys.
The city said it has laid charges against Fueling Minds, a catering company which provided food to a number of daycares in the city.
The corporation and its two directors have each been charged under the Business Licensing Bylaw for operating without a business licence — for a total of 12 charges.
If convicted, they could face a total fine amount of up to $120,000.
The city said business safety officers began investigating Fueling Minds once news broke of the E. coli outbreak. The company had been providing third-party food services to five Calgary childcare centres owned by other operators.
"This additional service was outside of the scope of Fueling Minds provincially-licensed daycare business and required a City of Calgary business licence. The city also received a complaint from a concerned member of the public via the city's 311 service," the city news release read.
In an emailed statement to CBC, Fueling Minds said it would not provide comment on the ongoing legal proceedings.
The company added that they continue to work with AHS in their investigation, but noted "today's update from AHS indicated the exact source of the infections has not been identified."
"The well-being of the community and our staff remains our priority."
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith said the charges laid by the city seem "quite serious."
Smith said, in addition to the ongoing review of shared kitchens across the province, she has created an external review panel led by former Calgary police chief Rick Hanson.
The panel will also include parents, licensed facility-based child-care operators, food service operators, as well as food safety and public health experts.
She said the panel will look at whether policy changes are needed — including posting kitchen inspection reports on doors — and potential consequences for food operators who have repeat violations.
"In addition, I asked the panel to look at food handling requirements, such as temperature control and storage, both on-site where the food is prepared and stored, as well as off-site transit to where it will be delivered and consumed," Smith said.
She said the compassionate payment portal opened on Monday, and the province has received applications from hundreds of families.
WATCH | Alberta premier, chief medical officer of health answer questions in Calgary Wednesday
That $2,000 payment is available for families who have been impacted by the original outbreak, and those at the daycares that were affected by secondary spread.
There were 19 daycares affected by the outbreak. Eleven daycares were linked to the original outbreak, with sick children at seven of those daycares, and secondary spread was found at an additional eight daycares.
The Fueling Minds website says it's a catering program for child-care centres and schools, offering nutritious breakfasts, snacks and hot lunches. It has locations in Calgary and Saskatoon.
The Fueling Brains Academy, which has the same corporate address and email as Kids U Centennial-Fueling Minds Inc., says on its website it has eight preschool and daycare locations in Calgary and nearby Strathmore. It takes care of about 2,000 children.
Six of the 11 daycares initially closed due to the outbreak are Fueling Brains locations.
According to The Canadian Press, corporate records from the Alberta government show Fueling Brains Inc. was incorporated in the province in 2017. The company's directors are Faisal Alimohd and Anil Karim, who are both listed as voting shareholders.
Records show the Fueling Brains Academy trade name was registered as a child-care facility by Alimohd and was previously called Kids U Centennial Inc.
John Greenhow's son attended one of the Fueling Brains daycares and contracted E. coli, later developing hemolytic uremic syndrome.
His nephrology appointments to monitor kidney function are ongoing.
"The danger for my son and for other children who are affected by HUS is that this will be something they deal with potentially for the rest of their lifetime — if their kidneys were damaged significantly enough," he said.
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"And it's hard to communicate how sad and terrifying that prospect is," he said.
He said he thinks a review is the right level of seriousness for this issue.
"It's disgusting to me that it's taken a crisis like this to elevate scrutiny around kitchens and around food safety in particular for children. But here we are. All that we can do is hope that some good and some change comes out of this."
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With files from The Canadian Press