XL Foods Faces Class-Action Lawsuit

Oct 03, 2012

Edmonton E. coli Victim Launches Class- Action Lawsuit

Xl Foods Inc. the company at the centre of a national beef recall is now facing a class-action lawsuit. An Edmonton man, Matthew Harrison is leading the lawsuit after he said he became sick after eating steak at a friend’s house and was hospitalized for his conditions. Harrison said that the steaks were purchased at an Edmonton Costco that was affected under the massive beef recall that came from XL Foods meat slaughter plant. The lawsuit claims that XL Foods is liable because they processed the meat. The E. coli contamination was first discovered on Sept. 4 and after a continuous list of recalls, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency temporarily suspended the company’s operating licence on Sept. 27.

Video: Evolution of Beef Cattle Farming

The Clear Conversations podcast took to the road for a special episode recorded in Nashville during CattleCon, bringing listeners straight into the heart of the cattle industry. Host Tracy Sellers welcomed rancher Steve Wooten of Beatty Canyon Ranch in Colorado for a wide-ranging discussion that blended family history and sustainability, particularly as it relates to the future of beef production.

Sustainability emerged as a central theme of the conversation, a word that Wooten acknowledges can mean very different things depending on who you ask. For him, sustainability starts with the soil. Healthy soil produces healthy grass, which supports efficient cattle capable of producing year after year with minimal external inputs. It’s an approach that equally considers vegetation, animal efficiency, and long-term profitability.

That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.