Calgary kitchen at centre of E. coli outbreak allowed to reopen

A Calgary preschool kitchen that was at the centre of an extensive E. coli outbreak is allowed to reopen in a limited capacity.

In a news release Monday, the province said Alberta Health Services (AHS) re-inspected the Fueling Brains Academy Centennial kitchen on Nov. 15 and all violations were corrected.

AHS rescinded its closure order on Nov. 17.

The E. coli outbreak was declared on Sept. 4 at the kitchen and the child-care facilities it served.

As of Nov. 21, there were 448 cases linked to the outbreak – including 358 laboratory-confirmed and 90 probable cases.

The outbreak was declared over on Oct. 31. A total of 1,595 children connected to the outbreak have been cleared to return to a child-care facility.

As part of a re-opening agreement, the facility can operate in a limited capacity at the Centennial location only. It is not allowed to prepare full meals or transport food to other child-care sites.

Inspectors had previously discovered three critical violations that forced the closure of the facility until they could be corrected.

Those violations included improper sanitization of equipment and utensils used in the preparation of food, improper food handling procedures and pest control issues.

The province said the facility will be inspected at a higher frequency over the next few weeks.