The XL Foods' Brooks, Alberta, plant may resume limited meat processing today, Thursday, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) reported. However, no meat will leave the plant at this time, as it only marks the next stage in a review of the improvements that took place since suspension of Brooks' operating license on September 27.

Findings of E. coli bacteria in Canadian beef resulted in one of the biggest meat recalls in Canadian history, with millions of pounds of beef suspected of being contaminated. Food stores as Wal-Mart Stores Inc., Costco Wholesale Corp., Safeway and Loblaw Companies Ltd. were involved in the recall, and some of the tainted beef even reached Hong Kong. At least twelve people are currently recovering from eating E. coli bacteria contaminated beef in Canada.

Only about 5,000 carcasses that were already in the plant at the time of its closure will be processed, all of which were tested negative for E. coli. XL Foods reported that it already fulfilled all the requirements of the CFIA, but Harpreet Kochhar, executive director of Western operations at CFIA, said: "While the plan appears comprehensive and appropriate on paper we need to confirm its full implementation and effectiveness in action."

As for now, there is no timeline for resuming operations at the plant.

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