Bad Canadian meat may become animal food

TORONTO, Aug. 28 (UPI) -- Hundreds of tons of contaminated and recalled prepared meat in Canada might become animal food, federal food officials said.

Maple Leaf Foods recalled more than 200 brands of prepared packaged foods sourced to a Toronto plant after an outbreak of listeriosis infected, sickened and killed 15 people across the country.

While there hasn't been an official declaration of the source by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, 29 cases have been confirmed, the Globe and Mail reported Thursday.

At the CFIA's headquarters in Ottawa, Paul Mayers, associate vice-president of the agency, told the Globe the massive amount of recalled cooked meat might end up back in the food chain.

"Through rendering ... that product can be reworked, the listeria would be destroyed and that product could then be used in the production of animal feed provided that the product meets our requirements," Mayers told the newspaper.