Maple Leaf Foods announced Wednesday they are reopening the Toronto meat processing plant linked to a nationwide Listeria outbreak that has killed at least 17 people.
The company's CEO, Michael McCain says that production is being phased in and tests will be completed before any food is sold to the public. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency will also give its approval before any products are shipped out of the plant.
"We have learned from this tragic experience and we can and will do more," McCain said at a Wednesday afternoon news conference.
"I continue to believe very strongly that Canada has one of the best food-safety systems in the world."
He said that Maple Leaf products from the plant could be on back in grocery stores by late next week.
The Listeria bacterium is believed to have originated deep inside the components of two slicing machines in the Toronto plant.
McCain said the plant has now been thoroughly sanitized and that all 84 slicing machines at the plant are now subject to "more stringent controls."
At a previous news conference, McCain said that the machines' regular cleaning and maintenance went beyond the manufacturer's guidelines, but they were not disassembled under normal protocol.
He stressed that the machines are the "most likely" cause of the Listeria outbreak, but an "absolute determination is impossible" because of the bacteria's pervasiveness.
The investigation shut down the entire plant and 191 products produced there were recalled, at an estimated cost of $20 million.
McCain had previously issued an apology on behalf of his company in television and print ads released in August.
