Trial for kitchen owners at centre of E. coli outbreak in Calgary daycares pushed to spring
The owners of a commercial kitchen in Calgary at the centre of a massive E. coli outbreak last fall will now head to trial on a dozen municipal charges in the spring of 2025.
The trial, previously scheduled to begin Friday, has been moved to the new year following an agreement between the Crown Prosecutor and the lawyers for Fueling Minds earlier this summer, according to a media representative for the company.
The City of Calgary charged Fueling Minds Inc. and its two directors, Faisal Alimohd and Anil Karim, last September with serving food at childcare centres in Calgary without a food services business licence. They face 12 charges and a total fine of up to $120,000
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The pair entered a not-guilty plea in November 2023.
Declared on Sept. 4, 2023, the E. coli outbreak led to at least 448 infections — 39 children and one adult were hospitalized for severe illness. Another 32 secondary cases were also linked.
It became the largest known outbreak in children under five.
Alberta Health Services (AHS) said 23 children were diagnosed with hemolytic uremic syndrome, a complication affecting the blood and kidneys, and eight required dialysis.
The eight-week outbreak was traced back to Fueling Minds, a catering company and school lunch delivery service provider that prepared food for its Fueling Brains locations and other daycares in Calgary.
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Health officials have said meatloaf and vegan loaf meals served for lunch Aug. 29 most likely contained the E. coli that led to the initial infections, but how it got there can’t be determined for sure.
A report released at the end of July by AHS says it’s not possible to say if the bacteria came from a contaminated ingredient in the meat loaf or into the meat loaf from elsewhere on the menu or through an infected kitchen worker.
Its central kitchen was shut down and reopened in mid-November to receive and serve food prepared by another provider.
The kitchen had been flagged during the outbreak for three critical health violations, including lack of proper sanitization methods, a pest infestation and food being transported without temperature control.
A $10 million dollar lawsuit was also filed on behalf of the parents of impacted children last year.
