In a press conference this afternoon, Maple Leaf foods president Michael McCain took full responsibility for the national outbreak of listeriosis that has resulted in the deaths of 15 people, five of which are confirmed to have eaten tainted meat from their plant.
McCain says that the outbreak is "ours to fix, which we take on fully."
He says Maple Leaf Foods understands it has hurt its accountability, and the company is taking action to improve Canadian confidence in the company.
The president says the outbreak is not the fault of Canada's food safety system.
McCain says Maple Leaf Foods is doing several things in order to deal with the outbreak, such as calling a broader recall than necessary.
He also says the company moved quickly to close its North York plant, and will not reopen it until it is absolutely safe to do so.
Third party inspectors are conducting their own investigation of the plant, and are trying to narrow down where the breakdown happened.
McCain says that the company is enhancing its processes, to make them better for when the plant eventually reopens.
He says the company is open to questions from consumers, and it's also trying to enhance food safety by educating consumers about listeria.
There have been 29 confirmed cases of listeriosis since the outbreak started, and health officials are warning those numbers will likely rise because the bacteria has an incubation period of up to 70 days.
