In the end, it came down to two wheels of cheese.
On Friday, Oct. 18, five weeks to the day that they learned their cheese was suspected in an E. coli outbreak, the Wikkerink family received good news.
Officials from both the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) and the BC Centre for Disease Control (BCCDC) came to Gort's Gouda Cheese Farm in Salmon Arm Friday morning to tell the owners that the prohibition had been lifted – the Wikkerinks could once again sell their cheese.
The owners were told "basically that no E. coli was found on the premises and that it was only found in two wheels of red pepper and black pepper (cheese)," a relieved Gary Wikkerink told the Observer.
He said some of the cheese found to be tainted had been cut up and repackaged into 250-gram weights and then returned.
"They took between two- and three-hundred samples, and almost all of them came back negative, except for the two wheels," he said of the CFIA investigation.
The lifting of the prohibition on sales comes with a restriction. Any cheese made after Sept. 14 must be tested before it leaves the premises.
Despite the infamy the farm gained after the cheese recalls, he thinks the notifications were necessary.
"Although only two wheels were found to be contaminated, it's better safe than sorry."
Both Gary and his spouse Kathy say a huge weight has now been lifted off their shoulders.
"It was a very humbling experience, the whole thing," remarked Kathy, explaining that it's "because you feel how vulnerable you are. When you're working in the food industry, working with real food, you're very vulnerable."
She said the community has been highly supportive, both with encouraging words and with stores placing orders again.
"It makes us more passionate about what we're doing, and also the due diligence to make it effective."
Lynn Willcott, acting program director of food protection services with BCCDC, said no major problems were discovered at the farm.
"We found some minor deficiencies throughout the process, no major deficiencies at all… We're confident as they move forward their products will be safe to consume."
He noted that cheeses produced before the recall are also fine.
"We're very confident those cheeses are safe. There was extensive testing done with those."
Asked how he can be sure the cheese will be safe if the source of contamination wasn't pinpointed, he said the testing prior to the cheese leaving the plant will ensure it.
"The other thing, we're going to be looking at standards and requirements for cheese plants to see if there's anything in those standards or guidelines that needs to be improved or modified," he said, noting this is a normal procedure following an investigation. "There may be a need for changes to these requirements."
He said it was a wide and complex investigation, involving the dairy farm, the dairy plant and its retail store. He added that the Wikkerinks were extremely cooperative throughout the investigation.
The findings are expected to be posted on the CFIA website shortly.
Fifteen varieties of Gort's cheese were recalled following the discovery of the link between E. coli O157:H7 illness and the cheese. In total, 26 cases of illness were reported, 12 in B.C., 10 in Alberta, two in Saskatchewan, and one each in Manitoba and Quebec. Of those, a Vernon woman, Corry Vander Linde, died, and all others are reported to have recovered. The individuals became ill between mid-July and late September.
Willcott said the recall was wide in order to prevent further illness. The agencies involved were initially aware of the varieties of cheese people had eaten, but not their code dates.
In all, 2,370 kilograms of cheese at the farm were discarded courtesy of Spa Hills Farm – about two pick-up loads full, worth about $50,000, Gary estimates.
Bill Marler is a food safety lawyer in Seattle who has been doing E. coli cases since the Jack in the Box contamination in 1993.
He said E. coli O157:H7 is a bacteria that is found most commonly in cattle feces and has been the culprit in contamination of cheeses south of the border as well.
One trouble with it, he said, is that its infectious dose is so low.
It takes about 50 to 100 bacteria, he says, while "100,000 can sit on the head of a pin."
In the U.S., he said, the Food & Drug Administration has been talking about extending the length of time cheese must be aged, because the bacteria that cause the aging can overwhelm pathogens like E. coli O157:H7.
He said he's in favour of a vaccine that can be given to cattle to lower the amount of E. coli they carry.
"My perspective is, you have to approach these bugs in a multi-faceted way. I think E. coli 0157 was always thought of as the hamburger disease… Then all of a sudden it starts popping up in lettuce and spinach and sprouts. It became an environmental problem… That's why vaccinating (cows) is a good idea."
Four staff members at Gort's were laid off during the sale prohibition, but they've since been hired back as the farm works to start filling orders again.
"All of a sudden your view changes, your purpose is back on track," says Kathy. "Salmon Arm needs us and we need them."