TSXV Symbol: CYF
CALGARY, Jan. 30 /CNW/ - Canyon Creek Food Company Ltd. ("Canyon Creek"), a food processing company listed on the TSX Venture Exchange under the trading symbol "CYF", is pleased to announce that the company has been approved for processing fresh fish products. The inability to sell clam chowder since October 2005 has resulted in an estimated loss of $1.5 million in sales.
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) requested the company to discontinue manufacturing clam chowder until it could satisfy the agency that clostridium botulinum could not grow in the clam chowder. Clostridium botulinum is an anaerobic gram-positive spore forming rod that produces a potent neurotoxin. The spores are heat resistant and can survive in foods that are incorrectly or minimally processed. Most of the 10 to 30 outbreaks that are reported annually in the United States are associated with inadequately processed, home-canned foods. This required Canyon Creek to perform a "challenge study". We engaged a study by an independent U.S. lab to perform the test. The objective of the study was to assess the microbiological stability of clam chowder product when challenged with clostridium botulinum to ensure a 90 day shelf life.
Canyon Creek has manufactured clam chowder without incident for the past ten years and was confident that the "Challenge study" would vindicate the manufacturing process for clam chowder or any other products as safe and of high quality.
The results of the challenge study were very favorable and were presented and approved by the CFIA in January 2007. As a result Canyon Creek has now resumed processing clam chowder in the same manufacturing process as it has performed over the past 10 years.
Canyon Creek is a food processing company based in Calgary and Edmonton, Alberta providing fresh soups and other prepared food products for today's health conscious consumer. The company provides its fresh food product line to both grocery retailers and a broad range of food service establishments such as restaurants and institutions through out Canada.
This news release contains forward-looking statements which involve known and unknown risks, delays and uncertainties not under Canyon Creek's control which may cause actual results, performance or achievements of Canyon Creek to be materially different from the results, performance or expectations implied by these forward-looking statements.
This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy the securities in any jurisdiction. The securities offered have not and will not be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or any state securities laws and may not be offered or sold in the United States absent registration or an applicable exemption from the registration requirement.
The TSX Venture Exchange has neither approved nor disapproved of the
contents of this press release.
%SEDAR: 00004242E