Canada

Photo: The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

The main entrance sign for XL Foods' Lakeside Packers plant at Brooks, Alberta on Monday, Oct. 1st, 2012, 2012. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Larry MacDougal

A new case of E. coli has been linked to the XL Foods beef plant at the centre of an extensive product recall.

The Public Health Agency of Canada says the new case is in Alberta and brings the total number across the country to 18.

The agency says the person became ill last month and is still recovering.

Last month, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency gave the plant in Brooks, Alta., permission to resume slaughtering cattle after being shut down for more than a month.

On Nov. 4 the agency discovered new cleanliness problems at the plant and ordered corrective action.

It is not clear when the plant will be allowed to resume shipping beef to retailers in Canada or to export products to the United States.