One person in Manitoba has become ill from E. coli contamination, prompting an investigation that has led to the recall of some frozen beef burgers.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency has announced that it is recalling some burgers sold by Canada Safeway Ltd. because they could be contaminated with E. coli bacteria.

The agency says an investigation was launched after two people in Manitoba and Ontario got sick.

CFIA spokesman Paul Mayers said the investigation was launched last week after health officials in Manitoba and Ontario reported the illnesses.

"Based on the food histories of the people that became sick, we immediately began collecting samples of burgers from retail stores in Ontario and western Canada for testing," Mayers said Wednesday.

The recall includes the Gourmet Meat Shoppe Big & Juicy Burger and the Gourmet Meat Shoppe Prime Rib Burger with a best before date of Aug. 14.

Also affected are Butcher's Cut Pure Beef Patties sold in packages of 10, 20 and 40 bearing a best before date of Aug. 14.

The burgers have been sold in Ontario, British Columbia, Alberta, Manitoba, Saskatchewan and the Northwest Territories.

The CFIA said they will continue to test other products at the plant to see if other products need to be recalled as well.

Health officials said food contaminated with E. coli may not look or smell bad but could make you seriously ill.

The bacteria can cause bloody diarrhea, dehydration and in some cases, kidney failure.

More prevention needed: expert

Rick Holley, a food science expert at the University of Manitoba, said the recall should be concerning for everyone, not just those who purchased the product.

"[The recalls] are symptomatic of a need for us to use our resources in a more intelligent way to prevent, realistically, these kinds of things from happening. They happen all too often,” said Holley.

"This organism is highly associated with this area of the world."

Holley said packing plants must do a better job of cleaning cow carcasses, but consumers also need to pay close attention to how they are cooking their food.

“Certainly we know that this organism and ones related are not heat-resistant if patties are appropriately cooked to 71 degrees,” said Holley.

Winnipegger Brock Lawrence said he heeds that advice.

“We tend to overcook, if anything, because all the E. coli things we have been hearing,” Lawrence said.

Health experts say the only way to be sure is by using a meat thermometer when cooking.

The agency said there was a similar recall at Cardinal Meats in December of 2012, but said there isn’t any evidence yet to suggest the two contaminations are linked.

For a full list of recalled frozen beef burgers, read the CFIA’s health hazard alert on the contaminated project.

With files from the Canadian Press