Samples were analysed for the presence of up to six bacterial species (generic E. coli as an indicator of fecal contamination and five bacterial pathogens: Salmonella spp., E. coli O157:H7 and NM (non-motile), Shigella spp., Campylobacter spp. and L. monocytogenes) in ISO 17025-accredited laboratories using the methods published in Health Canada's Compendium of Analytical Methods for the Microbiological Analysis of Foods (HC, 2011a).