Recalled meats removed from stores; territories remain listeriosis-free
27.08.2008 20:02
Health
- Source: cbc.ca
A deadly outbreak of listeriosis in parts of Canada has not affected anyone so far in the North as grocery stores across the territories remove recalled meat products off their shelves. Staff at the NorthMart store in Iqaluit said they began pulling the products as soon as the Canadian Food Inspection Agency announced the recall of products from a Maple Leaf Foods plant in Toronto that has been linked to the food-borne illness, which is caused by the bacterium Listeria monocytogenes. "I think the consumer can be well assured that we have taken all precautions to make sure that nothing is contaminated after they buy the product here," NorthMart meat manager Harry Kuthe told CBC News on Tuesday. The CFIA's recall list has since grown to cover more than 220 products, which include deli cold cuts and ready-made sandwiches. In addition to pulling affected products from their shelves, NorthMart staff have also been scrubbing those shelves to ensure any possible traces of listeria are removed. Nunavut health officials said retailers and health facilities across the territory are on alert for any symptoms of listeriosis. But so far, no one has reported symptoms, chief medical officer Dr. Isaac Sobol said. "In fact, not only aren't there any cases reported during this current outbreak, but there has been some information circulated recently looking at cases of listeria for the past several years across Canada, and I'm happy to report that Nunavut has seen no cases in the past several years," Sobol said. Sobol's counterpart in the Northwest Territories, Dr. Andre Corriveau, reported no listeriosis cases have been reported in that territory, either. He and Sobol both said northerners should still be careful with any meat they buy, and properly store, clean and cook their food. "Really, there's no way just by smelling or looking at the meat that this might contain the bacteria or not," Corriveau said. "So really, the safest thing to do is dispose of these meats." Yukon launches awareness campaignThe Yukon has not reported any listeriosis cases to date. On Wednesday, the Yukon's medical health officer unveiled an awareness campaign aimed at helping the public and health professionals better understand the outbreak. Dr. Brendan Hanley said the chances of the infection turning up in the Yukon are low, given the territory's small population. Still, he warned that an outbreak is still a real possibility. "We are keeping Yukon doctors and nurses in the communities appraised of the recall ... symptoms to look for, how to test for it, those sorts of things," Hanley said. Hanley added that doctors have lately been seeing patients who fear they may have eaten contaminated meat and contracted listeriosis. The poster and newspaper ad campaign outlines the symptoms of a listeriosis infection, and provides consumer tips on how to determine if the packaged meat they've purchased is on the CFIA's recall list. 29 listeriosis cases confirmed in CanadaAs of Tuesday, there were 29 confirmed cases of listeriosis across Canada, according to the Public Health Agency of Canada. Of the 29, there were 15 confirmed deaths, mostly in Ontario but also one each in B.C., Saskatchewan and Quebec, the federal agency said. The listeria strain linked to the meat recall was the underlying or contributing factor in six of those 15 fatalities, while the deaths of the other nine patients, who had the bacterium in their system, are still under investigation to determine the exact cause, the agency said. Another 30 medical cases — in Alberta, Ontario and Quebec — are being examined for possible ties to the outbreak. While most stores have swiftly removed recalled meat from their stores, one Yellowknife consumer said grocery stores could have acted sooner. Cheryl Martin said that on Monday, a friend of hers went to one of the city's two Extra Foods stores and almost bought some of the sandwich meat products that had been recalled. Fortunately, Martin said, the cashier noticed that the meats in question were on the CFIA's recall list. However, she said she worries that other people may not have been so lucky. "As soon as that goes out, it's a top priority. It should be a top priority for any business and government and so on just to get in there," Martin said. "I mean, we're Yellowknife. How many supermarkets do we have?" Staff at Extra Foods told CBC News that they have removed all of the recalled meats and sandwiches. The Yellowknife Co-op has also pulled all recalled products from its shelves, president Mark Needham said. He added that the Co-op carried only seven of the meat products on the recall list. Customers can check for themselves while shopping — all recalled products were manufactured in Plant 97B and have that code on the package, near the expiry date. Both Yellowknife stores are offering refunds to customers who have any of the recalled products. Story Tools: E-MAIL | PRINT | Text Size: SMLXL | REPORT TYPO | SEND YOUR FEEDBACKRelatedInternal LinksRecall over listeriosis fears expands to 4 more productsFood SafetyListeria FAQsMeat recall timelineExternal LinksThe Canadian Food Inspection Agency's expanded recall noticeThe Canadian Food Inspection Agency's Sunday recall listThe Canadian Food Inspection Agency's Safeway and TakeAwayCaf brand recall listMaple Leaf Foods updated recall listCanadian Food Inspection Agency: ListeriaHealth HeadlinesHigh levels of toxic metals found in herbal medicines sold onlineAbout one in five Ayurvedic remedies used in traditional Indian medicine contained toxic lead, mercury or arsenic, say researchers who bought the products online.Fat cells from obese people 'stressed': studyThe fat cells from people who are obese appear to be not working properly compared with those from lean people, medical researchers have found.Unnamed Manitoba doctor's licence revoked due to psychiatric illnessQuestions are being raised about a Winnipeg doctor whose licence was revoked due to a psychiatric problem — but whose name is being kept secret, even from the doctor's former patients.Blame us for listeriosis outbreak: Maple Leaf Foods execMaple Leaf Foods should bear the responsibility for the distribution of meat that led to a deadly national outbreak of listeriosis, the company's president said Wednesday, emphasizing that the Canadian food safety system was not to blame.Attack ad targets hot dogs as cancer riskA new TV commercial shows kids eating hot dogs in a school cafeteria and one little boy's haunting lament: "I was dumbfounded when the doctor told me I have late-stage colon cancer." 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