Recall over listeriosis fears expands to 3 more products
26.08.2008 10:01
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- Source: cbc.ca
Three more ready-made sandwich brands were added early Tuesday to a massive voluntary meat recall in connection with a deadly listeriosis outbreak across Canada, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency said. In a statement released early Tuesday, the CFIA said the Alberton, P.E.I.-based Atlantic Prepared Foods Ltd. is recalling its Irving, Sub Delicious and Nees brand sandwiches. The products are sold in New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia. There have been no reported illnesses associated with the consumption of these sandwiches, but they contain some of the meat products from the Maple Leaf Foods plant in Toronto already recalled, the CFIA said. Over the weekend, the Toronto plant was confirmed as being involved in the outbreak of the food-borne illness, caused by the bacterium Listeria monocytogenes. On Monday, Maple Leaf upgraded a precautionary recall of 23 of its products, issued last week, to all 220 packaged meats from the plant. 26 confirmed cases, 12 deathsMeanwhile on Tuesday, the company said it was again delaying the opening of the Toronto facility. There are now 26 confirmed cases of the bacterium, up from 21, said Dr. Mark Raizenne, director general of the Public Health Agency of Canada's centre for food-borne, environmental and zoonotic infectious diseases. Of those 26, there are 12 confirmed deaths, up from four in Ontario and B.C., Raizenne said. Eleven deaths were in Ontario and one was in B.C., he said. The listeria strain was the underlying or contributing factor in seven of those 12 deaths but the other five, which had the bacterium in their system, are still under investigation, he said. The number of suspected cases is now 29, down from 30, he said. Those cases are in Alberta, Ontario, Quebec and Saskatchewan. Symptoms of listeriosis which include high fever, severe headache, neck stiffness and nausea occur up to 70 days after consuming contaminated food, though the average incubation period is 30 days, the federal food agency said. People most at risk include newborns, the elderly, pregnant women and people with weakened immune systems, public health officials said. The public should wash produce and avoid unpasteurized milk and dairy products, the CFIA advised. Public health and company officials said the source of the contamination may never be found since listeria is so widespread and commonly found in the environment, such as in soil and in water. Maple Leaf Foods estimates the recall will directly cost the company at least $20 million, with further losses expected due to lost sales and advertising to rebuild its image. With files from the Canadian PressRelatedInternal LinksIN DEPTH: Listeria FAQsNumber of confirmed cases, deaths linked to listeriosis increasesMeat product recall widens to sandwiches sold at Safeway, Mac'sExternal LinksThe Canadian Food Inspection Agency's expanded recall notice(Note: CBC does not endorse and is not responsible for the content of external sites - links will open in new window) Consumer HeadlinesRecall over listeriosis fears expands to 3 more productsThree more ready-made sandwich brands were added early Tuesday to a massive voluntary meat recall in connection with a deadly listeriosis outbreak across Canada, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency said. Number of confirmed cases, deaths linked to listeriosis increasesThe number of confirmed cases and deaths linked to listeriosis have risen as recalls of Maple Leaf Foods products increased, according to public health officials.Women smokers closing in on men: surveyAbout one in five Canadians smoked daily or occasionally in 2007, with males slightly outnumbering females, Health Canada reported. Federal government deems 4 chemicals danger to humansThe federal government says four of the 19 chemicals it recently assessed are toxic to humans, although one of the four is so little used that it has only been put on a watch list. Jazz removes life vests to save fuelAir Canada's regional carrier Jazz has removed inflatable life vests from its planes to save weight, a spokeswoman said. Consumer Life FeaturesIN DEPTHTravelWorld's Decadent Hotel AmenitiesVIDEOFoodCanada's first green shrimp fishery opens in N.L. (2:11)SAFETYRecalls and AdvisoriesYOUR VOICEFound your calling?Tell us why your job is a dream job!BLOGFood BytesOde to brunchBLOGComm-OdditiesStudent winter sport endangeredPeople who read this also read …
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