Maple Leaf Foods Packaged Meat Recall - At least 1 person has died from Meat tainted with listeriosis

One person has died and at least 16 others are sick from an outbreak of listeriosis, public health officials confirmed Wednesday as Maple Leaf Foods temporarily shut down a Toronto plant and expanded a recall of nearly two dozen packaged, ready-to-eat meat products.

The Public Health Agency of Canada said it is working with health officials in four provinces along with Health Canada and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency to establish any possible link between the outbreak and the affected products.

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In Ontario, one death was reported, along with 13 confirmed cases and 16 probable or suspect cases across 17 different health units, said Dr. David Williams, the province's chief medical officer of health.

"I strongly advise the public, especially those at high risk for listeriosis, such as the elderly, pregnant women and those with weak immune systems, to make sure they avoid consuming these products," Williams said in a statement.

"I have also asked all public health units to advise emergency rooms in their jurisdictions to be on alert for cases. All suspect and confirmed cases of listeriosis must be reported immediately to local public health units and in turn to the ministry within one business day of notification of report."


There were four other confirmed cases - two in B.C., one in Saskatchewan and one in Quebec.

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Maple Leaf said Wednesday it was recalling all products prepared at the plant since June 2 and temporarily closing the factory to re-evaluate its food safety procedures.


On Sunday, the meat packer announced it had discovered listeria bacteria in Sure Slice roast beef and corned beef produced at the Toronto facility and issued a recall on those products. Some 23 products, including a variety of turkey, smoked meat and roast beef products, have been recalled.


Brand names for some of the recalled products include Schneiders, Sure Slice, Deli Gourmet and Burns Bites. A complete list of affected products is available on both the Maple Leaf Foods website and that of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency.


The 23 products involved in the expanded recall carry an establishment number of 97B and have best-before dates ranging from Sept. 30 to Jan. 1, 2009.


No direct link has been made to the affected products, said Public Health Agency of Canada spokesman Philippe Brideau.


A number of the affected products are part of an investigation into the outbreak, but a link has yet to be confirmed, said Canadian Food Inspection Agency official Garfield Balsom.

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"Some of the products have been associated with that investigation," Balsom said.


Balsom said the agency first became aware of possible problems when it was notified of a listeriosis outbreak on Aug. 6 by a particular health unit; subsequent investigation led them to Maple Leaf's Toronto facility, he said.


A statement from the Canadian Food Inspection Agency said some of the meat products, which are distributed to nursing homes, restaurants and deli counters across the country - including McDonald's and Mr. Sub - tested positive for listeria bacteria.


Consumption of food tainted with listeria can lead to high fever, severe headache, neck stiffness and nausea. The illness is a particular danger to pregnant women and their unborn children, people will weakened immune systems, cancer, diabetes, kidney disease or AIDS, and the elderly.


McDonald's Canada said Wednesday it was temporarily removing its turkey BLT sandwich from its menu as a "precautionary measure" - the only item on the restaurant chain's menu that is affected.

"We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause, but food safety and quality at McDonald's will not be compromised," the company said in a release.

"We are closely monitoring the situation and are taking guidance from the Canadian Food Inspection Agency."

The complete list of affected products, including individual product codes and expiry dates, is as follows:

26365, Sliced Cooked Turkey Breast, 470 grams, Sept. 30;

02106, Schneiders Bavarian Smokies, 1 kilogram, Oct. 28;

02126, Schneiders Cheddar Smokies, 1 kilogram, Oct. 28;

21333, Sure Slice Roast Beef, 1 kilogram, Sept. 30;

21388, Sure Slice Combo Pack, 1 kilogram, Sept. 30;

60243, Deli Gourmet Roast Beef slices, 1 kilogram, Sept. 30;

02356, Seasoned Cooked Roast Beef, 500 grams, Oct. 7;

42706, Roast Beef, Seasoned and Cooked, 500 grams, Oct. 7;

21334, Sure Slice Turkey Breast Roast, 1 kilogram, Oct. 14;

21444, Sure Slice Corned Beef, 1 kilogram, Oct. 14;

44938, Montreal Style Corned Beef, 500 grams, Oct. 14;

21440, Sure Slice Black Forest Style Ham, 1 kilogram, Oct. 21;

21447, Sure Slice Salami, 1 kilogram, Oct. 21;

21331, Sure Slice Smoked Ham, 1 kilogram, Oct. 21;

48019, Schneiders Deli Shaved Corned Beef, 200 grams, Oct. 21;

48020, Schneiders Deli Shaved Smoked Meat, 200 grams, Oct. 21;

48016, Schneiders Deli Shaved Smoked Ham , 200 grams, Oct. 21;

48018, Schneiders Deli Shaved Smoked Turkey Breast, 150 grams, Oct. 21;

48017, Schneiders Deli Shaved Fully Cooked Smoked Honey Ham, 200 grams, Oct. 21;

21360, Burns Bites Pepperoni, 500 grams, Jan. 21, 2009;

99158, Turkey Breast Roast, 1 kilogram, Sept. 30;

71330, Roast Beef Cooked, Seasoned, 2.5 kilograms, Sept. 30;

71331 Corned Beef, Smoked Meat, 2.5 kilograms, Sept. 30.