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Maple Leaf packaged meats, Listeriosis—a bacterial infection

Another bacterial infection outbreak in Canadian nursing homes



imageListeriosis—a bacterial infection that can be lethal to the elderly and unborn children--is on the prowl in Canada. Health authorities have traced it to Maple Leaf packaged meats. (See Maple Leaf products on recall here). At least one person is dead and 16 others have fallen ill across Canada. That number could increase as health units across submit reports. Listeriosis, which seems to strike people in long-term facilities, is caused by the bacterium Listeria monocytogenes, found in soil, vegetation, animal feed and feces.

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Now it has been found in certain ready-to-eat meat products made by Toronto-based food giant Maple Leaf foods. “Nursing homes, deli counters and restaurants, including McDonald’s and Mr. Sub, are among the establishment where the meat products—which include turkey, ham, corned beef and roast beef—were distributed.” (The Canadian Press, Aug. 20, 2008). “Listeriosis was the “underlying cause of death” in the case of the one known fatality, said Dr. David Williams, Ontario’s acting chief medical officer of health. Williams provided no specifics except to say the victim was from southern Ontario. “I strongly advise the public, especially those at high risk for listeriosis…to make sure they avoid consuming these products,” Williams said in a statement. But people in the median age group being affected, 76-year old males and 80-year-old females, who are sometimes spoon-fed by nursing home staff members, are not in a position to choose what they have for dinner. The Listeriosis outbreak follows on the heels of superbug C. difficile which recently claimed 91 patients, 62 of them as a direct result of the infection at Joseph Brant Memorial Hospital in Burlington. C. difficile has claimed about 2,000 lives in Quebec since 2003. It is not just the elderly who are susceptible to Listeria monocytogenes outbreaks. The illness is particularly dangerous to pregnant women and their unborn children, and to people with weakened immune systems, cancer, diabetes, kidney disease or AIDS. Consumption of food tainted with listeria can lead to high fever, severe headache, neck stiffness and nausea. Symptoms usually appear within two to 30 days, and up to 90 days after consuming contaminated food, according to the Canadian Food Inspection Agency. The average incubation period is about three weeks, says the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long Term Care. To its credit, Maple Foods swiftly listed all of its products on recall on its website. Maple Leaf is recalling all products prepared at the plant since June 2 and shutting down the plant through the weekend for a comprehensive sanitization process. On Sunday, the Toronto-based company said it had discovered listeria in Sure Slice roast beef and corned beef produced at the facility and moved immediately to issue a recall on those products. Brand names for some of the recalled products include Schneiders, Sure Slice, Deli Gourmet and Burns Bites. In total there are 234 products involved in the recall, bearing an establishment number of 87B and best-before dates ranging from Sept. 30 to Jan. 1, 2009. McDonald’s Canada said Wednesday it is 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.

The following ready-to-eat meat products bearing an Est. # 97B are affected by this alert.

UPDATE

Maple Leaf Expands Product Recall from Toronto Plant as a Precautionary Measure

TORONTO, Aug. 24 /CNW/ - Maple Leaf Foods announced on Saturday, August 23, 2008 that it voluntarily expanded its recall of products manufactured at its Bartor Road (Establishment No. 97B) facility in Toronto, as a precautionary measure. Yesterday, Canadian Food Inspection Agency and Public Health Agency of Canada investigation concluded that the strain of Listeria bacteria, which is linked to the illness and death of several consumers, matches the Listeria strain identified in some Maple Leaf food products in two cases. Scientific analysis and information will be made available today through the Canadian Food Inspection Agency. "From our standpoint this is the right thing to do. If there is any question in the consumers' mind about any product from that plant, then the onus is on us, and the CFIA, to act decisively and swiftly to restore consumer confidence," said Michael H. McCain, president & CEO, Maple Leaf. "Our actions are guided by putting public health first." Consumption of food contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes may cause Listeriosis, a food borne illness. The elderly, the very young, pregnant women and people with weakened immune systems are particularly at risk. To date, Maple Leaf has been advised that only product produced on production lines 8 and 9 have shown positive test results for Listeria monocytogenes. There is no evidence of Listeria contamination in product beyond the production lines originally under investigation. However, we decided given current information, to place public health interests first and recall 100 per cent of all the product produced at this facility as the most conservative approach possible. We expect this expanded recall to be implemented swiftly. A list of specific products and codes of the affected products is available on the Company website at [url=http://www.mapleleaf.com]http://www.mapleleaf.com[/url]. This weekend the Company's Bartor Road plant remains closed and is anticipated will reopen on Tuesday, August 26, 2008. Maple Leaf Foods Inc. is a leading Canadian food processing company committed to delivering quality food products to consumers around the world. Headquartered in Toronto, Canada, the Company employs approximately 23,000 people at its operations across Canada and in the United States, Europe and Asia. The Company had sales of $5.2 billion in 2007. To view a complete list of all recalled Maple Leaf Foods products, please click here:


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Judi McLeod -- Bio and Archives -- Judi McLeod, Founder, Owner and Editor of Canada Free Press, is an award-winning journalist with more than 30 years’ experience in the print and online media. A former Toronto Sun columnist, she also worked for the Kingston Whig Standard. Her work has appeared throughout the ‘Net, including on Rush Limbaugh and Fox News.

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