Local Public Health Agencies Asked to Assist With Outbreak of Listeria Infections Under investigation
Written by admin, January 26, 2016
January 26, 2016 – Residents Advised to Throw Out Certain Brands of Pre-packaged Salads
The Peterborough Public Health has been asked by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency to contact local institutions that serve vulnerable populations (e.g. hospitals, long-term care homes, retirement homes, child care centres) to check for recalled products that could potentially be contaminated with Listeria.
“If the recalled products are found, operators will be instructed to discard them and contact their supplier or return to the location where it was purchased,” explained Atul Jain, Manager of Inspection Services. “We are also advising local residents to check for certain Dole brand pre-packaged salad and leafy greens and PC Organics brand leafy greens and throw them out to protect themselves and their families from possible Listeria infection.”
The Public Health Agency of Canada is collaborating with federal and provincial public health partners to investigate an outbreak of Listeria monocytogenes infections in five provinces. To date, the source of this outbreak has not been confirmed. However prepackaged leafy greens, salad blends, and salad kits are food items being investigated. This notice will be updated as new information becomes available.
At this time, the risk to residents is low, but given that Listeria can cause severe illness to some high-risk groups, Canadians are being asked to review and follow proper safe food handling practices in an effort to prevent illnesses.
Listeria is a type of bacteria that can be found in food, soil, plants, sewage and other places in nature. Eating food with Listeria on it can cause a serious disease, called listeriosis, in high-risk groups. People can get listeriosis by eating meat, fish, dairy products, plants or vegetables contaminated with Listeria.
Ongoing Investigation
Currently, there are seven (7) cases of Listeria monocytogenes in five provinces related to this outbreak: Ontario (3), Quebec (1), New Brunswick (1), Prince Edward Island (1), and Newfoundland and Labrador (1). Individuals became sick between September 2015 and early January 2016. The majority of cases (71%) are female, with an average age of 81 years. All cases have been hospitalized, and one person has died, however it has not been determined if Listeria contributed to the cause of death. 1
Additional information
- For more information about the outbreak, please click here or visit inspection.gc.ca and under “Latest Recalls” click on the link called “Food Recall Warning – Certain Dole pre-packaged chopped salads”.
- Listeriosis and Listeria Fact Sheet
- Leafy Greens Fact Sheet
Please also see the Listeria Fact Sheet attached to this release for additional details.
1 Public Health Agency of Canada
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For further information, please contact:
Atul Jain
Manager, Inspection Services
Peterborough Public Health
705-743-1000, ext. 259