Very few items removed in wake of listeriosis scare
Jeff Heuchert St. Marys’ grocery stores, nursing/retirement homes and hospital have had to pull very few meat products in response to the nation-wide outbreak of listeriosis, which as of Tuesday morning, has been linked to the deaths of a dozen consumers.
Canadian authorities have confirmed the outbreak originated from Toronto food processor Maple Leaf Foods. Last week, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) and Maple Leaf Consumer Foods issued warnings to the public not to serve or consume certain ready-to-eat deli meat products. Late Saturday, Maple Leaf expanded its earlier recall as a precautionary measure.
These products have been distributed primarily to food service institutions such as restaurants, hospitals and nursing homes. A complete list of the products affected by the recall is available on the CFIA website, www.inspection.gc.ca.
Staff at Wildwood Care Centre were contacted by their supplier on August 14, notifying them of which items needed to be recalled. Administrator Scott Walsh told the Journal Argus that they only had some ham which needed to be sent back.
It was much the same at Kingsway Lodge, where only some roast beef was removed.
At St. Marys Memorial Hospital, site administrator Shirley Veenendaal said there was only some roast beef within the facility which needed to be returned. She noted that the hospital’s staff -- as well as staff at nursing/retirement homes -- must be extremely cautious when dealing with any kind of food-borne illness, as the it can severely affect the elderly or anyone with a  weakened immune system.
Both the Independent Grocer and Stonetown Foodland received a recall notice about two weeks and immediately pulled the products off the shelf.
Paul Petrie, manager at Foodland, says they had to pull four items off of their shelves: Maple Leaf chicken strips, Maple Leaf sub toppings, Shopsy’s corned beef and Schneider’s shaved ham.
Ron McDonald, owner of the Independent Grocer, said his store had received two precautionary notices, both of which were acted upon. He also encouraged consumers to read the full list online and keep updated on any further recalls.
Listeriosis is a severe but rare infection caused by eating foods contaminated with the bacteria listeria monocytogenes. Common implicated foods include unpasteurized dairy products as well as hot dogs, coId cuts and deli meats.
Health units are reminding people that if they have food that has been recalled, do not consume it. If you have eaten a contaminated product and do not have any symptoms, no tests are required. However, if you become ill with fever or serious illness, contact your health care provider and mention your possible exposure.