CBC News
How listeria contamination due to plant-based milks is affecting northern Ontario 
Public Health Agency of Canada says there are likely more cases of listeria than are reported
A Sault Ste. Marie resident says he may have been infected with listeria after consuming plant-based milk.
Jamie Hamilton recalls drinking Silk coconut milk with his cereal on the Friday night before Canada Day. However, by the weekend, he experienced stomach cramps and other symptoms associated with listeria.
"The week before, my son had gotten a smoothie. His mother made it for him. He's 21 and he's autistic, so he can't really explain how he's feeling very well. But he was running to the bathroom for about four days."
Hamilton said he was sick for eight days and lost about $900 worth of wages. He described the ordeal as "financially damaging."
The incident follows a recall by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency in early July of several plant-based milks. It led to several plant-based milks being pulled off the shelves in grocery stores across Canada including northern Ontario. The recall was due to listeria contamination.
The recalled products were manufactured by Danone Canada. They included all products in 1.89-litre packages with best-before dates up to and including Oct. 4, 2024, with specific Universal Product Codes from Great Value and Silk. Among them was Silk Coconut Unsweetened drinks in 1.89-litre cartons.
Hamilton said he was angry when he found out that he may have been exposed to the bacteria.
"We need to have warning labels on food… two people have died from this in Ontario now and I live with an 84-year-old mother-in-law who potentially could have been one of those," said Hamilton.
Keith Warriner, a professor in the department of Food Science at the University of Guelph, explained that outbreaks often stem from lapses in the sanitation practices of food processing plants.
"With that almond milk example, it was very unexpected for the simple reason it's processed to a high temperature, 138° C, which basically kills everything. My feeling is it's the sanitation that fell."
Warriner adds that plants will typically test "maybe once a month, some once a week."
Dr. Michael Rieder, a professor in the Departments of Pediatrics, Physiology, Pharmacology, and Medicine at Western University, emphasized the need for increased in-facility testing to ensure real-time results for plants.
"So at the end of the shift, when your workers are finished processing or creating the food, you can say, OK, let's test this and see if it's OK to ship out tomorrow morning. And there's that's kind of the goal."
Rieder has contributed to the development of a Listeria test kit aimed at preventing contaminated products from reaching store shelves. These kits are approved for use in food plants and labs by both the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and Health Canada.
"There's a special problem in Canada because there are provinces that have no labs. So there are provinces out west, we have to ship the food out of province...that really increases the risk of an outbreak and increases the cost."
Public health units in Algoma and Greater Sudbury reported no cases of listeria in the past year. A spokesperson at the Public Health Agency of Canada says there are likely more cases of listeria than the numbers that are reported. That's because many people recover without seeing a healthcare provider and so, are not tested for listeria.
No comments:
Post a Comment