Ontario says nine listeriosis infections linked to recall of silk milk

Nine people in Ontario have become sick with the listeriosis bacterial infection and five have been hospitalized from illnesses believed to be linked to a national recall of plant-based refrigerated beverages, the province’s chief medical officer says.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency, or CFIA, on Monday issued a recall of Silk brand almond milk, coconut milk, almond-coconut milk and oat milk, as well as Great Value brand almond milk.

Ontario’s Chief Medical Officer of Health, Dr. Kieran Moore, on Tuesday urged consumers to check their fridges and immediately discard or return the recalled products.

“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 do not consume these recalled products,” he said in a statement.

The CFIA says the recall was triggered by an investigation into a food-borne illness outbreak. Food contaminated with listeria may not look or smell spoiled but can still make you sick, the agency says, and symptoms can include vomiting, nausea, persistent fever, muscle aches, severe headache and neck stiffness.

Jennifer Vincent, head of communications at Silk Canada’s parent company, Danone Canada, said Tuesday that this is the first listeria contamination in Canada connected to the Silk brand. She said the impacted products come from a specific production line at a third-party manufacturer in Ontario, meaning not all products across the full range of Silk Canada are affected.

Ms. Vincent said the investigation into the root cause of the contamination is continuing, with help from CFIA and the facility that produced the affected products.

“Right now, preventative measures are a priority,” she said in an interview, adding that the company was quick to hold back the shipment of the beverages that came from the production line at the affected facility.

Frédéric Guichard, the president of Danone Canada, released a statement Monday saying he is deeply concerned with the reports and that the matter is being taken very seriously.

“We continue to focus our immediate efforts on protecting our consumers with care through this swift recall, and conducting a thorough investigation with our third-party manufacturer,” he said.

He said operations will not resume until the investigation is completed and until the company is satisfied with the resolution.

Dr. Moore said the Ministry of Health is working closely with Local Public Health Agencies, Public Health Ontario, CFIA, Health Canada and the Public Health Agency of Canada regarding the recall of these products.

Anyone who thinks they got sick from consuming one of the recalled products, most of which have best-before dates up to and including Oct. 4, should seek medical advice from their health care provider, Health Canada said in a warning.

With a report from the Canadian Press