(Ottawa) Two people have died after a listeriosis outbreak triggered a nationwide recall of some plant-based milk products, the Public Health Agency of Canada announced Wednesday.
Silk brand almond milk, coconut milk, almond-coconut milk and oat milk were recalled earlier this month, as was Great Value brand almond milk.
Most of the recalled products have an expiration date of October 4. Recalled products should be discarded or returned to the place where they were purchased.
The agency did not provide details of the deaths in a health advisory issued Wednesday, but said there had been 12 laboratory-confirmed cases of the illness.
He said there were 10 cases in Ontario, while Quebec and Nova Scotia each had one with nine hospitalizations. Those affected range in age from 37 to 89, and 67% of cases were women.
The agency said the people became ill between August 2023 and early July 2024.
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency has stated that produce contaminated with listeria may not look or smell spoiled, but can still make you sick.
Symptoms of listeriosis may include vomiting, nausea, persistent fever, muscle aches, severe headache, and stiff neck.
Pregnant people may experience only mild flu-like symptoms, but listeriosis can still lead to premature birth, infection of the newborn or stillbirth, the recall notice said.
The president of Danone Canada said the 15 recalled Silk chilled beverages have been removed from store shelves.
“We are working with the utmost seriousness and in close partnership with the authorities to thoroughly investigate the circumstances of this event and shed light on the matter,” Frédéric Guichard wrote in a press release on Wednesday.
One listeriosis outbreak in Canada has already been fatal. In 2008, an outbreak linked to sausage products from a Maple Leaf Foods plant in Toronto killed 22 Canadians.
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