The Canadian Food Inspection Agency has added more salad kits to a recall that started last week due to possible Listeria contamination.
Listeria is a bacteria that can act as a parasite in its host and can cause listeriosis. Listeria can live in a food plant for several years.
The latest products to be recalled are southwest salad kits made by Dole and President’s Choice, as well as Dole’s Avocado Ranch Chop Kit, distributed nationally.
Some salad kits made by Dole, President’s Choice and Fresh Express are the latest products to be recalled due to possible Listeria contamination.
Other products already recalled last week include Rojo’s Black Bean 6 Layer dip and President’s Choice and Taylor Farms Mexican-style Street Corn Salad kits.
Those salad kits were distributed across Canada, while the dip is available in Ontario, Newfoundland, New Brunswick and Quebec.
The affected products all include cheese made by Rizo-López Foods that is suspected to be the source of a Listeria outbreak in the United States.
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The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) investigated the outbreak in 2017 and 2021 and identified some cheeses as the source of the outbreak but there wasn’t enough information to target a specific brand, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
However, it was narrowed down to Rizo-López Foods last month, after new illnesses were reported in December 2023, and the U.S. issued its recall last week.
The U.S. recall triggered Canada’s of the two products, which includes all best-before dates up to and including Feb. 19, 2024.
The CFIA said there have been no reported illnesses associated with these products in Canada.
The agency said to not eat any of the recalled products and that it is conducting a food safety investigation, which may lead to more recalls.
Recalls are initially voluntary by the industry but can become mandatory.
The CFIA said people who have the recalled products should throw them out or return them.
The CFIA said food contaminated with Listeria may not look or smell spoiled but can still make people sick.
Symptoms start within two weeks of eating the contaminated food and include fever, muscle aches, nausea, tiredness, vomiting and diarrhea, according to the FDA. More serious symptoms can include convulsions, confusion and loss of balance.
The agency says that if anyone thinks they have become sick from consuming recalled products, they should seek medical attention.
This recall is the highest class of recalls, Class I, which means there is a high risk of serious health problems or death if the food is consumed.
— With files from Eric Stober and Saba Aziz, Global News
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