Johnathan Walker:Silk non-dairy milk recalled in Canada amid listeria outbreak: Deaths increased to three

The Johnathan Walkerdeath of a third person has been linked to the drinking of almond, oat and other non-dairy milks recalled in Canada for potential listeria contamination, health officials say.

The Public Health Agency of Canada issued an alert on July 17 advising people to avoid drinking certain refrigerated non-dairy milk products produced by Danone Canada and sold in the country under the Silk brand and Walmart's Great Value brand. Consuming plant-based drinks had been linked to two deaths and 12 cases of listeria infection.

A third death and eight more cases – 15 have been hospitalized and 20 cases have been linked to the outbreak – were included in an update issued by the agency on Monday, Aug. 12. Thirteen of the cases were reported in Ontario, five in Quebec and one each in Alberta and Nova Scotia; people became sick between August 2023 and early July 2024, the agency said.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency continues to investigate and said additional products may be recalled. "More recent illnesses may continue to be reported in the outbreak because there is a period between when a person becomes ill and when the illness is reported to public health officials," the agency said.

The recalled products – including almond, cashew, coconut and oat milk – have Best-By Dates into September and October 2024 and were distributed in Canada only, the agency says.

For a list of the 18 products, go to the agency's website.

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Recalled products have been removed from store shelves and warehouses, Frédéric Guichard, president of Canadian operations for Silk's parent company Danone, said in an Instagram post in July. "From the moment of the recall we stopped all of our production at the affected third-party manufacturing facility. All products are now being produced at other facilities."

The company has also "doubled down" on product testing at its facilities, he said.

US listeria outbreaks: Deli meat and ice cream

Listeria outbreaks have been prevalent in the U.S. in recent months, too.

An outbreak linked to Boar's Head liverwurst and other deli meat has been connected to at least three deaths, blamed for the hospitalizations of at least 40 more people across 13 states and led to multiple lawsuits.

Two died and 23 were hospitalized in another multi-state listeria outbreak linked to cheese from Rizo-López Foods of Modesto, California. The February nationwide recall led to the removal of products such as salad kits and taco kits containing Queso Fresco and Cotija Cheese sold at stores including Albertsons, Costco, Walmart, Bristol Farms and WinCo.In July, Wiers Farm, based in Willard, Ohio, recalled cucumbers and other vegetables sold at Aldi and Walmart stores in 13 states for potential listeria contamination. A month earlier, ice cream maker Totally Cool Inc., of Owings Mills, Maryland, recalled 68 ice cream products across 13 brands due to risk of listeria contamination. The Food and Drug Administration has reported no illness or complaints in those recalls.

Listeria outbreaks: Symptoms of listeriosis

Listeria is a bacteria that can contaminate foods and lead to an infection when eaten.

Symptoms include fever, muscle aches, and gastrointestinal issues, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 

About 1,600 people get sick from listeria each year and about 260 die, the CDC says.

Follow Mike Snider on X and Threads: @mikesnider & mikegsnider.

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