Recalls issued over Salmonella, listeriosis concerns
March 13, 2010
STAR STAFF
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency has expanded a list of snack foods recalled over Salmonella concerns related to an ingredient produced in the U.S.
The agency also issued a warning over some cooked meat products that may be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes.
There have been no reported illnesses in Canada associated with the consumption of the products.
The list of snack foods expands on more than two dozen items issued earlier this week, following a recall of flavouring ingredients by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The U.S. agency has listed more than 100 potentially contaminated products.
The products listed Friday include Cajun Mix, Peanut B.B.Q., B.B.Q. Sunflower Seeds sold under the Almira name and Fontaine Sante Spinach Dip.
All of the products contain hydrolyzed vegetable protein (HVP) produced by Basic Food Flavors Inc. in Las Vegas, and the products may have been distributed nationally. Health Canada said that the ingredient is considered a low risk and unlikely to pose a risk to someone’s health.
“As more products are linked” to HVP from Basic Foods, “we will be putting out a list of more recalled products. That can take some time,” CFIA spokesman Guy Gravelle said earlier this week.
In the House of Commons Thursday, the NDP asked why it has taken the CFIA more than two weeks to react to warnings from the U.S.
Agriculture minister Gerry Ritz defended the CFIA's handling of the Salmonella concerns, saying the government acted as soon as it was informed of the possible contamination.
“The safety of Canadians and the food they eat is a priority for this government,” he said. “This government reacted immediately when we were notified by (the FDA) that there was a problem with this Las Vegas-based operation. We immediately started to react. We have since then removed a product off the shelves.”
Ritz said food safety warnings can be found on the government's new website, foodsafety.gc.ca.
Ritz also said the government has already acted to shore up the CFIA after announcing $75 million in new funding last summer.
“We have already worked toward hiring the 166 inspectors that were also mentioned in that (announcement),” he said.
The meat products listed Friday are a brand of Prosciutto Cotto Cooked Ham.
The product was sold to food stores in large packages for further slicing bearing “best before” dates of March 8 and March 22, 2010.
The CFIA says the cooked ham would have been sold to consumers after Jan. 11 in Ontario, Alberta and Quebec.
Twenty-two Canadians died and hundreds were fell ill due to a listeriosis outbreak linked to cooked meat products two years ago.
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