Listeria found in Ontario mushroom products
Listeria found in Ontario mushroom products
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency issued a Health Hazard Alert Aug. 1 for various sliced mushroom products distributed by Metcalfe, ON-based Continental Mushroom Corp. Ltd. that may be potentially contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes.
According to a release about the alert, Continental Mushroom Corp., one of Canada's larger mushroom growers, is voluntarily recalling the affected products from the marketplace. The affected items are "Continental" Quickslice triple-washed, "Fresh Obsessions" pre-washed sliced white and sliced crimini (Italian brown) mushrooms. All three products were sold in 227-gram packages that bear a lot code from 200 to 214, inclusive. The products were distributed throughout Ontario and Quebec.
There were no reported illnesses associated with the consumption of these products as of Aug. 5, Davendra Sharma, CFIA food safety and recall specialist, told The Produce News.
Mr. Sharma said that the discovery came as part of a routine sampling inspection of fresh-cut produce by the CFIA at the firm's Montreal warehouse facility.
Lyle Whitham, Continental Mushroom Corp.'s general manager, told The Produce News Aug. 5 that the firm had "recalled all of its sliced product, not just from the dates affected, because there must be a sanitation break somewhere, and until we find where we've fallen down on our sanitation, we're not offering that product for sale by our company."
He continued, "This was sliced mushrooms only, and it was only [found] in the 'Continental' label. The 'Fresh Obsessions' product was going through the machine at the same time, but no contamination was found on them. The recall for 'Fresh Obsessions' was a precaution only."
Mr. Whitham said that the firm, which offers a full line of mushrooms, is currently utilizing products from other growers.
He said that by the time it was notified by the CFIA about the contamination, "all of the product was long gone, and recalling was a bit of a moot point, but we felt it safest to remove the product from the public. We are monitoring the effectiveness of the recall itself. We were fortunate; we've had a couple of mock recalls, and this has been a big trial."
The release said that "food contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes may not look or smell spoiled. Consumption of food contaminated with these bacteria may cause listeriosis, a foodborne illness. Listeriosis can cause high fever, severe headache, neck stiffness and nausea. Pregnant women, the elderly and people with weakened immune systems are particularly at risk. Infected pregnant women may experience only a mild, flu-like illness; however, infections during pregnancy can lead to premature delivery, infection of the newborn or even stillbirth."
According to a release about the alert, Continental Mushroom Corp., one of Canada's larger mushroom growers, is voluntarily recalling the affected products from the marketplace. The affected items are "Continental" Quickslice triple-washed, "Fresh Obsessions" pre-washed sliced white and sliced crimini (Italian brown) mushrooms. All three products were sold in 227-gram packages that bear a lot code from 200 to 214, inclusive. The products were distributed throughout Ontario and Quebec.
There were no reported illnesses associated with the consumption of these products as of Aug. 5, Davendra Sharma, CFIA food safety and recall specialist, told The Produce News.
Mr. Sharma said that the discovery came as part of a routine sampling inspection of fresh-cut produce by the CFIA at the firm's Montreal warehouse facility.
Lyle Whitham, Continental Mushroom Corp.'s general manager, told The Produce News Aug. 5 that the firm had "recalled all of its sliced product, not just from the dates affected, because there must be a sanitation break somewhere, and until we find where we've fallen down on our sanitation, we're not offering that product for sale by our company."
He continued, "This was sliced mushrooms only, and it was only [found] in the 'Continental' label. The 'Fresh Obsessions' product was going through the machine at the same time, but no contamination was found on them. The recall for 'Fresh Obsessions' was a precaution only."
Mr. Whitham said that the firm, which offers a full line of mushrooms, is currently utilizing products from other growers.
He said that by the time it was notified by the CFIA about the contamination, "all of the product was long gone, and recalling was a bit of a moot point, but we felt it safest to remove the product from the public. We are monitoring the effectiveness of the recall itself. We were fortunate; we've had a couple of mock recalls, and this has been a big trial."
The release said that "food contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes may not look or smell spoiled. Consumption of food contaminated with these bacteria may cause listeriosis, a foodborne illness. Listeriosis can cause high fever, severe headache, neck stiffness and nausea. Pregnant women, the elderly and people with weakened immune systems are particularly at risk. Infected pregnant women may experience only a mild, flu-like illness; however, infections during pregnancy can lead to premature delivery, infection of the newborn or even stillbirth."
