Edmonton Food Bank searches stock for recalled meat products

Volunteers at the Edmonton Food Bank are pulling cans off the shelf and packages out of the freezer as they look for meat products recalled by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency.

More than 220 products from a Maple Leaf plant in Toronto have been recalled because of a listeriosis outbreak across Canada.

Fay Lucy, senior program co-ordinator, said the food bank usually doesn't give out many meat products in its hampers, but it does have some and the sorting has to be done.

She said the supply at the food bank is being checked carefully.

"We're looking at any of the canned meat that we have on the premises," she said. "We are sorting through that one by one and checking again the labels, the dates, the production numbers."

Federal health officials say six people have died because of the outbreak while another six deaths remain under investigation. The deaths are among 26 confirmed cases in four provinces.

Of the 26 confirmed cases, there are 20 in Ontario, four in B.C., one in Saskatchewan and one in Quebec.

Susan Turner, manager of communications for the western area of the CFIA, told CBC News that there are an additional 29 suspected cases.

Of the 29 suspected cases, 13 are in Ontario, four are in Alberta, two are in Saskatchewan and 10 are in Quebec.

Maple Leaf Foods initiated the recall after listeria bacteria were found on some of the goods at its plant in Toronto, but eventually it recalled all products made at the facility.

Cautious consumers

Shoppers in Edmonton are having mixed reactions to the outbreak.

Bruce Findlay, an Edmonton resident, said Monday he has no qualms about buying processed meat, although he did check the list of recalled products.

"I bought some Schneiders stuff today. I won't change my habits," he said. "What's on the shelf at Safeway is safe for me. I checked the list pretty carefully online and I don't think I have anything in those lot numbers."  

Kristine Leese, another Edmonton resident, said Monday she buys processed meat regularly, but is taking precautions now.  "I have a little one that eats sandwiches every day," she said. "We've stopped buying lunch meats from the deli and we are just using what's in our freezer right now."

Four more ready-made sandwich brands were added to the recall list Tuesday. The CFIA said the Alberton, P.E.I.-based Atlantic Prepared Foods Ltd. is recalling its Irving, Sub Delicious and Needs brand sandwiches. The products are sold in New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia.

On Monday, Calgary-based Lucerne Foods pulled its Safeway and TakeAwayCafe brand sandwiches from store shelves in Saskatchewan and Alberta. No illnesses have been reported from any of the affected sandwiches.