Quebec cheese recall takes bite out of retailers

Quebec's cheese retailers are reeling in the wake of the provincial government's measures to stem the listeria bacterium outbreak.

Many have lost thousands of dollars in stock with no reimbursement in sight.

The Quebec government, concerned about the rising number of cases of listeriosis in the province, widened its recall of cheese products Saturday,  bringing the total to 11.

The province said Saturday that one person had died and 14 others were sent to hospital because of listeriosis.

All cheese products that may have been cross-contaminated by one of the recalled cheeses also had to be discarded.

Gilles Jourdenais, owner of Fromagerie Atwater in one of Montreal's public markets, was forced by inspectors to throw out $100,000 worth of cheese products on Saturday.

"Everything that was cut, that could have been contaminated with the knife with this particular cheese, has to go in the garbage," he said. "It's completely, completely ridiculous."

Jourdenais said he understood the health concerns but felt the measures were disproportionate to the risk.

"There is not significant proof that all the cheeses we threw away had cross-contamination," he said. "I'm flabbergasted, I'm mad. I want to sue someone, I don't know who yet."

'Draconian' measures needed to protect population: Officials

Guy Auclair of Quebec's Agriculture Department called the measures taken to stem the outbreak "draconian" during a weekend news conference, but cited the virulence of the listeria strain and the severity of the illnesses caused by Listeria monocytogenes as justification.

Over the weekend, inspectors visited the 300 retailers across Quebec that carried cheeses on the recall list. They ensured all potentially contaminated products were thrown out and oversaw the disinfection of all work surfaces.

Three retailers on Laurier Avenue, a Montreal street lined with bistros, cafes, and upscale food stores, were affected by the recall.

Olivier Laurin, who works at Le Fromentier, estimated their losses at roughly $12,000. They were forced to discard 326 kilograms of cheese.

"Reimburse us, at least," Laurin said. "We've taken a major hit. We were lucky to have stock in the back to refill the counter."

Le Comptoirs des saveurs had only one of the cheeses on the recall list – Le Rassembleu – in stock.

But the owners had to throw out every cheese product they carried – at a $1,000 loss.

Owner Patrick Boucher said he was lucky that cheese was only a small portion of his product line.

"Who will pay? Us. No one else," he said. "It's not a cholera epidemic. I feel we're giving in to panic."

Jourdenais and Laurin both said a compromise could have been reached that didn't include the destruction of most of their product line.

"It was too much. They should have just done tests," Laurin said. "There's a lot of cheese that was not in contact with any of the [11 recalled]. I would have eaten any of the cheeses thrown out."

They said they would wait for the dust to settle and see if their insurance covers their loss.

There has been one confirmed death from listeriosis in Quebec and 14 people made ill. Health officials are awaiting confirmation on nine other cases. All the cases are related to listeria in Quebec cheese products.

The annual average of listeriosis cases in Quebec is about 50. The public health department reported 63 cases in 2007 and 49 in 2006.

Those at risk of becoming ill from listeriosis are the elderly, the very young, pregnant women and those with weakened immune systems.

Still, the cheese retailers on Laurier Avenue were doing a brisk business on Sunday, though some customers were wary.

"I'm scared. I don't want to get sick," said Denise Desaulniers. "I think I'll [avoid Quebec cheeses] and start buying French cheeses again."

But she said the government's reaction was exaggerated. "Is it with or without reason they're doing this? They went overboard."

Christian Martin said he rarely ate raw milk cheeses like those on the recall list but wouldn't hesitate to do so.

"Maybe feeding her would be more of a concern, but not for me," he said, gesturing toward his one-year-old daughter.

"But cold cuts is another story," he added, referring to a separate countrywide outbreak of listeriosis linked to a Maple Leaf Foods meat plant in Toronto.