The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) announced last week that it was recalling 18 types of beverages sold nationwide by Cirque and Great Value, both subsidiaries of France’s Danone, due to “possible Listeria contamination.” The recalled products include almond, coconut and oat drinks.
The CFIA said its ongoing investigation may lead to the recall of other products, and that it is also working to verify that the recalled products have actually been removed from store shelves. Foods contaminated with Listeria “may not look or smell bad, but can still make you sick,” the CFIA warned.
Listeria is Listeria monocytogenesThe name of the bacteria that causes listeriosis. Listeriosis is an infectious disease that can make people sick and potentially even kill them. Symptoms include flu-like symptoms, headaches, and fever.
In an online statement, Silk said the products linked to the Listeria infections were produced at a third-party manufacturing facility and that it was investigating how they were handled. The company recalled all products named by the CFIA, as well as all other Silk refrigerated beverage products produced at that facility, and said there was “a potential risk of Listeria monocytogenes contamination in certain Silk refrigerated beverage products.”
Danone said in an email to The Washington Post on Thursday that all of the products named by the CFIA are produced and distributed exclusively in Canada.
Danone Canada president Frederic Guichard said in a statement Wednesday that Canada’s public health notice was “devastating” and that the company offered its “deepest condolences” to those affected. “We are working closely with the authorities with the utmost seriousness to thoroughly investigate and clarify the circumstances surrounding this incident,” he said, adding that the company would provide updates as more information becomes available.
Health Canada said the people who became infected after drinking the non-dairy milk in Canada became ill between August 2023 and early July 2024, adding that “many of those who became ill reported drinking the recalled plant-based beverage before becoming ill.” Ten of the 12 illnesses were reported in Ontario, one in Quebec and one in Nova Scotia.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Listeria is the third leading cause of foodborne illness deaths in the United States. An estimated 1,600 people are infected with Listeria each year, of which about 260 die from The CDC says it can be fatal.
According to the CDC, it usually takes about two weeks for severe symptoms to appear after eating contaminated food, but the agency noted that symptoms can appear anywhere from the day of ingesting the bacteria to 10 weeks later. Health Canada noted that newborns, people over 60 and those with weakened immune systems are most at risk of dying from the disease. Listeria infection can cause miscarriage or stillbirth, the CDC said.
Ben Brush contributed to this report.
