Canadians who have bought frozen fruit and vegetables should double-check their freezers after a massive food recall across North America included at least three products sold in Canada, a Canadian food safety expert says.
“Throw it away. It’s not worth the risk,” Canadian Food Safety Group President Domenic Pedulla said in an interview with CTV News Channel Saturday.
On May 2, frozen fruits and vegetable products from Washington-based CRF Frozen Foods were recalled due to a possible Listeria monocytogenes contamination. The company had already suspended operations at its Pasco, Washington facility on April 25 after an initial voluntary recall.
The recall is one of the biggest in recent memory and could affect “millions of kilos of product,” Pedulla said.
In Canada, the frozen products are sold through Costco under the Organic by Nature Brand. Affected products include butternut squash, sweet peas and a vegetable medley and have best by dates or sell by dates between April 26, 2016 and April 26, 2018.
The U.S. FDA said the products are sold in British Columbia, Alberta, Manitoba and Saskatchewan.
At least eight people in North America have become sick with a form of listeria genetically similar to the type found in the recalled products. Another two people have died, but listeria was not considered the primary cause of death.
The good news for Canadians is that frozen fruits from the affected facility do not appear to be sold by any major Canadian retailers, Pedulla said. Listeria is most likely to affect consumers who eat the products raw – in a fruit smoothie, for example.
“So if you’re cooking them, frozen vegetables are very safe. When we’re talking fruit, that’s another thing,” Pedulla said.
Still, he says Canadians should check their freezers for the recalled products and either throw them away or return them for a refund.
“It’s really important. For the price of five or ten dollars… throw it away or bring it back to where you got it,” he said.
The biggest problem for the U.S. company, according to Pedulla, is tracking down the outbreak.
“Listeria itself, as we’ve heard many, many times, could be in many places in a big processing plant,” he said. “It could be a death blow for the company.”
Among the recalled products that the FDA has confirmed were sold in Canada are:
- Organic by Nature Organic Butternut Squash, 2kg package, UPC 4635800067
- Organic by Nature Organic Sweet Peas, 2.5 kg package, UPC 4635800061
- Organic by Nature Organic Vegetable Medley, 2.5 kg package, UPC 4635800062
A full list of the recalled products is available here.
