More Canadians have become ill after eating frozen breaded chicken products sold under the Janes brand name, the Public Health Agency of Canada reports.

PHAC has announced it is now investigating 18 cases of salmonella poisoning after new cases were identified in British Columbia and Alberta.

Six people have been hospitalized in the outbreak. One person has died; however, it has not been determined if Salmonella caused that death. All of those who became sick developed their illness between June and September of this year.

On Tuesday, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency announced that two Janes brand chicken products were being recalled due to possible contamination from salmonella. They are:

  • Janes Pub Style Chicken Burgers - Uncooked Breaded Chicken Burgers
  • Janes Pub Style Snacks Popcorn Chicken - Uncooked Breaded Chicken Cutlettes

Both were sold in 800-gram packages across Canada. The burger packages carry a date code of 2018 MA and the popcorn chicken package reads 2018 MA 15. They were distributed by Sofina Foods Inc.

The recalled products should be thrown out or returned to the store where purchased, as foods contaminated with Salmonella may not look or smell spoiled.

PHAC says it is working with the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, Health Canada and provincial public health partners to further investigate the outbreak.

The agency says this outbreak is a reminder that frozen breaded chicken products contain raw poultry and should be handled as carefully as any raw chicken product.

“Salmonella is commonly found in raw chicken and frozen raw breaded chicken products. Illnesses can be avoided if safe food handling, preparation and cooking practices are followed when preparing these types of food products,” the agency said Thursday.

All cooking instructions should be followed carefully to ensure the internal temperature of the products reaches of at least 74°C (165°F).

The investigation is ongoing, and it is possible that more products linked to the outbreak investigation may be identified. The public health notice will be updated on a regular basis as the investigation evolves.

Symptoms of a Salmonella infection typically start 6 to 72 hours after exposure to a contaminated product and include fever, diarrhea, nausea and vomiting.