OTTAWA - The public is being warned not to eat certain bulk and prepackaged raw shelled walnut products because they may be contaminated with E.coli bacteria.
The recall by Quebec-based Amira Enterprises Inc. comes as the Public Health Agency of Canada investigates a multi-provincial outbreak of E.coli illness.
The Amira Enterprises brand walnuts were imported from the U.S., sold from bulk bins and have been available since January 1.
All package sizes -- including halves and crumb packs -- all lot codes and all best before dates are affected by the recall.
The products -- which may not all be marked with the brand name -- have been distributed in Atlantic Canada, Quebec, and Ontario, but may have also been sold in other provinces.
Food contaminated with E. coli may not look or smell spoiled but could cause serious and potentially life-threatening illnesses. Symptoms include severe abdominal pain and bloody diarrhoea.
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency is monitoring the effectiveness of the recall.
