TORONTO – Almost 100 more beef and veal products and an additional nine batches of diced chicken products have been added to an ongoing food recall due to the risk of E. Coli and Listeria.

The latest warning from the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, issued October 10, features a list of raw beef and veal products sold in various markets and stores in Ontario.

Some recalled beef and veal products from Toronto-based Venerica Meats have been sold to restaurants in Ontario, while beef patties from Belmont Meats have been sold in Ontario and Quebec.

The Canadian meat industry is also grappling with concerns about Listeria contamination in deli chicken.

The latest chicken recall from the CFIA warns of a Listeria risk from various frozen diced chicken products sold by U.S.-based Gordon Food Service, branded Gordon Choice. 

The beef and veal recall first came to light last week, when Toronto-based Ryding-Regency Meat Packers announced a recall of dozens of products it had produced in May. The products are not believed to have reached supermarkets, as they were only ever intended for commercial and institutional sale.

The recall was triggered by CFIA inspections and the CFIA has suspended Ryding-Regency’s production licence over compliance concerns.

As the CFIA continued its investigation, it found reason to issue recall advisories for 41 more beef products.

The list includes a dozen more Ryding-Regency products that were missed in the first recall, as well as many products that do not bear the Ryding-Regency name.

Twenty-seven recalled products, mainly beef patties and burgers, are labelled ‘Prepared by Centennial Foods’ and were sold for commercial and institutional use, as were three recalled products from The Beef Boutique.

The concerns have also moved into retail territory, however, with the recall of one batch of fresh lean beef burgers sold at Metro supermarkets in Ontario and one batch of frozen lean ground beef sold in Alberta under the brand name Top Grass Cattle Company.

Meanwhile, two batches of a chicken Caesar penne salad sold at Longo’s grocery stores in Ontario under the brand name The Kitchen have been added to the recall, as have Deli-icious Fresh Goods-branded chicken salad sandwiches and chicken wraps sold in New Brunswick, due to possible Listeria bacteria.

In all cases, people who have recalled products are advised to return them to the point of purchase.

There have been no reported illnesses associated with the beef recall. The Public Health Agency of Canada said Oct. 2 that it was aware of seven illnesses believed to be linked to contaminated chicken.

--- With files from The Canadian Press