Potentially contaminated wild salmon recalled
Odd Grydeland About 25 years ago, investors from Switzerland and Germany poured millions of dollars into state-of-the-art facilities for producing cold-smoked salmon in British Columbia. You could practically eat off the floor at their plants in Campbell River and Sechelt. Nothing was spared in the design and installation of disinfection and contamination-eliminating measures. A few years later, they were both shut down due to findings of Listeria monocytogenes in some of their products as they were crossing the border into the U.S.
This week, the following announcement was issued by a Canadian regulator;
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) and Classic Smokehouse (2003) Inc. are warning the public not to consume Classic Canadian Wild Sockeye Trims because the product may be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes. The affected product, Classic Canadian Wild Sockeye Lox Trim, was sold in 454g vacuum packages bearing UPC 3000550008256 and PACKED ON dates from MA 02 (May 2, 2009) to JL 28 (July 28, 2009) inclusive. This product has been distributed in British Columbia.There have been no reported illnesses associated with the consumption of this product.Food contaminated with Listeria monocytogenesmay not look or smell spoiled. Consumption of food contaminated with these bacteria may cause listeriosis, a foodborne illness. Listeriosis can cause high fever, severe headache, neck stiffness and nausea. Pregnant women, the elderly and people with weakened immune systems are particularly at risk. Infected pregnant women may experience only a mild, flu-like illness, however, infections during pregnancy can lead to premature delivery, infection of the newborn, or even stillbirth.The manufacturer, Classic Smokehouse (2003) Inc., Vancouver, BC, is voluntarily recalling the affected product from the marketplace. The CFIA is monitoring the effectiveness of the recall.Classic Smokehouse president Stuart Dahlke told reporter Darcy Wintonyk of CTVBC that “three out of eleven production days tested positive for the bacteria”.In April this year, a voluntary recall was issued by an Ontario-based company for smoked Steelhead (Rainbow) trout and Atlantic salmon- both likely from farmed production, and also due to concerns about contamination from Listeria.
