Maple Leaf meats food poisoning disaster
p2pnet news view | Off Topic:- A food poisoning disaster has hit Canada, threatening the collapse of a major multi-national Canadian company with products sold around the world.
Around 26 people who’ve eaten some kinds of Maple Leaf brand meats have gone down with listeriosis, and 12 of them have died.
“Listeriosis is a bacterial infection caused by a gram-positive, motile bacterium, Listeria monocytogenes,” says the Wikipedia. “Listeriosis is relatively rare and occurs primarily in newborn infants, elderly patients, and patients who are immunocompromised.”
But over the weekend, Maple Leaf’s Toronto plant, “was confirmed as being involved in the outbreak of the food-borne illness, caused by the bacterium Listeria monocytogenes,” says the CBC.
“On Monday, Maple Leaf upgraded a precautionary recall of 23 of its products, issued last week, to all 220 packaged meats from the plant.”
Almost half of the people infected have died, “But we commit to you that Maple Leaf Foods exceeds federal food safety standards, and that our management of the Listeria outbreak will be motivated by one thing only – the best public health interests of Canadians and specifically, our customers,” says the company site.
However, experts fear the worst is yet to come. The condition can remain dormant for very long periods.
“Symptoms of listeriosis —- which include high fever, severe headache, neck stiffness and nausea —- occur up to 70 days after consuming contaminated food, though the average incubation period is 30 days,” says the CBC.
Meanwhile, “How come all I’m hearing about is the 20 million cost to Maple Leaf Foods and about the stock crash?” – asks Iron Dutchman in a CBC comment post, going on:
“I’m sure the families of the people who died are not concerned about Maple Leaf Foods downfall! By the time this is all done the families should sue and Maple Leaf Foods should close for good. I know I’m not eating any more products from Maple Leaf. It used to be my kids favorite brand but the trust in a safe product is gone!”
Click here for a list of Maple Leaf products made in Toronto and which have been recalled.
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CBC -Recall over listeriosis fears expands to 3 more products, August 26, 2008
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August 26th, 2008 at 6:11 pm
…Died?!?! Are you kidding me?!?!? I heard on the news they were just sick….
August 26th, 2008 at 10:32 pm
With the degree of difficulty to control Listeria bacteria, I’d like to know exactly what disinfecting agent is being used at the Maple Leaf Foods plant. They advise people at home to use diluted bleach to disinfect, but what disinfectant are they using exactly? It may be helpful to know for the future.
August 27th, 2008 at 8:49 am
Good case for eating locally from a small farmer.
Should a problem occur, it is easier to contain.
August 27th, 2008 at 12:15 pm
Judging from the history of Maple Leaf Foods for almost 100 years, has ANYONE looked into the POSSIBILITY that the plant was SABOTAGED? STEPHEN HARPER and his bum buddy, TONY CLEMENT our supposed HEALTH MINISTER (who apparently has shares in a pharmaceutical chemical corp) have been trying to RUSH THROUGH thier NAZI-LIKE BILL-C51 health bill for OUR PROTECTION!!! How timely this CATASTROPHE IS!!! Stephen Harper, our PRIME RIB MINISTER and his BUDDY should both be investigated by a the WORLD COURT, for attempting to purvey this charade on the CANADIAN PEOPLE. The pharmaceutical companies will STOP AT NOTHING, to get this bill passed through the Canadian “rigged” parliament, and I believe they already HAVE!!!
go to STOPBILLC-51.COM for more information W A K E U P C A N A D A, YOU ARE THE PROTOTYPE FOR THE “NEW WORLD ORDER”!!!!
August 27th, 2008 at 3:49 pm
My heart goes out to the loved ones of those whom have died, but lets be reasonable about this please. For starters, people need to realize that bacteria and viruses of all kinds are EVERYWHERE, especially listeria. The chances of infection can only be minimized, and it is impossible to live in a completely perfect sanitized world. The fact is that most food poisoning actually comes from improperly prepared meals and your own unclean counter tops.
Folks need to stop giving in to mass hysteria and irrational fears. I’m sure the government and other self interest groups would love to link events such as this one to terrorism. That way the general population won’t resist when new laws are created that take away even more of our liberties and freedoms, just like after 9/11. The fact is listeria is only really dangerous to folks with weakened immune systems. Proper cooking of meat that has listeria and most other forms of bacteria are perfectly safe to eat. That is the whole point of cooking!
I’ve read comments which commonly mention how doing it like in the old days is better, and how we should all eat food from local producers. These people are forgetting just how many people died from bad food and water in “the old days”. People who had strong immune systems were the one who usually survived these outbreaks, which is perfectly normal. It’s just Darwinism in action. The products local farmers sell are not any less likely to make you sick than food from a mass producer or food you grow and harvest yourself. In fact it is quite possible food from local farmers is more dangerous seeing as how there is no real oversight in place. The fact is that everything you put into your mouth, no matter the source, is always a gamble.
Some will likely label me as a corporate stooge, and they are free to express their opinions all they want. The reality will still be that I am not a stooge, and in fact my wife is one of those people whom have a suppressed immune system. We are currently debating which products to throw out and which to keep, and both of us absolutely refuse to give in to hysteria. Being constantly afraid is no way to live, and we also accept the reality that all things die. It is the natural order of things that nothing lasts forever, and the sooner one accepts that and learns to appreciate life, the better off that life will be. I’ve been ill a number of times in my life, but I once ate a hot dog at a movie theater and it nearly killed me. One of the worst experiences I’ve ever gone through, and one I wouldn’t wish on my worst enemy. Does that mean I should forever fear hot dogs? Of course not! It just means I should be more careful in the future, that is all.
August 27th, 2008 at 5:07 pm
“Reasonable person”
Obviously you don’t KNOW what goes into HOT DOGS, if you did, you would NEVER eat another one from anywhere. This is NOT hysteria. These laws you so casually proclaim are being passed right NOW, under your nose. Google Bill C-51 and go to the government site and READ IT. Breast milk in their original containers,…women’s breasts would have to have labels on them listing the ingredients…if you think that insane,..read it and then add your blog to that. Then go to http://www.stopbillc-51.com and read their site and the links on that site,…and then stop, think, reason, and then blog again. Sorry your wife is not feeling well, and I am extremely sad for those that have lost their lives and are sick because of this catastrophe, but giving the government, the pharmaceutical companies, and the doctors the ability to pump more chemicals into our bodies by restricting natural health products. Natural health products have not killed anyone, when used properly, can the drug companies say that….watch the news and the ambulance chasers ads about all the law suits regarding the thousands and perhaps hundreds of thousands have killed in just the past few years.
August 27th, 2008 at 5:16 pm
“further to reasonable person”
When you see a cow out standing in a field, next to that gas well, do you think there is a remote possibility that gas well could be seeping H2S gas or the various gases, radon, methane, etc. that are composites of “natural gas”? Now if that animal is breathing those gases in and they are being absorbed into their system, do you think that could “taint” the meat that is processed in that animal. Check with your Health Canada department and see if there is any testing done for that,..I think not! When we elect a government, and then the leader of that government throws a Minister into a department who has absolutely NO BACKGROUND in that field,…do you think THAT is a good system? If so, the next time your car breaks down, take it to the pizza guy,…maybe he can tell you what is wrong with it or fix it for you.
August 28th, 2008 at 4:48 pm
I know exactly what goes into a hot dog, the same stuff as every other processed meat. It wasn’t so much the hot dog that was to blame, it was the fact that there is no telling how long it had been in the open on those heating rollers and I should have known better. I’m just as much to blame for the misery I went through and I have no problem taking responsibility where it is due. Too bad parents don’t teach their children such concepts anymore as I’m sure the world would be in a far better state than it currently is.
It has been my experience that so called “natural” products aren’t the panacea many folks believe they are. There is little to no oversight as to the legitimacy of the claims you so often see associated with such products, the ingredients are often a mystery or the list of them incomplete. Most don’t do a damn thing, no better than snake oil, and some are even dangerous if taken improperly. People do die from “natural” products all the time.
No matter what you may believe, the fact is quite simply that death is a natural part of life. There is no way to make the world we live in 100% safe and perfectly sanitized. To believe so is to delude ones self with what amounts to nothing more than wishful thinking. I know it is hard to overcome human nature sometimes with rational thought. Fear makes people say and do the strangest things, and the media has always be excellent at exploiting that fear. I believe the count is now fifteen deaths accountable to listeria, but for heavens sake this is nothing new folks! Listeria kills around 500 people every year in the USA for example, and that is from just one type of bacteria.
Feel free to look for all the healthy alternatives you want, but the fact will always remain that you can run but you can’t hide. When your time is up, it’s up and that is that. Live as safely and sensibly as you are able, hope for the best, but most importantly… actually LIVE! I’m speaking from experience when I say that life is much too short to spend it afraid of things beyond your control, even if you end up as one of the lucky ones who live to be 100.