Listeria-tainted
lobster posed low health risk, CFIA says
Source of
Article: http://www.cbc.ca/canada/prince-edward-island/story/2009/06/26/pe-listeria-lobster.html Last Updated: Friday, June 26, 2009 | 10:02 AM ATCBC News
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency recalled frozen lobster from a P.E.I.
processing plant a couple of weeks ago over listeria contamination, without
making a public announcement. The CFIA said it's a mild strain. It classified the discovery as a Class
3 recall. That means very low risk to human health. No news release was issued and no information was given as to which
seafood processing plant was involved. Listeria can survive refrigeration, which is why luncheon meats and
prepared sandwiches are particularly susceptible. But cooking kills the
bacteria. The listeria was found in the agency's regular testing of lobster.
Inspectors have not found any obvious source of the contamination and
increased testing will continue for a while to ensure product safety. Some of the product from P.E.I. made it to retail stores and was sold,
but most was recovered and brought back to the province. The lobster meat was frozen, so levels of the bacterium were not getting
worse as the product was shipped to stores. However, the CFIA said that anyone who has frozen lobster at home
shouldn't worry. If there were a high risk, the agency said it would have
issued an alert to the media with product numbers and the company where the
listeria was discovered. An outbreak at a Maple Leaf processing plant that led to 22 deaths in
Ontario caused heightened awareness about listeria last summer. |
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