Consumers haven’t turned away from products despite a listeria outbreak that caused three deaths and 20 hospitalizations
WINNIPEG — Arlee Jones of Winnipeg describes her household as a “dairy family,” but she does use almond milk and adds it to coffee because she likes the flavour.
After learning of this summer’s recall of certain brands of plant-based milk due to cases of listeriosis, the mother of two girls, aged 10 and 7, checked the labels on her cartons to ensure the almond milk was safe.
Jones continued to buy almond milk, even after the recall, because she has faith in Canada’s food safety system.
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Her muted response, similar to the reaction of most Canadians, was surprising because the outbreak of listeria in plant-based milk was not a small thing.
“It didn’t get a whole lot of attention in the media, despite the fact that there were three fatalities and 20 hospitalizations, which is pretty significant,” said Sylvain Charlebois, a Dalhousie University professor and food industry expert.
On July 8, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency announced a recall of almond, oat and other plant-based milks with the Silk and Great Value brands, produced by Danone in Ontario.
The media did pick up the story, but the attention was very different from another outbreak of listeriosis, which can cause vomiting, persistent fever, muscle aches and severe headaches and presents the greatest risk to the elderly, the young and pregnant women.
In 2008, Maple Leaf Foods recalled dozens of meat products because of listeria. The recall became the lead story on the national news, and the media aggressively questioned federal agriculture minister Gerry Ritz about Canada’s food safety system. As well, Michael McCain, Maple Leaf Foods’ chief executive officer, made a public apology to Canadians.
The company involved in this summer’s recall, Danone, hasn’t said much about the matter, Charlebois said.
“I actually think Danone came out of this unscathed…. They weren’t asked tough questions about why it happened, what were the causes, what happened at the Pickering plant? We don’t know anything about what happened … at all.”
In a statement from early August, the CFIA said Danone and its third-party manufacturer in Pickering, Ont., were fully co-operating with the investigation into the listeria outbreak.
“All affected products were made on a dedicated production line, which has been completely disassembled while inspection at the facility is ongoing,” the CFIA said.
“No production on this dedicated production line will restart until the necessary corrective measures are implemented.”
In mid-August, a Danone spokesperson told Global News that the company was still investigating the cause of the contamination.
“This is a rigorous process that takes time, but it is important that we get to the bottom of this.”
Another question that needs answering, Charlebois said, is why the CFIA issued a recall in 2024 and not in 2023.
“What’s been really interesting about this recall is the first fatality actually happened in August 2023, but the first recall occurred on July 8, 2024.”
The health scare related to plant-based milk may not affect the buying habits of Canadians at the grocery store, said Jeffrey Farber, a retired food scientist from the University of Guelph.
There could be a minor impact, but most Canadians will continue to buy oat and almond milk.
“(A) percentage of consumers will lose some trust in plant-based milk, but this will be temporary,” Farber said in an email.
“It (plant based) has a “health halo,” and consumers’ memory for the large part is short-lived.”
