Third person dies in Ontario in Listeria outbreak linked to plant-based milks

TORONTO — A third person from Ontario has died in a Listeria outbreak connected to Great Value and Silk plant-based milks, the province’s Ministry of Health said Monday afternoon.

The statement followed an update about the outbreak published Monday by the Public Health Agency of Canada, which said there were 20 confirmed cases of people sickened by listeriosis — the illness caused by the Listeria bacteria — in four provinces.

The affected products include Silk brand oat milk, almond milk, coconut milk, almond-coconut milk and almond-cashew milk, as well as Great Value brand almond milk with best before dates up to and including Oct. 4 and containing the number 7825 in the product code.

The Listeria contamination originated on a dedicated production line at Joriki, a third-party beverage packaging facility in Pickering, Ont., used by plant-milk manufacturer Danone Canada, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency said last week.

People became sick between August 2023 and mid-July 2024, the Public Health Agency of Canada said. Thirteen of the cases were in Ontario, five were in Quebec, one was in Nova Scotia and one was in Alberta.

The people sickened range in age from seven to 89 and 70 per cent of the cases were 50 years of age and older. Fifteen people have been reported hospitalized in the outbreak, the agency said.

The agency said people should check to see if they have any of the affected products and either throw them out or return them to where they were purchased.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 12, 2024.

Canadian Press health coverage receives support through a partnership with the Canadian Medical Association. CP is solely responsible for this content.

Nicole Ireland, The Canadian Press