2008 Canadian listeriosis outbreak
Encyclopedia
The 2008 Canadian listeriosis outbreak was a widespread outbreak of listeriosis in Canada
linked to cold cuts
from a Maple Leaf Foods
plant in Toronto
, Ontario
. 22 people died and there were 57 total confirmed cases.
Listeriosis is an infection caused by the bacterium Listeria monocytogenes. The outbreak originated from lines 8 and 9 of the Maple Leaf Foods
Bartor Road facility (Establishment No. 97B) in North York, Ontario
, a neighbourhood of Toronto. There were about 220 possibly contaminated products, each stamped with the code "97B" near the "Best before" date. Since the bacteria travelled through deli meats, which are cooked (and as a result are usually free of pathogens), the contamination likely occurred during packaging. The outbreak was first noticed in July when regular surveillance detected an increase in cases reported. Federal inspectors usually spent less than 2 hours a day at the plant in the months before the outbreak of the illness, sometimes as little as 15 minutes.
Officials from Maple Leaf believe that the outbreak originated sometime in July on line 8 or line 9 of the North York facility. Regardless, the entire plant has undergone intense sanitation, which began August 21. About 80 workers were involved in the cleanup, with additional outside experts and microbiologists supervising the operation. They used peroxyacetic acid
, quaternary ammonium compound, isopropyl alcohol
, refrigeration gel and a granular compound to disinfect the parts of the apparatuses. About 320 employees were to attend a four-hour training session on Listeria and on cleanliness, and about 250 employees were laid off while the plant was being cleaned.
The recall reportedly cost the company $20 million, about ten times the original estimate.
credited the discovery of the outbreak to an early-warning system implemented after the 2003 SARS outbreak in Toronto. Canadian Health Minister
Tony Clement
stated that he expected the number of cases to rise with time, since the bacteria have a lengthy incubation period. Minister of Agriculture
Gerry Ritz
stated at a news conference: "Let me state on behalf of the government that our thoughts and prayers are with the family and friends of those that are affected [...] And of course, I'd like to reiterate that our highest priority continues to be making sure that Canadian families' food supply is safe."
On the federal political level, there was a debate on the privatization
of food inspection. A cabinet document leaked earlier in the year outlined a plan to save money at the Canadian Food Inspection Agency
(CFIA) by shifting federal meat inspectors into an oversight role and leaving companies to implement their own methods. Liberal leader Stéphane Dion
was harshly critical and drew comparisons to the 2000 Walkerton tainted water tragedy
and the privatization of propane inspection, which he blamed for the 2008 Toronto explosions
. Gerry Ritz responded that the CFIA had added 200 inspectors since the Conservatives came to power, adding, "As opposed to having our inspectors standing line by line, they'll have a more oversight role within the plant itself [...] We're trying to build a better mousetrap
here." New Democratic Party
agriculture critic Alex Atamanenko
said he strongly opposed the apparent privatization plans. The NDP claimed that policy changes first put in place by the Liberals and then continued under the Conservative government were to blame for the outbreak.
made national news when comments he made on an August 30, 2008 conference call with government officials were made public. Ritz was quoted as saying, "This is like a death by a thousand cuts. Or should I say cold cuts." Then, when told of a death in Prince Edward Island
, Ritz said, "Please tell me it's (Liberal MP) Wayne Easter
." Ritz apologized for his remarks, but various groups called for his resignation. New Democratic Party
Leader Jack Layton
responded by saying, "Canadians are dying because of the mismanagement of our government... there should absolutely never be that kind of humour.... It illustrates the government is not taking this matter as seriously as they should." A spokesman for Prime Minister Harper released a statement saying Ritz's comments were tasteless and completely inappropriate. Stephen Harper refused to seek Ritz's resignation.
, Quebec
, Saskatchewan
, and British Columbia
. The lawsuit in Ontario is claiming damages of $350 million. All lawsuits were filed by Merchant Law Group.
The lawsuits were settled in December 2008 for $27 million.
Although the lawsuits are settled, as of November 2011 claimants have as yet to receive disbursement of funds.
Serious delays were associated with higher level claims requiring specialist medical/financial evidence or private Court Orders. A handful of complex appeals are still ongoing. Disbursement will not occur until these appeals are resolved.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
linked to cold cuts
Cold Cuts
Cold Cuts is a 2002 live album by English acoustic roots duo Show of Hands. It was their first live album to be released in a gatefold/digipack case...
from a Maple Leaf Foods
Maple Leaf Foods
Maple Leaf Foods Inc. is a major Canadian food processing company, founded in 1927 as a merger of several major Toronto meat packers.-History:The company was originally known as Canada Packers...
plant in Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
. 22 people died and there were 57 total confirmed cases.
Origin and spread
Maple Leaf Foods
Maple Leaf Foods Inc. is a major Canadian food processing company, founded in 1927 as a merger of several major Toronto meat packers.-History:The company was originally known as Canada Packers...
Bartor Road facility (Establishment No. 97B) in North York, Ontario
North York, Ontario
North York is a dissolved municipality within the current city of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Geographically, it comprises the central part of the northern section of Toronto. As of the 2006 Census, it has a population of 635,370. The official 2001 census count was 608,288...
, a neighbourhood of Toronto. There were about 220 possibly contaminated products, each stamped with the code "97B" near the "Best before" date. Since the bacteria travelled through deli meats, which are cooked (and as a result are usually free of pathogens), the contamination likely occurred during packaging. The outbreak was first noticed in July when regular surveillance detected an increase in cases reported. Federal inspectors usually spent less than 2 hours a day at the plant in the months before the outbreak of the illness, sometimes as little as 15 minutes.
Response from Maple Leaf Foods
Maple Leaf Foods had instated a voluntary recall before the outbreak was linked to their plant; upon confirming the link, they expanded the recall to all products from the Bartor Road facility. In a press conference, President and CEO of Maple Leaf Foods Michael McCain stated, "Tragically, our products have been linked to illness and loss of life. To those people who are ill, and to the families who have lost loved ones, I offer my deepest and sincerest sympathies. Words cannot begin to express our sadness for their pain."Officials from Maple Leaf believe that the outbreak originated sometime in July on line 8 or line 9 of the North York facility. Regardless, the entire plant has undergone intense sanitation, which began August 21. About 80 workers were involved in the cleanup, with additional outside experts and microbiologists supervising the operation. They used peroxyacetic acid
Peroxyacetic acid
Peracetic acid , is an organic compound with the formula CH3CO3H. This organic peroxide is a colorless liquid with a characteristic acrid odor reminiscent of acetic acid...
, quaternary ammonium compound, isopropyl alcohol
Isopropyl alcohol
Isopropyl alcohol is a common name for a chemical compound with the molecular formula C3H8O. It is a colorless, flammable chemical compound with a strong odor...
, refrigeration gel and a granular compound to disinfect the parts of the apparatuses. About 320 employees were to attend a four-hour training session on Listeria and on cleanliness, and about 250 employees were laid off while the plant was being cleaned.
The recall reportedly cost the company $20 million, about ten times the original estimate.
Political responses
Ontario Premier Dalton McGuintyDalton McGuinty
Dalton James Patrick McGuinty, Jr., MPP is a Canadian lawyer, politician and, since October 23, 2003, the 24th and current Premier of the Canadian province of Ontario....
credited the discovery of the outbreak to an early-warning system implemented after the 2003 SARS outbreak in Toronto. Canadian Health Minister
Minister of Health (Canada)
The Minister of Health is the Minister of the Crown in the Canadian Cabinet who is responsible for overseeing the federal government's health department and the enforcing the Public Health Agency of Canada, Canada Health Act, the law governing Medicare...
Tony Clement
Tony Clement
Tony Peter Clement, PC, MP is a Canadian federal politician, President of the Treasury Board, Minister for the Federal Economic Initiative for Northern Ontario and member of the Conservative Party of Canada....
stated that he expected the number of cases to rise with time, since the bacteria have a lengthy incubation period. Minister of Agriculture
Minister of Agriculture (Canada)
The Minister of Agriculture is a Minister of the Crown in the Cabinet of Canada, who is responsible for overseeing several organizations including Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Canadian Dairy Commission, Farm Credit Canada, Canadian Food Inspection Agency, National Farm Products Council and...
Gerry Ritz
Gerry Ritz
Gerry Ritz, PC, MP is Canada's Agriculture minister and a Canadian Member of Parliament for Battlefords—Lloydminster, a largely rural riding in Saskatchewan...
stated at a news conference: "Let me state on behalf of the government that our thoughts and prayers are with the family and friends of those that are affected [...] And of course, I'd like to reiterate that our highest priority continues to be making sure that Canadian families' food supply is safe."
On the federal political level, there was a debate on the privatization
Privatization
Privatization is the incidence or process of transferring ownership of a business, enterprise, agency or public service from the public sector to the private sector or to private non-profit organizations...
of food inspection. A cabinet document leaked earlier in the year outlined a plan to save money at the Canadian Food Inspection Agency
Canadian Food Inspection Agency
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency is a science based regulatory agency that is dedicated to the safeguarding of food, animals, and plants, which enhance the health and well-being of Canada's people, environment and economy...
(CFIA) by shifting federal meat inspectors into an oversight role and leaving companies to implement their own methods. Liberal leader Stéphane Dion
Stéphane Dion
Stéphane Maurice Dion, PC, MP is a Canadian politician who has been the Member of Parliament for the riding of Saint-Laurent–Cartierville in Montreal since 1996. He was the leader of the Liberal Party of Canada and the Leader of the Opposition in the Canadian House of Commons from 2006 to 2008...
was harshly critical and drew comparisons to the 2000 Walkerton tainted water tragedy
Walkerton Tragedy
The Walkerton Tragedy is a series of events that accompanied the contamination of the water supply of Walkerton, Ontario, Canada, by E. coli bacteria in May 2000.-Summary:Walkerton is a relatively small community located in Ontario...
and the privatization of propane inspection, which he blamed for the 2008 Toronto explosions
2008 Toronto explosions
The Toronto propane explosion was a series of explosions and ensuing fire that took place on the morning of August 10, 2008, in the Downsview community of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The explosions occurred at the Sunrise Propane Industrial Gases propane facility in the Keele Street and Wilson...
. Gerry Ritz responded that the CFIA had added 200 inspectors since the Conservatives came to power, adding, "As opposed to having our inspectors standing line by line, they'll have a more oversight role within the plant itself [...] We're trying to build a better mousetrap
Build a better mousetrap, and the world will beat a path to your door
Build a better mousetrap, and the world will beat a path to your door is a phrase attributed to Ralph Waldo Emerson in the late nineteenth century. The phrase is actually a misquotation of the statement:...
here." New Democratic Party
New Democratic Party
The New Democratic Party , commonly referred to as the NDP, is a federal social-democratic political party in Canada. The interim leader of the NDP is Nycole Turmel who was appointed to the position due to the illness of Jack Layton, who died on August 22, 2011. The provincial wings of the NDP in...
agriculture critic Alex Atamanenko
Alex Atamanenko
Alex T. Atamanenko MP is a Canadian politician, who was elected to the House of Commons in 2006, winning the riding of British Columbia Southern Interior for the New Democratic Party in the 2006 federal election...
said he strongly opposed the apparent privatization plans. The NDP claimed that policy changes first put in place by the Liberals and then continued under the Conservative government were to blame for the outbreak.
Gerry Ritz comments
On September 17, 2008, Agricultural Minister Gerry RitzGerry Ritz
Gerry Ritz, PC, MP is Canada's Agriculture minister and a Canadian Member of Parliament for Battlefords—Lloydminster, a largely rural riding in Saskatchewan...
made national news when comments he made on an August 30, 2008 conference call with government officials were made public. Ritz was quoted as saying, "This is like a death by a thousand cuts. Or should I say cold cuts." Then, when told of a death in Prince Edward Island
Prince Edward Island
Prince Edward Island is a Canadian province consisting of an island of the same name, as well as other islands. The maritime province is the smallest in the nation in both land area and population...
, Ritz said, "Please tell me it's (Liberal MP) Wayne Easter
Wayne Easter
Arnold Wayne Easter, PC, MP is a Canadian politician.-Before politics:Born in North Wiltshire, Prince Edward Island the son of A. Leith Easter and Hope MacLeod, he was educated at the Charlottetown Rural High School and the Nova Scotia Agricultural College. In 1970, he married Helen Arleighn...
." Ritz apologized for his remarks, but various groups called for his resignation. New Democratic Party
New Democratic Party
The New Democratic Party , commonly referred to as the NDP, is a federal social-democratic political party in Canada. The interim leader of the NDP is Nycole Turmel who was appointed to the position due to the illness of Jack Layton, who died on August 22, 2011. The provincial wings of the NDP in...
Leader Jack Layton
Jack Layton
John Gilbert "Jack" Layton, PC was a Canadian social democratic politician and the Leader of the Official Opposition. He was the leader of the New Democratic Party from 2003 to 2011, and previously sat on Toronto City Council, serving at times during that period as acting mayor and deputy mayor of...
responded by saying, "Canadians are dying because of the mismanagement of our government... there should absolutely never be that kind of humour.... It illustrates the government is not taking this matter as seriously as they should." A spokesman for Prime Minister Harper released a statement saying Ritz's comments were tasteless and completely inappropriate. Stephen Harper refused to seek Ritz's resignation.
Class-action lawsuits
Four separate class-action lawsuits were filed in OntarioOntario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
, Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan is a prairie province in Canada, which has an area of . Saskatchewan is bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, and on the south by the U.S. states of Montana and North Dakota....
, and British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
. The lawsuit in Ontario is claiming damages of $350 million. All lawsuits were filed by Merchant Law Group.
The lawsuits were settled in December 2008 for $27 million.
Although the lawsuits are settled, as of November 2011 claimants have as yet to receive disbursement of funds.
Serious delays were associated with higher level claims requiring specialist medical/financial evidence or private Court Orders. A handful of complex appeals are still ongoing. Disbursement will not occur until these appeals are resolved.
Further reading
- Listeriosis Outbreak Death Count Rises To 26, 35 More Cases Under Probe AHNAll Headline NewsAll Headline News is a United States based news agency or wire service. Launched in 2003 it has grown to become a major worldwide online news wire service, providing news and other content, to websites, digital signage, and other publishers who pay a fee for the service.The company's daily news...
August 26, 2008 - Listeriosis victims, families still waiting for compensation CBCCanadian Broadcasting CorporationThe Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly known as CBC and officially as CBC/Radio-Canada, is a Canadian crown corporation that serves as the national public radio and television broadcaster...
October 8, 2011
External links
- Information on the outbreak, from the Canadian Food Inspection AgencyCanadian Food Inspection AgencyThe Canadian Food Inspection Agency is a science based regulatory agency that is dedicated to the safeguarding of food, animals, and plants, which enhance the health and well-being of Canada's people, environment and economy...
- List of possibly contaminated products as of August 24, from Canadian Food Inspection Agency
- Michael McCainMichael McCainMichael McCain or Michael H. McCain B.A. is the current President and Chief Executive Officer of Maple Leaf Foods, since January 1999...
"A message to Canadians", from the President & CEO of Maple Leaf Foods regarding the listeria recall. - Meat Recall timeline