For Metro Calgary Alicia FoxMaple Leaf's meat recall after an outbreak of listeriosis has extended past the refrigerator section in grocery stores to deli counters, pre-packaged sandwiches, and freshly made subs in Calgary.
Lucerne Foods, a Calgary-based subsidiary of Safeway, has pulled sandwiches from Mac's stores and Safeway shelves across Alberta and Saskatchewan after Maple Leaf extended their recall to all products made in the affected Toronto plant.
"The sandwiches (on Safeway shelves) are now with different meat so they (the customers) should have no concerns," said David Ryzebol, vice president of public affairs for Canada Safeway.
All affected sandwiches and deli meats were destroyed early yesterday so any sandwiches bought after that time are safe, he said.
Mr. Sub also receives their meats from the company, and Momtaz Fahim, owner of Mr. Sub on 17 Avenue SE said the only fresh meat sandwiches they have are corned or roast beef. They do, however, still have their hot subs.
"Just to be on the safe side, we threw it all away," he said of the potentially affected fresh cuts.
Fahim said that Maple Leaf has promised to reimburse him for the meat he tossed, and that customers have been fairly understanding and not complaining.
"Of course I'm worried, but I have trust in the system," he said, adding he doesn't expect too big of a hit for profits and that business has been running fairly normally.
Consumers wondering if products in their fridge are affected can view the complete list at http://www.mapleleaf.com/
Yesterday, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency upped the listeria-related death toll to 12, up from four.
