The terrible memory of last summer's deadly listeriosis crisis has barely faded but it's now right back where it started - in the forefront of the minds of Canadians. And it's all because the same company involved in the previous problem was forced to issue yet another recall on Tuesday.
This time, the product involves something that's probably been on your dinner table - hot dogs.
Maple Leaf Foods
was forced to issue the call back on 26,000 packages of frankfurters, after a mistake at one of their processing plants in Hamilton.
"It was an environmental test that indicated listeria species and there was one day's production," relates spokesperson Linda Smith.
The company's tough new testing policy turned up the contamination and the product in question was never supposed to reach store shelves.
But a mistake wiped out those best intentions.
"The product was put to the side and held, pending further test results and it got released to the marketplace inadvertently," Smith explains.
The affected products are:
-
Shopsy's Deli Fresh All Beef Frankfurters, (Product Code
20730 and UPC
6487520730) with a Best Before date of
AL22 and
AL23 (April 22 and 23)
-
Maple Leaf Hot Dogs Original, (Product Code
22356 and UPC
6310022356) with a Best Before date of
AL23.
They come in 450-gram packages and were distributed throughout eastern Canada.
All this comes after the beleaguered company spent tens of millions in clean-up costs and paid out $25 million as part of a class action lawsuit after the outbreak in the summer killed 20 people across the country and sickened many more.
The meat producer had just begun to heal from those scars and regain the trust of consumers when this new situation brought back the memories full force.
Some customers aren't impressed, after the company promised they'd cleaned up their act. "There's a total loss of confidence," consumer Bob MacMillan observes. "I mean, they had a huge problem, a lot of people died, they said they cleaned it up. I mean, if another shipment goes out, it means they've just lost control."
But the company counters it was their more stringent testing initiated after the outbreak that allowed them to find the problem, and the recall is voluntary to be extra certain no one is adversely affected again.
"Unlike other situations, this event occurred as a direct result of human error and did not uphold our stringent industry leading protocols," notes Michael McCain, President and CEO of Maple Leaf Foods in a statement. "Notwithstanding the exceptionally low risk this represents, Maple Leaf is committed to maintaining the most stringent standards and we intend to live by those standards so consumers can have absolute confidence in the integrity of our products. We are taking immediate action and will not condone anything other than strict adherence to our protocols."
Consumers who may have the items in their freezer or fridge or who have questions can call
1-800-568-5801 to arrange to have the products replaced, or return them to the store where they were purchased for a full refund or product replacement.
No other Maple Leaf products are impacted by the recall and no illnesses have been connected to the new problem.
What is listeriosis?
Previous stories:
Maple Leaf Foods CEO On Listeria Blame: 'The Buck Stops Right Here'
Maple Leaf Foods Stock Hits New Lows As Crisis Affects Bottom Line
Maple Leaf Reopens Plant Linked To Deadly Nationwide Listeria Outbreak