Listeria symptoms, prevention tips and more

This article is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Contact a qualified health care professional before engaging in physical activity or making any changes to your diet, medications, or lifestyle.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has issued a recall of 18 Silk and Great Value brand plant-based chilled beverages due to concerns about listeria. The nationwide recall applies to various sizes of Great Value products with the Best before date from 04.10.2024:

Silk products (various sizes) with the Best before date from 04.10.2024:

• Almond Original

• Almond dark chocolate

• Almonds unsweetened

• Almond vanilla and unsweetened vanilla

• Coconut Original and Coconut Unsweetened

• Oat Original

• Oat Vanilla

• Oat dark chocolate

• Oats unsweetened and unsweetened vanilla

• Almond & Cashew unsweetened and unsweetened vanilla

A complete list of recalled products, product codes and expiration dates is available on the CFIA website.

According to the CFIA, recalled products must be thrown away or returned to the place where they were purchased. Anyone who believes they have become ill from a recalled product should contact their doctor.

A statement from the Ontario Ministry of Health said nine confirmed cases of listeriosis (an infection caused by listeria) have been reported in Ontario, as well as five hospitalizations related to the ongoing investigation into the outbreak.

What exactly is listeria? Here you can find out what you need to know – and what symptoms you should look out for.

What are listeria?

Dr. Isaac Bogoch, an infectious disease specialist at Toronto General Hospital, described listeria as a type of bacteria that can infect people through eating contaminated food.

“It’s usually associated with certain types of foods,” Bogoch said in a September 2023 interview. “It’s just more common in some foods than others. But unfortunately, it’s not uncommon to hear about listeria outbreaks from time to time.”

He said listeria can be found in the following areas:

• Cold cuts, sausages and hot dogs

• Pasteurized or unpasteurized dairy products

• Ready-made salads

• Occasionally in fruits and vegetables

“The interesting thing about listeria is that when you put something in the fridge, bacterial growth is normally suppressed. But listeria actually grows very well in refrigerated environments,” explains Bogoch.

What symptoms occur with a listeria infection?

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency said that while foods contaminated with listeria may not look or smell spoiled, they can still make people sick.

According to the public health service, symptoms of listeria infection can appear as early as three days after eating contaminated food.

Symptoms may include:

• Fever

• Nausea

• cramps

• Diarrhea

• Vomit

• Headache

• constipation

• Sore muscles

“Most people who get Listeria get diarrhea and gastrointestinal symptoms. That goes away on its own. You don’t even need antibiotics. … And many people probably had Listeria and didn’t even know it,” Bogoch said.

Are listeria dangerous for everyone?

According to Bogoch, pregnant women, elderly people and people with weakened immune systems are particularly at risk of serious illnesses caused by listeria.

“These people are at risk for invasive listeriosis,” Bogoch said. “That means it can lead to blood poisoning. … That can be very serious.”

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), invasive listeriosis is characterized by “severe symptoms and a high mortality rate (20 to 30 percent).”

Symptoms include:

“The incubation period is usually one to two weeks, but can vary from a few days to up to 90 days,” the WHO said.

In pregnant women, the infection can also lead to premature birth, infection of the newborn or even stillbirth.

However, Bogoch said that listeria is generally not difficult to treat and that the patients who are actually hospitalized receive antibiotic therapy.

“The key is prevention,” he added, “making sure people know what the product is so they can avoid it… and when people have risk factors for serious infection and have symptoms of infection, making sure help is provided quickly and patients can start treatment.”

How to prevent a listeria infection

Bogoch said a person cannot control whether food is contaminated with listeria. It depends on how the food was processed before it reached the consumer. However, there are ways to prevent infection.

“People can cook their meat. … The bacteria wouldn’t survive if you cooked a hot dog,” Bogoch said.

Health Canada stated that “food contaminated with Listeria bacteria looks, smells and tastes normal.”

For this reason, people at high risk of serious illness should avoid eating sausages unless they are dried and salted or heated to a steaming temperature. In addition, they should avoid pâtés and meat spreads unless they are frozen, canned or shelf-stable.

To reduce the risk of infection, Bogoch also recommends avoiding unpasteurized dairy products. According to Health Canada, these include soft and semi-soft cheeses such as Brie, Camembert and blue cheese.

“People can still become infected with listeria from pasteurized products … but there is a higher risk with unpasteurized products,” Bogoch said.

Fruit and vegetables should also be washed thoroughly, the doctor concluded.

Let us know what you think by leaving a comment below and tweeting to @.YahooStyleCA! Follow us on Þjórsárdalur And Instagram.