4 hours Ago By [email protected] (Kenyon Wallace)
An investigation into the linked to plant-based milks under the Silk and Great Value brands last summer has found the facility producing the beverages did not follow national contamination prevention guidance. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) said Tuesday the Pickering, Ont. manufacturing plant, operated by a company called Joriki Inc.
, did not properly conduct environmental swabbing and finished product testing in adherence with Health Canada’s on listeria monocytogenes, a species of bacteria that can become a serious pathogen if ingested. The agency said that while it could not pinpoint the primary cause of the outbreak, cross-contamination could have occurred after processing. Production at the Joriki facility, which is a third-party manufacturing plant for Danone Canada, has been halted while cleanup and renovations take place, CFIA said.
“Manufacturing will not resume until all necessary safety measures are in place, and until we are confident that the risk of contamination has been eliminated,” the agency said in a statement. On July 8, CFIA issued a for several plant-based refrigerated beverages under Danone’s Silk brand and Walmart’s Great Value brand due to potential listeria contamination. The next day, the presence of the bacteria was confirmed at the Joriki facility.
Over the next month, three people died as some 20 cases of were confirmed in Ontario, Quebec, Nova Scotia and Alberta. More than a dozen people were hospitalized, with cases affecting people as young as seven and up to age 89. “That obviously was unacceptable,” said federal Health Minister Mark Holland while providing an update on the investigation Tuesday.
“It’s imperative that we shut any deficiencies and understand what went wrong.” “It’s imperative that we shut any deficiencies and understand what went wrong,” said federal Health Minister Mark Holland while providing an update on the listeria investigation Tuesday. Joriki Inc.
did not respond to a request for comment by press time, but in a statement to the Star, Danone Canada said the recent events “have been devastating and we apologize that this happened.” “Our most sincere sympathies go out to the families and loved ones during this difficult time. We remain committed to the quality and safety of our products as we navigate the path forward with transparency and care,” the company said, adding that it is reviewing CFIA’s findings and collaborating with authorities.
A CFIA “risk assessment” concluded the Joriki facility “was not considered high risk” before the listeria contamination, the agency said in its statement Tuesday. Because of this finding, a licence inspection of the plant was not conducted prior to the investigation of the outbreak, CFIA said. The agency had, however, visited the plant in response to consumer complaints received in 2018, 2019, 2023 and 2024 “related to the possible presence of allergens, off-taste and mould.
” CFIA stressed in its statement that there is no causal link between mould and listeria and that all necessary action was taken by Joriki to resolve the complaints. Lori Burrows, a microbiologist and professor with McMaster University and the Canada research chair in microbe-surface interactions, said companies need to put resources into ensuring finished product testing is done properly, as government inspectors have limited resources. “We kind of rely on the companies to do the right thing and have the consumer’s health in mind,” she said.
Listeria outbreaks have typically been linked to ready-to-eat meats and unpasteurized dairy products, CFIA said, noting that this is the first time plant-based beverages have been linked to illness in Canada..
