Two-thirds of samples were tainted, data shows
“I’d never seen anything like this. The fact that so many came back positive shows how contaminated the source was.”
Dr. Vinita DubeyTwo-thirds of Maple Leaf meat samples collected from Toronto hospitals and nursing homes tested positive for a virulent strain of listeria just before the country’s largest food recall, according to confidential data obtained by the Toronto Star and the CBC.
The test results show a dramatically high percentage of bacteria-laced ham, corned beef, turkey, and roast beef was being served to hundreds of vulnerable hospital patients and seniors. Experts say it’s more contamination than they have seen and further evidence of a health risk that should have reached the public’s attention sooner.
“There shouldn’t be any positives,” says Rick Holley, a food safety expert at the University of Manitoba. “The reality is if you did a survey in the market, you might find one or two at most out of this sample that are positive ... And it is a particularly virulent strain of listeria. It’s one of the bad ones.”
These tests prompted the national recall of various Maple Leaf meat products.
A federal government source confirmed yesterday that half of the provincial samples tested positive for listeria.
But the results in Toronto were worse.
“I’d never seen anything like this,” said Dr. Vinita Dubey, Toronto’s associate medical officer of health. “The fact that so many came back positive shows how contaminated the source was.”
Linda Smith, a spokesperson for Maple Leaf, said the company was informed of the second batch of test results on Aug. 16.
“On the basis of (the test results) we did a recall.”
