Danone Canada has recalled 15 Silk SKUs after the Canadian food safety regulator traced several cases of potential Listeria contamination to select products made in a third-party manufacturing facility in Ontario. All production and shipments coming from the facility have been halted until further notice.
The outbreak has now been linked to 2 deaths and 9 hospitalizations, with Danone Canada president Frédéric Guichard stating: "The news in this notice is devastating and our most sincere sympathies go out to the families and loved ones during this difficult time. We would like to reassure our consumers that we have conducted the recall and have removed the affected products from retail shelves, in close collaboration with our retail partners. We are working with the utmost seriousness and in close partnership with the authorities to thoroughly investigate and shed light on the circumstances surrounding this event. Food safety, quality, and the health of our consumers are, and will always be, at the core of everything we do. We are committed to providing updates as more information becomes available."
The Silk recall concerns 15 refrigerated plant-based beverage SKUs, specifically 1.75 to 1.89L products; the brand’s shelf-stable products such as Silk Barista or any other ranges are not implicated in the recall. Also included in the regulator’s notice are 3 refrigerated SKUs from Walmart’s private label brand Great Value, specifically Almond Beverage Unsweetened Original; Almond Beverage Original, and Almond Beverage Vanilla, all in 1.89L formats.
To date, there have been 9 confirmed cases of listeriosis linked to the recalled products, including 5 hospitalizations. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency continues to investigate and has suggested further products may be recalled in the future.
Raw milk cheesemaker escapes prison sentence
A former US cheesemaker has been sentenced to 3 years’ probation and 240 hours of community service and ordered to pay a $100,000 fine for offences relating to a 2016/17 listeriosis outbreak linked to his raw milk cheese products.
As reported in March 2024, Johannes H. Vulto, who founded and operated the now-defunct Vulto Creamery LLC, pleaded guilty to a misdemeanour charge that carried a maximum sentence of up to a year in prison, probation, and a fine of up to $250,000. Separately from the owner, the company faced a fine of up to $500,000, but has been sentenced to 1 year of organizational probation; the minimum term for this type of sentence.
Vulto Creamery’s cheese was linked by the Food and Drug Administration to an outbreak of listeriosis in 2017, leading the manufacturer to cease production and issue a product recall. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that the outbreak resulted in 8 hospitalizations and 2 deaths.
Upon entering his guilty plea, Vulto admitted to have been responsible for overseeing operations at the Vulto Creamery’s factory in Walton, New York, including sanitation and environmental monitoring. Between July 2014 and February 2017, the facility had repeatedly tested positive for Listeria species yet the company continued to ship cheese in interstate commerce.