Two Canadians have died from infections caused by Listeria after they drank plant-based beverages sold under the Silk brand. The agency recalled the products in a notice last July 8.
This outbreak investigation is ongoing, and Health Canada is asking people not to consume, use, sell, serve or distribute the recalled plant-based refrigerated beverages. There were 12 laboratory-confirmed cases of Listeria monocytogenes illness linked to the outbreak in Ontario (10), Quebec (1), and Nova Scotia (1).
People became sick between August 2023 and early July 2024. Of the cases reported to the agency, nine people have been hospitalized, and two people have died. Many people who became sick reported drinking recalled plant-based beverages before their illnesses occurred. Most of them are adults 60 or older, and over half of the cases (67%) are female.
More recent illnesses may continue to be reported in the outbreak because there is a period between when a person becomes ill and when the illness is reported to public health officials. The illness reporting period for this outbreak is between 9 and 35 days.
This outbreak may not be limited to the provinces or territories with known illnesses because the recalled plant-based beverages were distributed nationally.
The manufacturers of Silk say the investigation is still underway to determine the exact cause, but said they acted quickly and recalled all Silk refrigerated beverage products produced in a third-party manufacturing facility. “We will not resume operations there until the investigation has been completed and we are satisfied with the resolution,” the manufacturer said.
