HEALTH HAZARD ALERT

CERTAIN BRANDT HEADCHEESE PRODUCTS MAY CONTAIN SALMONELLA BACTERIA

Food Safety Investigation - G. Brandt Meat Products Ltd.

OTTAWA, July 21, 2010 - The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) and G. Brandt Meat Packers Ltd. are warning the public not to consume the Brandt headcheese products described below, because they may be contaminated with Salmonella.

All flavours of Brandt Headcheese products, bearing Establishment number 164 and purchased up to and including July 21, 2010, are affected by this alert.

The affected products have been distributed nationally.

These headcheese products would have been sold to consumers at deli counters. However, the original brand and/or Best Before dates may not have been transferred to consumer packages. Persons who may have purchased these products and do not know the original brand and/or code are advised to check with their retailer or supplier to determine if they have the affected product.

There have been no reported illnesses associated with the consumption of these products.

The CFIA is aware of and is investigating an outbreak of Salmonella Chester. For complete details, please visit the British Columbia Centre for Disease Control's (BC CDC) website. CFIA continues to collaborate with the Public Health Agency of Canada, BC CDC, Health Canada, and the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care (Ontario) for this investigation.

Food contaminated with Salmonella may not look or smell spoiled. Consumption of food contaminated with these bacteria may cause salmonellosis, a food borne illness. In young children, the elderly and people with weakened immune systems, salmonellosis may cause serious and sometimes deadly infections. In otherwise healthy people, salmonellosis may cause short-term symptoms such as high fever, severe headache, vomiting, nausea, abdominal pain and diarrhoea. Long-term complications may include severe arthritis.

The manufacturer, G. Brandt Meat Packers Ltd., Mississauga, ON, is voluntarily recalling the affected products from the marketplace. The CFIA is monitoring the effectiveness of the recall.

For more information, consumers and industry can call one of the following numbers:

G. Brandt Meat Packers Ltd. at 905-279-4469 ext 227; or

CFIA at 1-800-442-2342 / TTY 1-800-465-7735 (8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Eastern time, Monday to Friday).

For information on Salmonella, visit the Food Facts web page at: http://www.inspection.gc.ca/english/fssa/concen/cause/salmonellae.shtml

For information on all food recalls, visit the CFIA’s Food Recall Report at: http://active.inspection.gc.ca/eng/corp/recarapp_dbe.asp.

To find out more about receiving recalls by e-mail, and other food safety facts, visit: www.foodsafety.gc.ca. Food and consumer product recalls are also available at http://www.healthycanadians.gc.ca.

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Media enquiries:

CFIA Media Relations
613-773-6600

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