FOI Documents Expose Sanitation Issues in 2024 Listeria Outbreak

Documents obtained through a Freedom of Information request reveal significant sanitation issues at a Pickering, Ontario, beverage packaging facility linked to a 2024 listeria outbreak that sickened 20 people, hospitalized 15 and caused three deaths, according to the Public Health Agency of Canada.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency inspected Joriki Inc., a third-party facility that packaged plant-based milks under the Silk and Great Value brands, including soy, almond and coconut varieties. The inspection, conducted between June 26 and August 22, 2024, identified problems such as condensation on ceilings and peeling paint on floors in pasteurization areas, as well as accumulated garbage and empty cartons in the loading bay. Portions of the report remain redacted, but food safety experts described the findings as major indicators of conditions conducive to listeria growth.

Listeria monocytogenes, the bacteria responsible, thrives in moist environments and can contaminate ready-to-eat products like plant-based milks. "Condensation on the ceiling is an ideal environment for listeria to grow, and it could have dripped onto products," said Lori Burrows, a microbiologist at McMaster...