1901

Journal of Food Protection, Vol. 82, No. 11, 2019, Pages 1901–1908
https://doi.org/10.4315/0362-028X.JFP-19-235
Copyright Ó, International Association for Food Protection

Research Note

Recalls of Foods due to Microbial Contamination Classified by the

Canadian Food Inspection Agency, 2000 to 2017
ADRIAN HEROD,1 LAWRENCE GOODRIDGE,2 AND JOHN ROHDE1*

1Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Dalhousie University Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada B3H 4R2 (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4288-
9499 [A.H.]); and 2Food Science Department, University of Guelph, 50 Stone Road East, Guelph, Ontario, Canada N1G 2W1
MS 19-235: Received 17 May 2019/Accepted 12 July 2019/Published Online 21 October 2019

ABSTRACT
Recall of microbial-contaminated food products is an important intervention in preventing the transmission of foodborne
illness. Here, we summarize the number and nature of foods recalled as a result of microbial contamination, classified by the
Canadian Food Inspection Agency, for the period 1 January 2000 through 31 December 2017. A total of 10,432 food products
were recalled from 2,094 recall events in Canada because of microbial contamination during this period. The meat, meat
products and poultry category, followed by fishery and seafood products and nuts and edible seeds, contained the food products
most commonly associated with microbial contamination. Most microbial-contaminated food products reported were recalled
because of the presence bacterial pathogens. Salmonella contamination was responsible for the largest number of recall events,
whereas Listeria monocytogenes contamination accounted for the greatest number of food products recalled because of
microbial contamination. L. monocytogenes contamination was also most commonly associated with major food recall events,
although records may be inflated because of an invested effort to prevent future L. monocytogenes outbreaks following a 2008
deli meat recall. The findings and data we present in this study will support future surveillance and analysis of microbial-
contaminated food recalls in Canada.

HIGHLIGHTS

Top microbial-contaminated food products were meat, seafood, and nuts and edible seeds.

Salmonella contamination was responsible for the largest number of recall events.

L. monocytogenes accounted for the largest number of recalled food products.

Key words: Foodborne illness; Microbial contamination; Recall

Foodborne illnesses are a public health concern
worldwide. In Canada, approximately 4 million foodborne
illnesses are contracted annually, leading to an estimated
11,600 hospitalizations and 240 deaths (51). Although the
microbes behind many of these foodborne illnesses go
unidentified, a group of 30 pathogens is believed to be
mainly responsible. Norovirus is the leading cause of
foodborne illness from this group in Canada, followed by
Clostridium perfringens, Campylobacter, and Salmonella
(51). Foodborne infections associated with these pathogens
commonly produce mild and self-limiting disease and often
go undiagnosed or undocumented. As a result, estimates of
foodborne illness may not accurately reflect the true
incidence of infection.
Foodborne illnesses are contracted from the ingestion
of contaminated or improperly prepared food. In the case of
microbial-contaminated food, food recalls are conducted to
prevent the transmission of foodborne infection. Manufac-
* Author for correspondence. Tel: 902-494-8048; Fax: 902-494-5125;
E-mail: john.rohde@dal.ca.
turers and distributors are prohibited from selling food
products that violate section 4 of Canada’s Food and Drugs
Act, such as microbial-contaminated foods, and are
responsible for removing the products from sale and/or
distribution (30). However, recall of unsafe food products
was voluntary until the enactment in April 1997 of the
Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) Act. The CFIA
Act granted authority to the Minister of Agriculture and
Agri-Food to order companies to recall food products that
were reasonably believed to pose a risk to the public. The
CFIA Act also created the CFIA and established a
framework to investigate and identify potentially harmful
food products for recall (31).
The CFIA conducts food safety investigations in
response to various triggers to determine whether a food
recall is required. Triggers include a consumer complaint or
illness outbreak linked to a specific food, a food test result
or CFIA inspection result that indicates a potential health
risk, a company-initiated recall, or a recall in another
country (12). In response to the trigger, the CFIA-led food
safety investigation aims to determine the specific unsafe
1902 HEROD ET AL.
food product, the area of distribution, and the agent
responsible for the safety risk. If a potential health risk is
identified, a health risk assessment is conducted by Health
Canada to determine the likelihood that the food will cause
illness and the potential duration and severity of illness (16).
The CFIA then uses the health risk assessment to determine
whether a food recall is necessary and classifies the recall as
high (class I), intermediate (class II), or low (class III) risk
(35). Following the recall order, the manufacturer or
distributor is responsible for recalling the unsafe food
product from all of its accounts. The CFIA continues to
assist in the process by managing the implementation of the
recall, publishing recall warnings, and verifying that the
company has recalled products from retail shelves (12). The
procedures used by CFIA-regulated manufacturers and
distributors to conduct recalls of unsafe food are described
in section 84 of the Safe Food for Canadians Regulations
(32).
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has
published numerous studies documenting food recall trends
in the United States (28, 53, 54). These reports consistently
showed microbial-related food recalls as a large contributor
to all food recall events. In Canada, undeclared allergens are
responsible for the largest number of food recalls, but
microbial-related food recalls are consistently high in
number (19). Although the CFIA has existed the entire
21st century, no study has consolidated microbial-related
food recall data from Canada to examine annual recall
trends. The objectives of this study were to compare
microbial-related food recalls in Canada under the jurisdic-
tion of the CFIA for 2000 to 2017 and to analyze the recalls
from this period by food type and pathogen involved.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
As stated by the Government of Canada’s Recall Policy
(POL-0016), a recall is defined as ‘‘a responsible party’s removal
from further sale or use, or correction, of a distributed product that
presents a risk to the health of consumers or violates the Act or the
Regulations’’ (37). A recall event can include the recall of one or
more products but typically of one kind of food. The CFIA
maintains a record of information related to recalled products in
the issue management system database (24). For this study, we
submitted an access to information request to the CFIA to obtain
all records from the issue management system pertaining to food
recalls as a result of microbial contamination from 1 January 2000
through 31 December 2017. A recalled product was defined as
microbially contaminated as per the CFIA standards. The CFIA
defines a product as microbially contaminated if the food product
is contaminated by a microorganism, such as bacteria, viruses, or
parasites, that has the possibility to cause adverse health
symptoms (14).
For the purposes of this study, we categorized microbial-
contaminated food products in accordance with the classification
system used by the CFIA. The CFIA categorizes microbial-
contaminated food products into 22 subgroups based on the
contaminating agent (Table 1). A food product can be deemed to
be microbially contaminated and subcategorized if laboratory
analysis of the product identifies the presence of one or more
pathogen, microorganism, or microbial toxin associated with
foodborne illness. In the absence of laboratory confirmation, a
food product can be deemed to be microbially contaminated if an
J. Food Prot., Vol. 82, No. 11
TABLE 1. Area of concern categories used by the Canadian Food
Inspection Agency to classify microbial-contaminated food
products
Area of concern subgroup Pathogen, toxin, or condition
Pathogenic Bacillus cereus
Clostridium botulinum
Clostridium perfringens
Escherichia coli O157:H7
E. coli non-O157:H7
Listeria monocytogenes
Pseudomonas aeruginosa
Salmonella
Shigella flexneri
Staphylococcus aureus
Vibrio parahaemolyticus
Quality Aerobic colony count
Coliforms
E. coli
Mold
Yeast
Unspecified Container integrity
Other
Undetermined
epidemiological association is established between consumption
of a product and cases of human foodborne illness. In addition,
food products are deemed to be microbially contaminated if they
are produced, packaged, transported, or stored under conditions
that could promote the growth of microbes or production of toxins
associated with foodborne illness (24). We included recalls of
foods contaminated with yeast, mold, coliforms, Escherichia coli,
and high aerobic colony counts, because the CFIA classifies these
food products as microbially contaminated. We included food
products carrying marine biotoxin under microbial contamination,
despite the CFIA not classifying this contamination as microbi-
ological, because it is included in a previous FDA microbial-
related food recall analysis by Dey et al. (28).
For each recall of microbial-contaminated food products, the
Office of Food Safety and Recall assigns a recall classification
number (I, II, or III) to indicate the relative degree of health risk
associated with consuming the contaminated food (24). A class I
recall specifies a situation in which there is a reasonable
probability that the use of, or exposure to, the recalled product
will cause serious adverse health consequences or death. A class II
recall specifies a situation in which the use of, or exposure to, the
recalled product may cause temporary adverse health consequenc-
es or the probability of serious adverse health consequences is
remote. A class III recall specifies a situation in which the use of,
or exposure to, the recalled product is not likely to cause adverse
health consequences (35). The health risk assessment posed by
each food product recall is conducted by the Food Directorate of
Health Canada (36). Factors taken into consideration during the
health risk assessment of microbial-contaminated food products
include the microbial agent present in the product, the potential
severity and duration of adverse health effects associated with the
microbial agent, the scientific evidence supporting that the food
product is contaminated, the level of contamination, the likelihood
of illness as a result of consumption of the product, distribution,
consumer habits, and populations likely to be exposed to the
product (16).
For each recall of microbial-contaminated food products in
Canada from 2000 to 2017, we reviewed the recall records to
J. Food Prot., Vol. 82, No. 11 MICROBIAL-CONTAMINATED FOOD RECALLS IN CANADA, 2000 TO 2017 1903

TABLE 2. Number of food recall events and products recalled for TABLE 3. Number and classification of food-related recall events
microbial contamination by year, 2000 through 2017, by the and products recalled for microbial contamination, by pathogen,
Canadian Food Inspection Agency or toxin, or condition, 2000 through 2017, by the Canadian Food
Inspection Agency
Recalls
No. of events
Yr No. of events No. of products by classification No. of
Pathogen, toxin, products
2000 37 70 or condition Total I II III recalled
2001 88 278
2002 82 165 Salmonella 522 112 405 5 2,325
2003 45 80 Listeria monocytogenes 508 310 157 41 2,942
2004 64 289 Escherichia coli O157:H7 266 244 21 1 2,577
2005 81 207 Clostridium botulinum 139 116 14 9 440
2006 80 475 Otherb 126 12 41 73 346
2007 126 338 E. coli non-O157:H7 96 6 59 31 300
2008 108 674 Mold 82 —a 2 80 174
2009 161 1,005 Staphylococcus aureus 63 4 56 3 142
2010 144 1,337 Container integrity 56 1 47 8 315
2011 117 573 Undetermined 42 1 11 30 114
2012 241 1,748 Vibrio parahaemolyticus 33 2 19 12 196
2013 153 534 Yeast 33 — — 33 82
2014 152 747 Marine biotoxin 30 9 18 3 80
2015 139 631 Coliforms 23 — 5 18 44
2016 135 485 E. coli 17 — 12 5 19
2017 141 796 Aerobic colony count 17 — — 17 58
Total 2,094 10,432 Pseudomonas aeruginosa 12 — 11 1 23
Bacillus cereus 8 1 5 2 19
Cyclospora 6 3 1 2 20
gather the following information: pathogen or toxin responsible Multiple pathogens 6 3 2 1 195
for contamination, recall classification (I, II, or III), year, and Shigella flexneri 5 3 2 — 10
product type. We characterized recalls based on the pathogen or Clostridium perfringens 4 — 3 1 11
toxin responsible for the contamination, the year the recall Total 2,094 827 891 376 10,432
occurred, and the product type recalled. With regard to product
type, the CFIA does not categorize food recalls by industry codes.
a
—, no data.
b
Includes norovirus, hepatitis A virus, spoilage, and unspecified
Therefore, we used categories similar to those used by Dey et al.
pathogenic bacteria.
(28) in their study of foods recalled in the United States because of
microbiological contamination for 2003 to 2011, with the
exception that we added four categories: ‘‘alcoholic beverages,’’ Although many pathogens are responsible for food
‘‘animal food,’’ ‘‘dietary conventional foods and meal replace- recalls, bacteria accounted for most food recalls because of
ments,’’ and ‘‘vegetables, vegetable products (sprouts).’’ microbial contamination. Among the 2,094 food-related
recall events, 522 (24.9%) involved contamination with
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION Salmonella spp., 508 (24.3%) involved contamination with
Listeria monocytogenes, and 266 (12.7%) involved con-
In this study, we reviewed food-related recalls
tamination with E. coli O157:H7 (Table 3). Salmonella, L.
associated with microbial contamination from 1 January
monocytogenes, and E. coli O157:H7 collectively accounted
2000 to 31 December 2017 classified by the CFIA. The
for 61% of all microbial-associated recall events from 2000
CFIA has previously released reports analyzing food recall to 2017 in Canada. Salmonella was associated with the
incidents, as well as food safety investigations, but both highest number of recall events during this time, but most
reports analyze a shorter period and do not focus on recalls were categorized as class II, indicating an interme-
microbial contamination to the extent of this study (19, 20). diate risk for adverse health consequences. Although many
We report that from 2000 to 2017, 2,094 microbial-related factors are considered for the risk classification of a food
food recall events and 10,432 recalled food products were recall, Salmonella-related food recalls are often categorized
recorded in Canada (Table 2). Until 2006, the annual as intermediate risk because of the high infectious dose and
number of microbial-related food recall events remained low mortality associated with infection (44). The high
below 100. The average annual total of microbial-related number of recall events associated with Salmonella
food recall events increased from 87 events per year in the contamination coincides with a high Salmonella hospital-
2000s (2000 to 2009) to 153 in 2010s (2010 to 2017). This ization incidence estimate, reported by Thomas et al. (51),
increase in reported microbial-related recall events in the although many of these cases are linked to improper
2010s by 75% may represent an increased frequency of handling of commercially marketed contaminated food
microbial contamination of food products but could also be products (e.g., raw chicken). Although Salmonella is
attributed to improvement of foodborne pathogen diagnos- associated with the highest hospitalization rate among
tics and outbreak surveillance (10, 51). foodborne bacteria, both L. monocytogenes and E. coli
1904 HEROD ET AL. J. Food Prot., Vol. 82, No. 11

TABLE 4. Major recalls of food products (minimum of 50 recalled products) by pathogen and product type, 2000 through 2017, per the
Canadian Food Inspection Agency
No. of
Pathogen Product recalled products recalled Cases reported Yr Reference

Escherichia coli O157:H7 Spinach 289 1 2006 40

Salmonella Sesame seeds 62 —a 2007 2
E. coli O157:H7 Raw beef 95 45 2007 52
Listeria monocytogenes Cheese 51 — 2008 3
L. monocytogenes Deli meats 275 57b 2008 27
L. monocytogenes Sandwiches 95 57b 2008 27
Salmonella Peanuts 682 1 2009 25
L. monocytogenes Cheese 152 — 2010 26
Salmonella Herbs 110 — 2010 29
L. monocytogenes Deli meats 90 — 2010 4
Multiple pathogensc Ready-to-eat cooked meat 182 — 2010 5
Salmonella Hydrolyzed vegetable protein 207 — 2010 11
E. coli O157:H7 Romaine 132 — 2010 6
L. monocytogenes Cheese 68 1 2011 7
L. monocytogenes Mixed greens 89 — 2012 8
E. coli O157:H7 Raw beef 1,363 18 2012 45
L. monocytogenes Potato, coleslaw, and pasta salads 176 — 2013 15
Salmonella Sprouted chia seed powder 60 63 2014 46
L. monocytogenes Cheese 221 — 2014 34
L. monocytogenes Stone fruit 105 — 2014 17
Salmonella Garlic powder 89 — 2015 18
Vibrio parahaemolyticus Oysters 137 82 2015 47
E. coli O157:H7 Raw beef 64 — 2016 21
L. monocytogenes Salad kit 57 14 2016 48
E. coli O157:H7 Raw meat (beef, chicken, lamb, pork) 114 — 2017 22
L. monocytogenes Mixed vegetables 129 — 2017 23
E. coli non-O157:H7 Raw baked goods 90 30d 2017 49
E. coli non-O157:H7 Flour 115 30d 2017 49
a
—, no data.
b
Reported cases of listeriosis were grouped for deli meat and sandwich recalls.
c
L. monocytogenes and Salmonella were both found in ready-to-eat cooked meat.
d
Reported cases of foodborne illness linked to E. coli O121 were grouped for contaminated raw baked goods and flour.

O157:H7 are responsible for a greater death rate relative to
illness incidence (51). The lethality associated with E. coli
O157:H7 and, to a greater extent, L. monocytogenes is
reflected in recall event classification, because most L.
monocytogenes– and E. coli O157:H7–contaminated food
products were categorized as class I (high risk). Aside from
food recall events, Salmonella, Listeria, and E. coli
O157:H7 collectively accounted for 77% of all recalled
food products because of microbial contamination from
2000 to 2017. The high proportion of recalled food products
associated with Salmonella, L. monocytogenes, and E. coli
O157:H7 contamination is the result of the many major
recall events (minimum of 50 products recalled) linked to
these foodborne pathogens (Table 4).
Microbial contamination can affect various food
products, as examined by this study. We categorized the
microbial-contaminated food recall data using 34 food
product types in accordance to FDA-defined product codes,
with one addition of our own: ‘‘sprouts’’ (Table 5). The
product categories with the greatest number of recalls
events were ‘‘meat, meat products, and poultry’’ (25.1%),
‘‘fishery and seafood products’’ (12.3%), ‘‘nuts and edible
seeds’’ (10.9%), and ‘‘cheese and cheese products’’ (10.2%).
The product category ‘‘meat, meat products, and poultry’’
also accounted for largest number of recalled products
(31%), followed by ‘‘nuts and edible seeds’’ (11.6%),
‘‘cheese and cheese products’’ (9%), and ‘‘vegetables and
vegetable products (leafy greens)’’ (8.2%). Product type was
also characterized by Salmonella, L. monocytogenes, and E.
coli O157:H7 contamination, the three foodborne pathogens
responsible for most food-related recalls (Table 6). From
2000 through 2017, Salmonella-associated recalls affected a
wider range of product types (26 of 35) relative to L.
monocytogenes (20 of 35) and E. coli O157:H7 (9 of 25). L.
monocytogenes and E. coli O157:H7 are mainly responsible
for the recall total reported for ‘‘meat, meat products, and
poultry,’’ because they are associated with infamous recalls
of deli meats and raw beef, respectively (27, 44). L.
monocytogenes contamination also accounts for most
‘‘cheese and cheese products’’ recalls, which is expected
considering its well-documented history of contaminating
dairy products (43). Regarding ‘‘nuts and edible seeds,’’
Salmonella contamination is responsible for most recalled
food products because of a peanut contamination event that
affected both the United States and Canada (25, 38). The
product types ‘‘vegetable and vegetable products (greens)’’
J. Food Prot., Vol. 82, No. 11 MICROBIAL-CONTAMINATED FOOD RECALLS IN CANADA, 2000 TO 2017 1905

TABLE 5. Recalls of food products, by product type, resulting Over the course of the two decades examined by this
from microbial contamination, 2000 to 2017, per the Canadian study, the CFIA facilitated 26 microbial-contaminated food
Food Inspection Agency recalls that we designated as major recalls (Table 4). The
No. of No. of most well-known major recalls among the 26 reported
recall products include L. monocytogenes–contaminated deli meats in 2008
Product type events recalled (27) and E. coli O157:H7 contamination of raw beef in 2012
(45). Both contamination incidents were a result of poor
Alcoholic beverages 8 12
Animal food 1 3 sanitation practices during production and manufacturing
Baby (infant and junior) food products 6 41 and resulted in documented cases of human illness and
Bakery products, dough, bakery deaths (1, 13). Aside from these two outbreaks, we were
mixes, and icings 37 158 interested in determining how often major recalls were
Beverage bases 2 2 associated with transmission of foodborne illness. Among
Candy without chocolate and chewing the 26 major recalls reported, approximately 40% (11 major
gum 6 31 recalls) were linked to reported illnesses. Three major
Cereal preparations and breakfast recalls within the past 5 years accounted for at least 30
foods 2 5 documented cases of foodborne illness. Two of these major
Cheese and cheese products 213 936
recalls, Salmonella contamination of sprouted chia seed
Chocolate and cocoa products 18 45
powder and E. coli O121 of flour and raw baked goods,
Coffee and tea 12 18
Dietary conventional foods and meal remain without an identified source of the contamination
replacements 10 43 (33, 49). The third major recall involved Vibrio para-
Dressings and condiments 17 42 haemolyticus–contaminated oysters, resulting in 82 reported
Eggs and egg products 18 41 cases of illness (47). This outbreak linked to contaminated
Filled milk and imitation milk shellfish highlights a growing concern surrounding V.
products 4 9 parahaemolyticus contamination of food products that are
Fishery and seafood products 257 782 typically eaten raw.
Food sweeteners (nutritive) 3 11 Trends in foodborne illness can change dramatically
Fruit and fruit products 114 379 from decade to decade, as observed with the decrease in
Ice cream and related products 10 71
botulism cases from 1985 through 2005 in Canada (41). We
Macaroni and noodle products 4 10
Meat, meat products, and poultry 525 3,234
examined food recall events and products associated with
Milk, butter, and dried milk products 43 116 microbial contamination from 2000 to 2009 and 2010 to
Multiple-food dinners, gravies, sauces, 2017 to identify potential trends with foodborne pathogens.
and specialties 106 681 E. coli O157:H7 contamination demonstrated the highest
Nuts and edible seeds 229 1,214 increase between decades in both microbial-related recall
Prepared salad products 25 317 events (74 for 2000 to 2009 and 192 for 2010 to 2017) and
Snack food items (flour, meal, or recalled contaminated food products (554 for 2000 to 2009
vegetable base) 17 46 and 2,023 for 2010 to 2017). Both increases in relative
Soft drinks and water 25 54 recall events and recalled food products were primarily
Soups 16 42
attributed to a substantial number of recalls for raw beef in
Spices, flavors, and salts 98 512
2012 that affected more than 1,300 products (45). Similar to
Vegetable oils 2 3
Vegetable protein product 8 48 E. coli O157:H7, recall events attributed to either L.
Vegetables and vegetable products 123 391 monocytogenes or Salmonella contamination increased,
Vegetables and vegetable products specifically by 70 events for each (219 to 289 for L.
(leafy greens) 60 858 monocytogenes and 226 to 296 for Salmonella). However,
Vegetables and vegetable products the increase in total recalled food products associated with
(roots, tubers, and fungi) 25 63 L. monocytogenes between the two decades (939 for 2000 to
Vegetables and vegetable products 2009 and 2,003 for 2010 to 2017) was greater than that for
(sprouts) 34 72 Salmonella (1,129 for 2000 to 2009 and 1,196 for 2010 to
Whole grains, milled-grain products, 2017). From 2010 to 2017, L. monocytogenes accounted for
and starch 16 142
12 major food recalls, whereas Salmonella was associated
Total 2,094 10,423 with 6 (Table 4). Following the major L. monocytogenes
outbreak linked to contaminated deli meats in 2008, the
and ‘‘fishery and seafood products’’ also recorded high totals Canadian government invested $113 million into improving
national food safety, including Listeria-specific manage-
of recalled food products, with the former linked to
ment strategies (10). The specific investments in L.
numerous recalls associated with E. coli O157:H7, L. monocytogenes detection are likely responsible for the
monocytogenes, or Salmonella. Unlike leafy green produce, increase in L. monocytogenes–related recalled food products
‘‘fishery and seafood products’’ were associated with a reported from 2010 to 2017. In addition, even though
greater diversity in microbial contamination; 12 pathogens, similar increases in recall events were reported for both L.
toxins, and conditions were linked to their recalls. monocytogenes and Salmonella, more L. monocytogenes–
1906 HEROD ET AL. J. Food Prot., Vol. 82, No. 11

TABLE 6. Number of food-related recall events by industry and pathogen, 2000 through 2017, by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency
Industry E. coli O157:H7 Listeria monocytogenes Salmonella

Alcoholic beverages —a — —
Animal food — — 1
Baby (infant and junior) food products — — 1
Bakery products, dough, bakery mixes, and icings — 3 4
Beverage bases — — —
Candy without chocolate and chewing gum — 1 —
Cereal preparations and breakfast foods — — 1
Cheese and cheese products 6 105 11
Chocolate and cocoa products — — 16
Coffee and tea — — 11
Dietary conventional foods and meal replacements 1 3 2
Dressings and condiments — — —
Eggs and egg products — 5 10
Filled milk and imitation milk products — 3 —
Fishery and seafood products — 46 17
Food sweeteners (nutritive) — — —
Fruit and fruit products 4 11 29
Ice cream and related products — 6 1
Macaroni and noodle products — — —
Meat, meat products, and poultry 230 181 32
Milk, butter, and dried milk products — 8 1
Multiple-food dinners, gravies, sauces, and specialties 1 51 7
Nuts and edible seeds 11 13 194
Prepared salad products — 18 2
Snack food items (flour, meal, or vegetable base) — 1 13
Soft drinks and water — — —
Soups — — 1
Spices, flavors, and salts — — 91
Vegetable oils — — —
Vegetable protein product 4 1 2
Vegetables and vegetable products — 39 22
Vegetables and vegetable products (leafy greens) 7 4 32
Vegetables and vegetable products (roots, tubers, and fungi) — 8 1
Vegetables and vegetable products (sprouts) 2 1 19
Whole grains, milled-grain products, and starch — — 1
Total 266 508 522
a
—, no data.

contaminated food products were recalled because of an
increase in major recall events.
Aside from Salmonella, L. monocytogenes, and E. coli
O157:H7, we were interested in identifying trends with the
minor contributors to microbial-contaminated food recalls.
Both V. parahaemolyticus and microorganisms designated
under the ‘‘other’’ contamination category accounted for
relatively few recall events from 2000 to 2009 (2 and 36,
respectively) and a larger amount from 2010 to 2017 (31
and 90, respectively). The number of recalled food products
associated with either V. parahaemolyticus or ‘‘other’’
followed a similar increase from 2000 to 2009 (2 and
106, respectively) to 2010 to 2017 (194 and 240,
respectively). The increases in recall metrics reported here
suggest that further attention is warranted regarding food
product contamination for both V. parahaemolyticus and
microorganisms designated under ‘‘other.’’ The CFIA uses
‘‘other’’ as a contamination category that includes norovirus,
hepatitis A virus, spoilage microorganisms, and unspecified
pathogenic bacteria. It may be in the best interest of the
CFIA to add new pathogen or toxin categories within the
various areas of concern associated with recalls (i.e.,
pathogenic, quality, and unspecified) to classify microbio-
logical-related recalls that would normally fall under
‘‘other,’’ because the current label is too vague considering
the volume of recalls it describes. Regarding V. para-
haemolyticus, Banerjee et al. (9) reported an increase in
shellfish carrying V. parahaemolyticus sampled from both
the east and the west of Canada over a 6-year period. With
rises in Canadian coastal ocean temperatures (50) and the
preference of V. parahaemolyticus for warmer water (39), it
is reasonable to believe that additional seafood recalls are
likely.
Our study of microbial-contaminated food recalls
reported in Canada fills a gap in food recall analysis that
has remained vacant since the CFIA began recording recall
data in 1997. We report that Salmonella, L. monocytogenes,
and E. coli O157:H7 are the primary contributors to
microbial-contaminated food recalls in Canada and are
responsible for most major recalls reported from 2000 to
J. Food Prot., Vol. 82, No. 11 MICROBIAL-CONTAMINATED FOOD RECALLS IN CANADA, 2000 TO 2017
2017. Contamination of meats, nuts and edible seeds, and
cheese accounted for the highest number of recalled food
products recorded, but reported recalls on leafy greens and
seafood are on the rise. In the future, we recommend that
the CFIA adopt classification of food recalls by FDA
product codes, or implementation of a similar product
codex, to improve recall trend analysis. Furthermore, we
recommend that the CFIA classify food recalls by origin,
domestic or foreign, because preventative measures for
future recalls will differ between Canadian goods and
imported food products. Finally, the findings and data set we
present in this study will support future surveillance and
analysis of microbial-contaminated food recalls in Canada.
ACKNOWLEDGMENT
A. Herod was funded by Genome Canada and Genome Quebec.
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