The third-party manufacturer has been identified as Joriki, which has been used as a packaging facility by Danone for its plant-based Silk beverage brand.
The listeria outbreak in Canada linked to plant-based milk alternatives sold by French dairy giant Danone and retail heavyweight Walmart has been traced back to a factory in Ontario.
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) yesterday (7 August) disclosed that the contamination occurred on a “dedicated production line” at a facility in Pickering.
The third-party manufacturer identified was Joriki, utilised by Danone as a beverage packaging facility for its plant-based Silk beverage brand.
The CFIA stated that the contaminated line has been “completely disassembled while inspection at the facility is ongoing”. It added that it is “satisfied that any contamination has been identified and eliminated”.
Last month, the CFIA issued a voluntary recall on 15 Silk products, including almond, coconut and oat variants, alongside Walmart’s private-label Great Value plant-based milks.
The agency said: “Our highest priority is always food safety and the health of Canadians. We take food safety investigations seriously and employ every measure to remove risks to consumers as soon as possible.
“It is vital that Canadians have the information they need to have confidence in Canada’s food safety system.”
Last month, the CFIA reported that two consumers had died in Canada following listeria infections. Another ten people have suffered infections, with the majority occurring in Ontario, alongside one case each in Quebec and Nova Scotia.
It said that nearly 60% of the people infected are older than 60, while 67% are female.
The French dairy giant ventured into dairy-free products by acquiring WhiteWave Foods, the US manufacturer of the Alpro and Silk plant-based dairy-alternative ranges, in 2016 for $12.5bn.
