You might want to check your peaches before you eat them! The Canadian Food Inspection Agency issued a Class 1 peach recall in Canada last Saturday, August 22.
Class 1 recalls are considered “high-risk” since the products are available for sale in supermarkets and grocery stores nationwide or are already in people’s homes.
A similar recall triggered this advisory in the US by Prima Wawona, a producer in Fresno, California, for possible salmonella infection from the multistate outbreaks. As of Sunday, there are 68 reported cases in 9 states, with 14 hospitalizations, all believed to be related to peach consumption.
The recall report contains a variety of labeled products, like Sweet 2 Eat, Prima Sweet Value Wawona, Wegmans, and Extrafresh. The peaches could have been sold with or without brand names, in loose or bulk, or repackaged into various forms. The affected peaches were those mostly sold from June 1 to August 22.
Overall, 11 different UPC coded products are being recalled. Carious importers have also started conducting a recall or the affected products. Peaches with the same PLU numbers produced in Canada, however, are not affected.
The notice temporarily urges Canadians to avoid peaches from the Prima Wawona brand, including restaurants and institutions not to use it. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency also recommends anybody who may have the recalled peaches to dispose of them immediately or return them to the sellers from where they were purchased.
As stated in the report, salmonella contaminated food might not smell or look unfit to eat but can cause illness. Older adults, young children, pregnant women, and people with compromised immune systems can contract dangerous and even fatal infections. Common symptoms include fever, headaches, vomiting, nausea, cramps, and diarrhea.
The CFIA says it is conducting a further investigation on the peaches, which may soon lead to the recall of other related products.
Other Salmonella Outbreaks
There have also been recent outbreaks of salmonella in Canada, although not said to be related to the peaches. One was in New Brunswick between June and July, where 13 cases were confirmed, but it was unclear how it started.
On August 15, more than 300 reports of Canadians contracted salmonella infections connected to a recall of red onions from the US.
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