Listeria hysteria—and this time, the origins of the illness are unknown

The Globe is reporting that the five recent listeria deaths in the province aren’t related to the Siena deli meat recall, meaning no one is safe from their sandwiches. So far in 2010, 14 people in Ontario have become sick with listeriosis, but only two cases were related to deli meats. The five deaths were apparently caused by five different strains of listeriosis.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency already recalled five Siena products: salami, cooked ham, coppa and two types of prosciuttini. Siena, a Toronto-based food company, has ceased production and stopped shipment of all its products. This, of course, comes less than two years after Maple Leaf’s listeriosis outbreak, which caused the deaths of 22 people across the country.

• Ontario listeria deaths unrelated to Siena recall [Globe and Mail]