Warning: Cream cheese products may have Salmonella

Canadian Food Inspection Agency
News Release

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OTTAWA - The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) and Liberté Natural Foods Ltd. are warning the public not to consume the Western brand cream cheese products described below because they may be contaminated with Salmonella.

The following products are affected by this alert:

Western Original Cream Cheese
Product 250 g 0 61641 00006 4 DE 28
Western Light Cream Cheese Product
250 g 0 61641 01550 1 DE 28

These products have been distributed in Ontario, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia.

There have been no reported illnesses associated with the consumption of these products.

Food contaminated with Salmonella may not look or smell spoiled. Consumption of food contaminated with these bacteria may cause salmonellosis, a foodborne illness. In young children, the elderly and people with weakened immune systems, salmonellosis may cause serious and sometimes deadly infections. In otherwise healthy people, salmonellosis may cause short-term symptoms such as high fever, severe headache, vomiting, nausea, abdominal pain and diarrhea. Long-term complications may include severe arthritis.

The manufacturer, Liberté Natural Foods Ltd., Brampton, Ontario is voluntarily recalling the affected products from the marketplace. The CFIA is monitoring the effectiveness of the recall.

For more information, consumers and industry can call one of the CFIA at 1-800-442-2342 / TTY 1-800-465-7735 (8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Eastern time, Monday to Friday).

For information on Salmonella, visit the Food Facts web page at: http://www.inspection.gc.ca/english/fssa/concen/cause/salmonellae.shtml

For more information on all food recalls, visit the CFIA's Food Recall Report at: http://active.inspection.gc.ca/eng/corp/recarapp_dbe.asp

For information on receiving recalls by e-mail, or for other food safety facts, visit our web site at www.inspection.gc.ca.

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