Silk Plant Based Beverage Recall Due to Listeria Presence -Potential Source and Reason

Food Recall

I love getting alternative plant-based beverages and so, my first reaction when I saw this. It is funny, I scroll through this when I am lying down. I (literally, get off the bed and) rush to the fridge to check if I have the beverage so I can dispose of them if anything.

Let’s talk about Silk Plant-Based Beverages recall based on potential listeria presences and confirmed listeria cases. I happened to be on some Facebook page comments and there are questions about the products and how listeria gets into the plant-based milk. It will be misleading for me to answer the actual reasons why listeria ended in plant-based milk.

Typically, I don’t comment on recall or repost unless I know that the recall will impact many people who may have not realized there is a recall going on. In this particular case, Silk Plant Beverage is a popular milk substitute. Many including myself have switched from milk to plant-based milk. Milk is likely consumed as it is or used as a creamer for beverages.

The concern here is there will likely be no heat treatment before consumption. As well, we know that listeria spp. can grow at refrigeration temperature although the growth is rather slow.

Contrary to the popular belief that plant-based foods cause less recall, unfortunately, recall like this can still occur.

Here are some noteworthy characteristics of listeria spp. that are worth highlighting:

• Listeria can survive through refrigerators and may grow although the growth is slow (Listeria and Food Safety, 2008)
• Listeria monocytogenes is an opportunistic pathogen, it primarily targets individuals with weak immune systems, elderly, and pregnant women and can cause miscarriage. (Listeria and Food Safety, 2008)
• Listeria, on the other hand, represents the family of the bacterium listeria. The presence of listeria spp without listeria monocytogenes can indicate the ability of the food or environment to support the growth of listeria monocytogenes.

As well as the common sources or reasons for listeria presence (Listeria and Food Safety, 2008):

• Listeria is commonly found in soil, water, sewage, and in the feces of humans and animals.
• Produces eg. plants, vegetables, and fruits can be contaminated with listeria from the soil, water or manure-based fertilizers.
• Farm animals may also carry listeria through their meats and milk
• Cross contaminations of ready-to-eat food with raw foods
• Not following good storage temperature allows listeria to grow

How to keep yourself away from listeriosis (what we call foodborne illnesses due to listeria monocytogenes) (Listeria and Food Safety, 2008)?

• Prevent cross-contamination from raw food
• Choose pasteurized milk or plant-based milk
• Proper refrigeration and be aware of temperature abuse
• Store milk above raw foods to prevent contamination due to spillage

These are all scientific data that we have and know, and are not the actual reasons why listeria recall for these Silk plant beverages. Let’s wait for the investigation result.

I still see many Silk beverages on the shelves and on sale -just double-check the affected code for the product recall on the CFIA website to ensure that you didn’t end up using the suspected package.

If you have questions about will other products, be affected, I recommend speaking directly with the manufacturer as they will know what is being made on the same line, and practices at the plant.

Here is some FAQ statement from Silk directly regarding the recall -https://www.silkcanada.ca/product-recall-qa/ if you are looking for a refund for your Silk beverage recall, the instructions are there too.

I will be updating this slightly later when we have a confirmed investigation so that we will all learn from this case on how to keep our plant-based milk safer.

That being said, if you are using plant-based milk in your facility, consider re-evaluating your input as part of your food safety plan, to make sure you are managing your product risk.

Like to know as soon as there is a food recall, subscribe to the Health Canada notification here:

https://recalls-rappels.canada.ca/en/subscribe

References:

Health Canada. (2008, August). Listeria and Food Safety. Retrieved from https://publications.gc.ca/collections/collection_2009/sc-hc/H164-80-2008E.pdf

Silk Plant-Based Beverages Recall Recall Information. Retrieved from https://recalls-rappels.canada.ca/en/alert-recall/various-silk-and-great-value-brand-plant-based-refrigerated-beverages-recalled-due