Third person dies in Ontario in Listeria outbreak linked to plant-based milks

TORONTO — A third person from Ontario has died in a Listeria outbreak connected to Great Value and Silk plant-based milks, the province’s Ministry of Health said Monday afternoon.

The statement followed an update about the outbreak published Monday by the Public Health Agency of Canada, which said there were 20 confirmed cases of people sickened by listeriosis — the illness caused by the Listeria bacteria — in four provinces.

The affected products include Silk brand oat milk, almond milk, coconut milk, almond-coconut milk and almond-cashew milk, as well as Great Value brand almond milk with best before dates up to and including Oct. 4 and containing the number 7825 in the product code.

The Listeria contamination originated on a dedicated production line at Joriki, a third-party beverage packaging facility in Pickering, Ont., used by plant-milk manufacturer Danone Canada, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency said last week.