May 11, 2010 – The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) and Cuisine Bern-Art Inc. are warning the public not to consume the Cuisine Bernart brand meals described below because these products may be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes.

The following products are affected by this alert:

These products have been distributed in Quebec.

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

Food contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes may not look or smell spoiled. Consumption of food contaminated with these bacteria may cause listeriosis, a foodborne illness. Listeriosis can cause high fever, severe headache, neck stiffness and nausea. Pregnant women, the elderly and people with weakened immune systems are particularly at risk. Infected pregnant women may experience only a mild, flu-like illness, however, infections during pregnancy can lead to premature delivery, infection of the newborn, or even stillbirth.

The manufacturer, Cuisine Bern-Art Inc., LaSalle, QC, 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 following numbers:

Bernard Duguay (Cuisine Bern-Art Inc.) at 514-367-0228 or
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).