OTTAWA, May 13, 2010 – The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) and Zadi Foods Ltd. are warning the public not to consume Casa Italia brand meat and cheese combo packs described below because these products may be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes.

The following Casa Italia brand meat and cheese combo packs are affected by this alert. 

These products have been distributed nationally.

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, Zadi Foods Ltd., Brampton, ON 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:

Vincenzo DiBattista, President, Zadi Foods Ltd. at 1-905-799-6666  x 5234;

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).