Advice to Consumers-Update of Salmonella Saintpaul Situation in Canada

Public Health officials in Canada have reported a case of a Salmonella Saintpaul infection that matches those associated with the outbreak in the United States. The individual involved has indicated that he recently travelled to the United States. Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) officials will continue to work with their colleagues in Canada and the U.S. to monitor the situation and assess further cases.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) is also continuing to follow the outbreak investigation related to Salmonella Saintpaul by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The outbreak may be associated with a food source, particularly certain types of uncooked, fresh tomatoes or products containing these raw tomatoes.

Consumers should be aware that tomatoes grown in Canada have not been implicated in the U.S. investigation. As there is no definitive link to a specific food source available in this country, no specific advice is being issued for people in Canada.

CFIA and PHAC want to inform Canadians that both the FDA and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) continue to update their respective websites to provide on-going information about their investigation. The FDA has updated their website to include a list of tomatoes that are not associated with the U.S. outbreak. The list is being updated as new information becomes available and can be viewed at: http://www.fda.gov/oc/opacom/hottopics/tomatoes.html. More information on the CDC's investigation is available at http://www.cdc.gov/salmonella/saintpaul/.

For more information, consumers and industry can call 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). People who believe they have experienced symptoms of illness are urged to contact their health care provider.

For information on Salmonella, visit the Food Facts webpage at http://www.inspection.gc.ca/english/fssa/concen/causee.shtml