Thanks to the Maple Leaf listeria outbreak, which has now killed 13 people, lawmakers across Canada are considering banning deli-style meats from hospitals and other health care facilities. Such a move would be long overdue. In 2005, Health Canada recommended that institutions not feed deli meat to people with weakened immune systems. Yet somehow that sensible advice was ignored.
One microbiologist with Canada’s National Research Council says that unless a ban is instituted, future illnesses are certain:
It’s not a question of if that will happen, but a question of when. The bugs are all around us. We can’t get away from these.
Such a ban would be a blow to Canada’s meat industry and a boon to public health. Let’s hope lawmakers act quickly. Link.
