The Public Health Agency of Canada said that the outbreak of listeria linked to several types of plant-based milk appears to be slowing, as no new cases have been reported in the past two weeks.

However, the director of the agency's outbreak management said they will not feel comfortable declaring the outbreak over until early October due to the incubation period of listeria, which can last up to 70 days, and the reporting delays that accompany new cases.

April Hiximer confirmed that the latest count of reported cases as of August 12 has not changed, with 20 confirmed cases in four provinces and three deaths in Ontario.

The agency linked a listeria case reported in August 2023 to a broader outbreak following multiple infections in Ontario last June.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency announced a nationwide recall of several plant-based milk products from Silk and Great Value on July 8.

The source of the illness was traced to a specific production line at a third-party beverage packaging facility in Pickering, Ontario, used by plant-based milk manufacturer Danone Canada.