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The CEO of Maple Leaf Foods expressed his "deepest and sincere condolences" to the families of the four people who died in a Canada-wide outbreak of listeriosis.

Michael McCain also announced late Saturday that Maple Leaf will recall all products produced at its Toronto plant that has been linked to the outbreak.

"This week, our best efforts failed and for that we are deeply sorry," Mr. McCain told a news conference late Saturday, which was held shortly after federal officials confirmed a link between the outbreak and some Maple Leaf products recalled earlier this month.

"This is the toughest situation we've faced in the 100 years of this company's history," Mr. McCain told the news conference.

"We know that this has shaken confidence in us."

Mr. McCain said the additional recall is a precautionary measure and no trace of listeriosis bacteria has been detected in products beyond those listed in the earlier recall.

He said he expected the additional recall would be implemented by Sunday morning.

Earlier Saturday, officials with the Canadian Food Inspection Agency and the Public Health Agency of Canada confirmed listeriosis bacteria found in two samples of recalled meat products from Maple Leaf's Toronto plant match the strain that has infected almost two-dozen Canadians so far.

A third sample proved to be a close but not exact match.

"While these results are highly significant and indicate the investigation is on the right path, the investigation is not complete," CFIA spokesman Garfield Balsom told a news conference.

He said test results on additional food samples expected next week will advance the investigation further.

Mr. McCain said Maple Leaf is working to "mitigate" the risk of future contamination at its plants.

However, Listeria is "pervasive" and the outbreak occurred despite the fact Maple Leaf has an "exceptional track record" in Listeria management, Mr. McCain said.

"It (Listeria) is virtually impossible to eradicate in its entirety," Mr. McCain said. "It exists in plants, in supermarkets, potentially in your kitchen," he said.

Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz said the initial test results are good news because they isolate the source of the bacteria and make it easier to ensure all contaminated products are recalled.

"If (test results) went the other way, we'd be starting to look again and widening the circle for other products. This limits it to what we have been focusing on, so it is good news," Mr. Ritz said.

The scope of the recall grew Friday with another potential Listeria-tainted product, under the Shopsy's brand.

Fewer than 100 Shopsy's deli-fresh Classic Reuben sandwiches — with best-before dates of Aug. 22 and Aug. 24 — sold at six Shoppers Drug Mart locations in Toronto and at Bloor Superfresh Mart, were recalled.
They contained sliced corned beef, which belonged to a second batch of product called back by Maple Leaf on Wednesday.

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Linda Smith, a spokesperson for Maple Leaf, said 100 per cent of recalled meat products were removed from stores shelves across Canada by Thursday.

However, she said, the process of determining where the product landed after it was purchased by distributors — such as in hospitals or retirement homes — has been more complex.

"There is a very active effort to work with all the food distribution customers. But it is not as direct, because there are customers, and then those customers have customers," she said.

"We are very confident but I cannot give you a percentage but virtually all of it has been removed."

Mr. Balsom could not say exactly how many packages of meat are involved in the recall.

"This is a very large recall right across the country, involving thousands of accounts," he said.

The Listeria outbreak has led to four deaths out of a total of 21 confirmed cases. Of the deaths, listeriosis was found to be the cause of death in three cases in Ontario and a contributing factor in the remaining case, occurring in B.C.

Of the 21 confirmed cases, 16 are in Ontario, three are in British Columbia, one is in Saskatchewan and one is in Quebec.

An additional 30 suspected cases are being probed to confirm if they are related to the outbreak: 14 from Ontario, eight in Quebec, four from Alberta, two from Saskatchewan and two from British Columbia.
Since a person infected with listeriosis can take up to 70 days to show symptoms, public health officials expect the number of cases to continue growing over the next few weeks.

The food-inspection agency, in collaboration with public health units across the country, is checking Maple Leaf's accounts to ensure everyone who purchased the contaminated products is contacted. Mr. Balsom said the agency is starting with "the most vulnerable places — the institutions and old age homes" and has already visited thousands of them.

Maple Leaf's Toronto plant has been shut down and is being rigorously sanitized, under the supervision of the CFIA.

"We will ensure that this plant is thoroughly cleaned and that any product that would further processed from that facility is safe to consume," Mr. Balsom said.