By Rod Lister, Marie-Claude Gagnon Ph.D, and Bryn Shurmer
This blog post was originally published to Cultivating Science on science.gc.ca.
In late August 2022, Ontario public health authorities notified the Public Health Agency of Canada of 12 cases of an unknown foodborne illness in York, Ontario. Early observations from local public health authorities identified symptoms consistent with aconitine poisoning. Furthermore, they were able to link the illnesses to the consumption of restaurant-prepared meals that used locally purchased sand ginger as an ingredient. A case from March 2022 also showed signs of aconitine poisoning from a home-prepared meal.
The CFIA's food safety investigation identified an imported spice product containing aconitine, as the cause of the illnesses. The spice was galanga powder (sand ginger), a powder similar to ginger commonly used in curries, soups and marinades.
Continue reading to learn more.
Get more Inspect and Protect
- Want to learn more about what we do? Explore articles, videos and podcasts.
- Interested in reporting on a story? Contact CFIA Media Relations to arrange an interview with one of our experts.
- Have an idea or feedback to share? Get in touch!