OTTAWA, ONTARIO -- (Marketwire) -- 02/24/13 -- The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) is warning the public not to consume the tea products described below because they may be contaminated with Salmonella.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Brand name      Product name   Package size               UPC       Lot code
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Murchie's     Lemon Drop Tea   25 tea bags    0 67421 31025 5     Batch code
            "Lemon Drop Tea"         (56 g)                           615125
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Co-op Gold           Organic    20 tea bags   0 57316 14280 1  BBD: 2014JA26
                 Pomegranate         (40 g)                     and 2014MA26
                  White Tea                                                 
                  "Blanc the                                                
                     grenade                                                
                 Biologique"                                                
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

These products have been distributed in British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and Ontario and may have been distributed nationally.

There have been no reported illnesses associated with the consumption of these products.

Food contaminated with Salmonella may not look or smell spoiled. Consumption of food contaminated with these bacteria may cause salmonellosis, a foodborne illness. In young children, the elderly and people with weakened immune systems, salmonellosis may cause serious and sometimes deadly infections. In otherwise healthy people, salmonellosis may cause short-term symptoms such as high fever, severe headache, vomiting, nausea, abdominal pain and diarrhoea. Long-term complications may include severe arthritis.

The CFIA is working with the companies to have the affected products removed from the marketplace.

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).

For more information on foodborne pathogens, visit the Causes of Food Poisoning web page at: http://inspection.gc.ca/food_poisoning.

For information on all food recalls, visit the CFIA's Food Recall Report at: http://active.inspection.gc.ca/eng/corp/recarapp_dbe.asp

To find out more about receiving recalls by e-mail, and other food safety facts, visit: www.foodsafety.gc.ca. Food and consumer product recalls are also available at http://www.healthycanadians.gc.ca.