There are 26 confirmed cases of food poisoning related to deli meats produced by a Canada-based Maple Leaf Foods plant. 12 of those cases have resulted in death. Listeria, the bacteria that was found in all of the people who contracted food poisoning, was detected in two beef products made at the Toronto plant.

The plant in question is closed while health officials inspect and test product until they're sure it is safe to reopen the plant. Maple Leaf Foods voluntarily pulled 220 products that are produced at the plant, a safety move that cost the company roughly $19 million.

There are another 29 suspected cases of food poisoning related to the tainted deli meats and health officials expect more cases will surface in the coming days.

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Get ready to add a new word to your health vocabulary. Bacteriophages are the new buzzword, and they've just been approved by the Food and Drug Administration as the first mix of bacteria-killing viruses to be termed a food additive. Sounds a little homeopathic, no?

According to virus manufacturer Intralytix Inc., the bacteriophages (Greek for "bacteria eater") are designed to be sprayed on ready-to-eat meat and poultry products including sliced luncheon meat -- a high-risk product because it is rarely heated or cooked after purchase. The "phages' " -- as they're nicknamed -- number-one job is to kill off strains of Listeria monocytogenes bacterium which cause listeriosis, a serious infection that primarily attacks pregnant women, newborns and adults with weakened immune systems. Of the 25,000 people stricken with listeriosis each year, 500 die of it.

I'm torn on this one, I really am. On the one hand, if modern science allows us to harness something like a virus for the greater good, I'm for it. In the article, both the FDA and consumer advocacy group the Center for Science in the Public Interest assure us that the most stringent guidelines have been followed and the phages wouldn't be used if otherwise.

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