TORONTO – A Canadian food manufacturer, which last month had been at the center of a Listeria outbreak and nationwide recall, said Thursday that a new strain found in contaminated meat posed no risk to the public.

Maple Leaf Foods CEO Michael McCain reportedly said that four samples that were tainted with the listeriosis bacteria were produced at the same Toronto plant linked to the fatal outbreak. The tainted meat never left the company's control and were not released to stores, according to reports.

None of the products produced at the plant since it reopened Sept. 17 have been sold yet, the company told the press.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) and Health Canada have reportedly said that they will conduct comprehensive assessments of the new findings over the coming days.

The CFIA said that products from the Toronto plant will be tested each day for six weeks, said the CFIA. The inspection agency said that the company can resume broader production only when test results are negative and operating procedures are determined to be in compliance.

Source: Associated Press