By Charlie Carey
Yukon meat-eaters are being warned of unintended psychoactive jerky on grocery store shelves as part of a voluntary food recall for possible cannabis contamination.
Environmental Health Services, in conjunction with jerky producer Off the Hook Meatworks, issued the recall this week, noting that the products may be a health hazard.
The recall comes after a number of people who consumed the jerky reported feeling a variety of physical and mental effects, including numbness, high heart rate, dizziness, difficulty walking and nausea, according to a statement by the Yukon government.
Complainants who needed to be assessed at hospital were found to have traces of THC in their systems. THC is a psychoactive compound found in cannabis.
The contaminated products have now been removed from Yukon store shelves.
Anyone with Off the Hook Meatworks jerky products in their home is being asked to do the following steps:
- Don’t eat any of the food.
- Get medical attention right away if anyone who has had contact with the food feels unusual symptoms or sick.
- Don’t handle the food more than you need to.
- Carefully place all the food in a seal-able container (even if it’s half-eaten,). Close the container. Write “DO NOT EAT” on the container.
- Keep any unopened containers of similar product, but do not open them.
- Keep the food away from your regular food supply and away from your family.
- Don’t feed the food to pets or livestock. ·
- Keep the container, packaging, label, receipt, and grocery bag that came with the food.
- Write down any information you remember about the product, such as product codes, “best before” dates, where and when the product was purchased.
The contamination is now under investigation by the RCMP.
Anyone with information is asked to contact RCMP at 867-667-5555 or Yukon Environmental Health at 867-667-8390.