Sunrise Brand of Turkeys Recalled by Health Canada in Western Canada Just Before Thanksgiving

A family enjoys Thanksgiving turkey in a file photo. John Moore/Getty Images

As many Canadians prepared to celebrate Thanksgiving weekend with a traditional roast turkey, Health Canada issued a recall on one brand of bird sold in Alberta, B.C., Manitoba, and Saskatchewan.

Sunrise Farms brand Young Turkey with giblets was recalled on Oct. 7, two days before the Thanksgiving holiday, by Health Canada due to “possible spoilage” and microbial contamination.

Turkeys with a best-before date of Oct. 11, 2023, were affected by the recall of turkeys produced by Sunrise Poultry Processors Ltd. Sunrise Farms is a group of companies that started with one small processing plant in 1983 in Surrey, B.C., and according to their website, remains Canadian family owned.

The plant has processing facilities in B.C., Alberta, and Manitoba, with two plants in Ontario, and the company said it has long-standing partnerships with family-owned Canadian chicken farmers.

Both Sobeys and Safeway grocery stores issued product removal alerts, sent by email to many customers and posted on their websites, which ask customers who purchased a 5- to 8-kg Sunrise Grade A Fresh Turkey with a best-before date of Oct. 11 to return it to the store for a full refund.

Sobeys and Safeway products are also sold in Thrifty Foods, IGA, Foodland, and Fresh Co. grocery stores.

The grocery stores did not indicate why the turkeys needed to be returned in their notices to customers, but a spokesman for Sobeys told reporters the product was being removed “out of abundance of caution.”

A spokesperson from Thrifty Foods told reporters that the turkeys were found to have an “off odor” after “spot check sampling.”

Health Canada asked grocers not to sell, serve, or distribute the product, and did not indicate when the turkeys were sold. The microbial contamination was said to be “non harmful.”

Thousands of Canadians get food poisoning every year from food that has not been stored, prepared, or cooked properly, according to Health Canada.

“Food poisoning is caused by eating foods that are contaminated by some type of bacteria, like Salmonella. It’s not unusual for raw turkey and chicken to be contaminated,” said the agency, which offers tips to consumers in handling their birds.

“Never eat raw or undercooked turkey or chicken,” says Health Canada. They recommend using a meat thermometer and cooking the bird until the thickest part of the breast or thigh reaches 82°C (180°F). The agency also advises consumers to cook raw poultry meat, especially ground meat and turkey rolls, thoroughly to the centre and ensure that juices are no longer pink.