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Sobeys issues Western Canada turkey recall ahead of Thanksgiving

Spot check revealed ‘off odour’
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A Thanksgiving dinner displayed on a table. (AP File Photo/Matthew Mead)

While many birds are already defrosting or sitting in fridges, Sobeys Inc. issued a notice to customers Friday morning asking that some turkeys be returned.

In the email sent at approximately 9:45 a.m. Oct. 6, Thrifty Foods – a grocery chain under the Sobeys umbrella – asked customers who have purchased a Sunrise Grade A fresh turkey (five to eight kilograms) with a best-before date of Oct. 11, to return it to a store for a full refund.

The email did not state the reason for the recall.

In a statement to Black Press Media, a customer care agent from Thrifty Foods said a spot check sampling of those specific birds identified the product had an “off odour.”

In an email, Sobeys Inc. said “out of abundance of caution we have decided to take a precautionary step to remove all Sunrise Grade A Fresh Turkeys (size five to eight kg, best before Oct. 11) from our retail shelves in our Western Canadian stores (FreshCo, IGA, Safeway, Sobeys and Thrifty Foods) as this product does not meet our quality standards.”

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Katherine Engqvist

About the Author: Katherine Engqvist

I took on the role of Bureau Chief when we created the Greater Victoria editorial hub in 2018.
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