The meat recall has a lot of parents wondering what they are going to pack in lunch bags and boxes come school time.
"You walk into the grocery store and it's like many of the choices have been eliminated," parent Paula Blackmore told CTV Ottawa.
She is finding lunch-making a lot more difficult since the recall- especially since roast beef sandwiches are her 13-year-old son Northrop's favourite lunch choice. He is not complaining, however, as he understands the risk.
"It's definitely better than having the meat that could be contaminated," Northrop said.
Students who are vegetarians don't have much to worry about. Northrop's brother Keihgan said he wants to look out for his friends.
"I might tell them it could be contaminated, so be careful, tell your parents if they don't know," Keihgan said.
Meats processed at a Maple Leaf foods plant in Toronto have been linked to at least six deaths in Canada. More than 220 products possibly contaminated with the Listeria bacteria have been taken off shelves.
For some, simply pulling the products from stores is not enough.
"I don't think consumers can feel safe because after all, Canada tests only about two per cent of the food that it eats, and I think that's a very low figure," said consumer advocate Anu Bose.
Parents packing lunches are advised to look out for the number 97b on product packaging, which links meats of any brand name to the compromised Toronto plant.
"Moving forward I think we can have a relatively high level of confidence," said Ottawa health officer Dr. Isra Levy. "But not to be complacent- it's always worth checking, there's always a possibility that something slipped through the cracks," he said.
With a report from CTV's John Hua
