Quebec's agriculture ministry is defending its massive cheese recall last weekend following a cluster of related listeriosis infections, stating it had no choice but to force dozens of retailers to dumps thousands of dollars worth of retail products.

The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food seized cheese from 300 retailers across the province as food inpectors continue to test several establishments for traces of the potentially deadly listeria bacteria.

The ministry would have been criticized regardless of its actions, claimed spokesman Guy Auclair. Food inspectors have visited 33 retail establishments and found traces of listeria bacteria in 16 different cases, either on cheese or processing equipment, he said Wednesday.

Four establishments were cleared of any potential contamination while 13 are still being investigated, Auclair said.

A total of 22 cases of listeriosis have been reported in Quebec since an outbreak of the bacteria was documented by the province on Aug. 9, provincial officials said.

Twenty-one of the 22 cases required hospitalization, and one elderly woman died. Seven pregnant women were infected with the bacteria. As a result, six babies were born prematurely and three of the newborns are now fighting the infection.

It's not clear if any or all of these cases are related to the consumption of cheese products.

Provincial food inspectors will continue investigating cheese processing plants that may be affected by the bacteria, Auclair said.

The Quebec Health Ministry is recommending pregnant women, and those with weakened immune systems avoid eating soft cheese.

The annual average of listeriosis cases in Quebec is about 50. The public health department reported 63 cases in 2007 and 49 in 2006. Those at risk of becoming ill from listeriosis are the elderly, the very young, pregnant women and those with weakened immune systems.

A separate salmonella outbreak, also linked to Quebec cheese, has claimed one life.

Cheese makers must be patient: association

Gilles Lafontaine, president of the Societe des fromages du Quebec, which represents about 150 cheese makers across the province, said he understands the frustrations of cheese producers but called on their good faith to help resolve the crisis.

"We all want this to end, but we must absolutely collaborate with authorities if we want to see this end as soon as possible," Lafontaine said.

Other associations sought to reassure the public that cheeses still in stores were fine to consume.

It's unclear just how much the operation has cost producers.

Auclair said the government and the province's cheese producers plan to implement a new detection program in the coming weeks, but could not provide any details.

Montreal cheese shop owner may sue

A Montreal cheese shop owner who was forced to destroy between $10,000 and $15,000 worth of cheese said he is thinking of suing Quebec's agriculture ministry for its "draconian" measures to contain the listeria contamination.

André Piché, who owns the Fromagerie Maitre Affineur Maitre Corbeau on Laurier Ave., said ministry inspectors visited his shop on Saturday and seized hundreds of pounds of cheese.

The inspectors were overzealous given recent experiences with contaminated Maple Leaf Foods meat products, Piché told CBC.

"When it was the case of [Maple Leaf] cold cuts, they didn't [go into] the supermarket," he said Wednesday.

"They didn't destroy all the coldcuts with the ones they [seized]. And this is the reason I am very afraid about the situation, [in] our type of business."

With files from the Canadian Press