It appears the worst of the listeriosis outbreak associated with Maple Leaf Foods products may be over and few new cases are expected, officials said Tuesday.

The number of confirmed deaths in which listeriosis associated with the outbreak was the underlying or contributing cause remains steady at 12, according to the Public Health Agency of Canada.

The number of suspected cases of listeriosis has dropped from 21 to 14.

"We are starting to see light at the end of the tunnel, as it were," said federal Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz.

"I think people can be assured now.… We're starting to see the other side of that curve."

The worst of the exposure to listeria probably occurred towards the end of June, and since the incubation period for listeriosis ranges from three to 70 days, it's expected the number of new cases being reported will dwindle, said Dr. David Butler-Jones, Canada's chief public health officer.

"And so, looking forward as we are seeing a diminution of the number of cases, we're anticipating that we're probably through the worst of it," he said.

Older people advised to avoid cold cuts

Health officials have linked the outbreak to processed meat products from a Maple Leaf Foods plant in Toronto. The company issued a recall of virtually all the products produced at the plant, which has in turn triggered dozens of recalls of ready-to-eat sandwiches made from the Maple Leaf products.

Health Canada recommends that the elderly and those with weakened immune systems avoid cold cuts because of the risk of contracting listeriosis.

Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty said he'll follow the advice of provincial health officials when it comes to possibly banning cold cuts at the province's nursing homes, although no such recommendation has been made to date.

"We'll do whatever is necessary to protect public health," McGuinty said Tuesday. "To the best of my knowledge, the [Ontario] public health officials have not come forward and made that kind of a recommendation.

"We'll listen to them."

To date, there have been 38 confirmed cases of listeriosis caused by the strain of Listeria monocytogenes bacteria found in Maple Leaf Foods products. In addition to the 12 confirmed deaths associated with the outbreak, seven remain under investigation.