OTTAWA, Aug. 27 (Xinhua) -- The death toll from a listeria outbreak across Canada has risen to 13, prompting public concern about food safety and demands for stricter quality control.

    Health officials confirmed late Tuesday that an elderly woman who died Sunday was the latest victim of the disease.

    The woman, in her late 70s, was a patient at a nursing home in the southwestern province of Saskatchewan.

    According to latest statistics, there have been a total of 26 confirmed cases in the country, leading to 11 deaths in Ontario province, and one death in British Columbia.

    Another 29 suspected cases are being investigated to determine if they are linked to the outbreak, Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz told reporters at a press conference in Ottawa on Monday.

    The outbreak is linked to contaminated meat products from the Toronto branch of Maple Leaf Foods, Canada's biggest food company.

    Public health authorities began to suspect an outbreak in mid-July after two people from the same Toronto nursing home died of a dangerous bacterial infection, but it took them weeks to confirm a listeria infection and its connection with Maple Leaf products.

    The Canadian Food Inspection Agency concluded Saturday that "results of genetic tests from three samples of the products recalled by Maple Leaf Foods show that two tested positive for the outbreak strain of listeria."

    In mid-August, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) suspected problems with Maple Leaf and recommended a product recall. The company then started to recall some products and later decided to close its Toronto plant. The recall list has currently been expanded to 220 products.

    Some food stores which use Maple Food products have also issued recall notices. More than two-dozen sandwich varieties that contain Maple Leaf products had been recalled by Monday. On Tuesday, four more sandwich varieties were added to the list.

    The outbreak has prompted the public to question food quality in stores and spurred government action.

    "There are inspectors all over the country as well as public health officials to ensure this product is removed from the marketplace," CFIA spokesman Garfield Balsom told reporters Tuesday.

    At a conference in the capital Ottawa on Tuesday, Prime Minister Stephen Harper voiced his concern on the issue and pledged reform of food inspection regulations.

    "I think all of us expect that what we buy or what we eat are safe," he said.

    "This is a serious concern. That's why I indicated...that it's necessary to reform and revamp our food and product inspection regimes."

    Health Minister Tony Clement said Tuesday he was working closely with the agriculture and food department to cope with the situation. A cabinet meeting was also to be held Wednesday to discuss the issue.

    Meanwhile, patients and families of victims have launched class action lawsuits against Maple Leaf Foods in at least four provinces.

    Listeria can cause flu-like symptoms, such as a stiff neck, headache, nausea and fever. Pregnant women, the elderly and people with weak immune systems are at greatest risk of being infected.

    The disease has an incubation period of up to 90 days, meaning that there could be more cases in the coming weeks.