Thread: Check your pantry !! Another recall - this one for *botulism* !

Why is there botulism in the products? Defective equipment?

FDA says toss food linked to botulism
By KEVIN FREKING, Associated Press Writer
Mon Jul 23, 9:43 PM ET

WASHINGTON - People should immediately throw away more than 90 different products, from chili sauce to corned beef hash to dog food, produced at a plant linked to a botulism outbreak, the government warned Monday. Castleberry's Food Company temporarily closed the suspect plant.

"You're talking tens of millions of cans that may have been involved," said Robert Brackett, director of the Food and Drug Administration's Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition.

The company has hired an outside firm to visit more than 8,500 retailers around the country in an effort to quickly get recalled products off store shelves.

So far, four cases of botulism have been reported — two from Indiana and two from Texas. All four people consumed Hot Dog Chili Sauce Original, a product made by Castleberry's.

On Saturday, Castleberry's expanded its voluntary recall of canned meat products. It specified more than 80 types of canned chili, beef stew, corned beef hash and other meat products in addition to the 10 products it had recalled Thursday. The products were sold under a multitude of brand names.

Although Castleberry is recalling everything made on the one manufacturing line, the only products linked to illness thus far are the chili sauces.

Company officials said they were working closely with the FDA and the Department of Agriculture to determine just how widespread the problem is. They could not provide information about how many of the recalled products were still on store shelves. "So that we can devote all available resources to this investigation, we agreed to shut down our entire facility in Augusta. We will not process any more food there until the FDA and the USDA agrees it is appropriate to reopen," said Dave Melbourne, senior vice president for Castleberry's. "And, we have stopped all further product distribution from our centers."

The plant is expected to be closed for about a week, he said.

Botulism is a rare but serious illness caused by consuming foods with the botulinim toxin, a nerve toxin that can cause paralysis of the arms, breathing muscles and legs. Symptoms, such as blurred vision and slurred speech, generally begin 18 to 36 hours after eating contaminated food.

Typically, commercially canned foods are heated long enough and to high enough temperatures to kill the spores. Melbourne confirmed that the botulism occurred in the chili sauce because the product was undercooked. "The current tests only indicate botulism toxin for the chili products, but because other products were also canned using the same equipment, we expanded the recall to include all brands that were canned on the same line," Melbourne said.

The company has also asked consumers to dispose of any questionable goods from Castleberry's in doubled plastic bags. Consumers can get full refunds by calling the company. The company is not asking consumers to bring product labels into the grocery store so that they can get refunds.

The number of people who have so far become ill from the botulism toxin pales compared to some recent food recalls.

For example, last year's outbreak of E. coli from baby spinach resulted in 205 confirmed illnesses and three deaths. More recently, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has identified 60 persons, mostly toddlers, who became ill after eating a snack food that contained a strain of Salmonella. Five people were hospitalized after eating the product, called Veggie Booty.

The symptoms associated with botulism are so severe, consumers must not take chances, officials said.

Consumers with questions about the recall may contact Castleberry's at 1-888-203-8446.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070724/...VZu2WHAtKs0NUE

On the Net:

Food and Drug Administration: http:http://www.fda.gov

Castleberry's Food Co.: http://www.castleberrys.com/

Food in botulism recall still being sold
By ANDREW BRIDGES, Associated Press Writer
Sat Jul 28, 4:22 AM ET

WASHINGTON - Stores nationwide are continuing to sell recalled canned chili, stew, hash and other foods potentially contaminated with poisonous bacteria even after repeated warnings the products could kill.

Thousands of cans are being removed from store shelves as quickly as investigators find them, more than a week after Castleberry's Food Co. began recalling more than 90 potentially contaminated products over fears of botulism contamination.

The recall now covers two years' production at the company's Augusta, Ga., plant — a tally that spirals into the tens of millions of cans.

Spot checks by the Food and Drug Administration and state officials continue to turn up recalled products for sale in convenience stores, gas stations and family run groceries, from Florida to Alaska. The FDA alone has found them in roughly 250 of the more than 3,700 stores visited in nationwide checks, according to figures the agency provided to The Associated Press.

In states like North Carolina, more than one in three stores checked by state officials in recent days were still offering recalled products for sale. Officials there pulled 5,500 cans and pledged to keep searching.

"We're not going to quit. These numbers are too high," said Joe Reardon, who oversees food protection for the state Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.

Four people have been sickened and hospitalized because of the contaminated food, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Officials fear the tally will grow.

A Hawaii man was hospitalized with symptoms of botulism poisoning after eating canned chili that was subject to the recall, a state health official said. Tests were being conducted to confirm the cause of his illness.

California health officials were investigating whether botulism confirmed in a San Diego County woman was linked to the recall. The woman reported eating a Castleberry's product before falling sick in early July.

"Frankly, the fact we have had only four illnesses in this situation has people saying, 'Well, what is the big deal?' The deal is this is something that can land you in the ICU, not being able to breathe, for weeks," said Dr. David Acheson, the FDA's lead food safety expert, prior to Friday's disclosure of the possible cases in Hawaii and California.

FDA investigators believe Castleberry's failed to properly cook some or all the products, allowing the Clostridium botulinum bacteria to survive the canning process. In the oxygen-free and moist environment of the sealed cans, the bacteria thrive and produce a toxin that causes botulism, a muscle-paralyzing disease.

"The longer this stuff stays in the can, the worse it gets," Acheson said.

The bacteria also produce gases that can cause contaminated cans to swell and burst. Already, cans being held in a company warehouse have begun to break open. Health officials say the extremely potent toxin can infect people if it is inhaled, swallowed or absorbed through the eye or breaks in the skin.

Health experts consider botulism a severe health threat but worry that word of the recall has not reached all consumers or retailers, especially mom-and-pop operations.

"It has been a problem getting the message out. We're having a problem reaching the smaller stores," said Lynae Granzow, an epidemiologist with the Indiana Department of Health.

In Massachusetts, health inspectors found recalled products in fewer than 50 small stores, mostly in the Boston area, state Department of Public Health spokeswoman Donna Rheaume said. Spot checks in Alaska, Florida, Kentucky, Montana, New York, Indiana and elsewhere also have found them on shelves.

Castleberry's has hired a company to collect the recalled products from stores. It has posted a complete list of the recalled products, including some dog foods, on its Web site — http://www.castleberrys.com/

People who have any of the recalled products at home should double-bag and throw them away, the FDA recommends.

Castleberry's is owned by Bumble Bee Seafoods LLC, based in San Diego.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070728/...xVhUX77Nys0NUE

On the Net:

FDA botulism information: http://tinyurl.com/324exf

NEW Botulism Warning Issued :canned green beans
U. S. Issues NEW Botulism Warning.
Canned green beans sold nationwide.
Warning is second nationwide in last 30 days
Product Marketed Under a Variety of Brand Names

The affected Lakeside cut green beans are sold nationwide under the following labels: Albertson's, Happy Harvest, Best Choice, Food Club, Bogopa, Valu Time, Hill Country Fare, HEB, Laura Lynn, Kroger, No Name, North Pride, Shop N Save, Shoppers Valu, Schnucks, Cub Foods, Dierbergs, Flavorite, IGA, Best Choice and Thrifty Maid.


U. S. health officials are warning consumers not to eat certain brands of French Cut Green Beans in 14.5 ounce cans manufactured by Lakeside Foods Inc, of Manitowoc, Wisconsin because the product may not have been processed adequately to eliminate the potential for botulism toxin. This warning is not related to another recent warning for botulism.

The canned green beans may cause botulism if consumed. FDA is providing this warning to make consumers aware of the possible risk of serious illness from eating these products. As of August 1, 2007, FDA had not received reports of illnesses related to the product.

The botulism toxin is very potent, and botulism is a life-threatening illness. Symptoms of botulism can begin from six hours to two weeks after eating food that contains the toxin. The symptoms may include double vision, blurred vision, drooping eyelids, slurred speech, difficulty swallowing, dry mouth, and muscle weakness that moves progressively down the body, affecting the shoulders first then descending to the upper arms, lower arms, thighs, and calves. Botulism also may cause paralysis of the breathing muscles, which can result in death unless assistance with breathing (mechanical ventilation) is provided. Individuals who show these symptoms and who may have recently eaten the product should seek immediate medical attention.

The specific codes (top line of can code) involved are:
EAA5247, EAA5257, EAA5267, EAA5277, EAB5247, EAB5257, ECA5207, ECA5217, ECA5227, ECA5297, ECB5207, ECB5217, ECB5227, ECB5307.

Consumers who have any of these products or any foods made with these products should dispose of them immediately. If the code on an affected can is missing or unreadable, consumers should throw the product out.

Lakeside Foods has informed FDA that it is voluntarily recalling all of the potentially contaminated products.

Lakeside Foods recommends that consumers with any questions or concerns about the recall should call the company at 800-466-3834 ext. 4090.


http://www.emergencyemail.org/newsem....asp?a=229&z=7

I know right, I can't exactly start a garden on my apt balcony, but I'm tempted to try