Cans of tuna sold by major grocery chains in 27 states have been recalled by the Tri-Union Seafoods company over concerns a manufacturing defect with their easy-pull tab lids could allow the clostridium botulinum toxin, which causes botulism, to contaminate the product.
Trader Joe's brand cans of tuna in a display in New York.
The Food and Drug Administration said no illnesses have been reported from the potentially contaminated tuna, and the recall is being issued out of an abundance of caution.
The recalled cans of tuna were sold under four different brand names: the H-E-B label, Trader Joe’s label, Van Camp’s and Genova.
The tuna was sold at H-E-Bs in Texas and Trader Joe’s in Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Washington D.C. and Wisconsin.
The Genova brand was sold at Costco in Florida and Georgia and Harris Teeter, Publix, H-E-B, Kroger, Safeway, Walmart and independent stores in Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, New Jersey, Tennessee and Texas.
Walmart and independent retailers in Pennsylvania, Florida and New Jersey sold the cans under the Van Camp’s label.
Customers who bought the tuna are warned not to use the product even if it does not look or smell spoiled, and the cans can be returned to the original retailer for a full refund.
For more information about which products are impacted, including sell-by dates and UPC numbers, visit the FDA website.
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Botulism is a relatively rare illness caused by a toxin that attacks the body's nerves. There are five main kinds of botulism, including food-borne botulism which is caused by eating foods that have been contaminated with the botulinum toxin. The most common source of food-borne botulism is foods that have been improperly canned, preserved or fermented, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The bacteria that make the botulinum toxin are commonly found in nature, including in soil, rivers and sea water, but rarely make people sick. The bacteria makes spores, which can grow and make the lethal clostridium botulinum toxin under certain conditions, including in low oxygen, acid, sugar or salt environments. It is not possible to transmit botulism person to person.
Botulism causes muscle weakness, which can lead to trouble breathing, difficulty swallowing, drooping eyelids, blurry or double vision and slurred speech. Food-borne botulism specifically could also include vomiting, nausea, stomach pain and diarrhea.
About 200 cases per year of botulism are reported in the United States. Of those, about 75% are cases of infant botulism. The CDC says it’s unclear why infant botulism is so prevalent, but that it occurs when spores made from the botulinum toxin get into babies’ intestines, grow and produce the toxin. Parents are warned off giving honey to infants under 1 year old because it is known to contain spores of the clostridium botulinum bacteria.
Botulism can be fatal in 5% to 10% of cases.
The medicine in Botox injections, a common cosmetic procedure, is made from the same toxin that causes botulism, but the purified form of the toxin used by licensed health care providers meets FDA-approved medical control standards. Last year, the FDA investigated reports that people were made ill after receiving injections of unsafe, counterfeit Botox administered by people who were not following state and local requirements. Seventeen people were sickened, and 13 hospitalized, across nine states.