August 1, 2007 - Employees from the local Department of Health have been out inspecting restaurants, wholesale outlets, and local stores in an effort to rid the territory of canned meat products being recalled by the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).
DOH medical director Dr. Ivan Tuliau said that all the items listed in the recall should be disposed of or turned in to the DOH main office, for safety reasons.
He added that inspectors are still checking out different vendors and so far, he has not received any information stating that any of the listed items have been located in the territory.
“In cases like this, no news is good news,” Tuliau said.
The canned goods are made by Georgia based Castleberry’s Food Company owned by Bumble Bee Foods, LLC, who expanded its July 19 recall of canned meat products believed to contain Clostridium Botulinum, a bacteria that causes Botulism, a rare but serious paralytic illness caused by a nerve toxin.
According to the USDA web site, the recall is being expanded after information gathered by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and FSIS indicated that processing malfunctions at the establishment have existed longer than initially estimated. “For that reason, Castleberry’s has agreed to recall all of the following products that may still be in commerce, regardless of the ‘best buy’ date stamped on the bottom of the can. Consumers who have any of these products or any foods made with these products should throw them away immediately. Double bag the cans in plastic bags that are tightly closed then place in a trash receptacle for non-recyclable trash outside of the home.”
The recall is serious enough to be classified as a Class I, meaning that this is a health hazard situation where there is reasonable probability that the use of the product will cause serious, adverse health consequences or death.
The USDA says that the canned meat products are distributed nationwide and the problem was discovered during an investigation into illnesses in Indiana and Texas.
Symptoms of Botulism, which usually occur from 18-36 hours after eating contaminated food, include double vision, blurred vision, drooping eyelids, slurred speech, difficulty swallowing, dry mouth, and muscle weakness. The illness can cause paralysis, respiratory failure, and death.
Anyone experiencing any these symptoms are urged to contact a physician for medical attention. Additional information on botulism can be found at www.cdc.gov/botulism/botulism.htm while complete details about the recall can be found at www.fsis.usda.gov
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