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U.S.D.A Food Recall for Potential Botulism Contamination ExpandedCastlebury's Food Company has voluntarily expanded its food product recall for possible Clostridium Botulinum contamination |
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July 22, 2007 NORTH CAROLINA STATEWIDE NEWS -- The Castlebury's Food Company has voluntarily expanded its food product recall for possible Clostridium Botulinum contamination, a bacterium which causes Botulism. This expansion is for consumers and pet owners regarding canned food products and dog food. This is categorized as a Class I recall, defined as a health hazard situation where there is a reasonable probability that the use of this product will cause serious, adverse health consequences or even death by the U.S. Department of Agriculture Food Safety and Inspection Service. The Castleberry's Senior Vice President of, Technical Services and Quality Assurance Steve Mavity publically announced: "There is nothing more important to us than the health of those who use our products every day. We are taking every step necessary, and are working hand in hand with health officials around the clock to ensure the safety of consumers. We believe we have isolated the issue to a situation of under-processing on one line of our production facility. As an extra precaution to the recall we announced on Wednesday, we have shut down this line altogether and are recalling all products produced on it." Botulism is a rare but serious paralytic illness caused by a nerve toxin that is produced by the bacterium Clostridium botulinum. Symptoms of botulism 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. Symptoms usually occur from 18 to 36 hours after eating contaminated food. Anyone concerned about an illness should contact a physician. On July 18, 2007, Castleberry's Food Company, owned by Bumble Bee Foods, LLC, located in Augusta, Georgia is voluntarily recalled 721,389 pounds of canned meat products. Yesterday, The Castlebury's Food Company decided to expand the food recall. The decision to expand the food recall was made after information gathered by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and U.S.D.A. Food Safety and Inspection Service indicated that the processing malfunctions at Castlebury's Food plant have existed longer than estimated. Therefore, Castleberry's will recall all of the products listed below that may still be in retail and wholesale distribution, regardless of the "best buy" date stamped on the bottom of the can. Consumers who have any of the products listed are urged not to eat them. Consumers should return or dispose of the products. The problem regarding the equipment malfunction was discovered during an investigation into two illnesses in two states. The investigation began when two children in Texas and an Indiana couple who ate these products became seriously ill and had to be hospitalized. The investigation led to a recall by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) of three types of meatless hotdog chili sauce. Then Castleberry's informed FDA that it would voluntarily recall all of the potentially contaminated food. The Castleberry's Food Company has been cooperating with FDA, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the states' active investigations into the cause of this contamination and scope of the products' distribution. The potentially contaminated canned products were distributed to retail establishments in the following states: Alabama, Arkansas, California, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, West Virginia and Wisconsin. The expanded recall now includes the following canned products in the following sizes with all ‘best by’ and code dates:
Consumers who have any of these products or any foods made with these products should throw them away immediately. Also, there have been no reports of illness from consumption of the products listed below . There have been no reported illnesses linked to Natural Balance canned pet food, but Castleberry's recommends that all these products should be discarded. While botulism can affect some pets, dogs and cats are inherently resistant. The disease has only been seen occasionally in dogs and has not been reported in cats. Ferrets are highly susceptible to botulinum toxin. The incubation period can be two hours to two weeks; in most cases, the symptoms appear after 12 to 24 hours. Botulism is characterized by progressive motor paralysis. Typical clinical signs may include muscle paralysis, difficulty breathing, chewing and swallowing, visual disturbances and generalized weakness may also occur. Death usually results from paralysis of the respiratory or cardiac muscles. Pet owners who have used these products and whose pets have these symptoms should contact their veterinarian immediately. The following canned Natural Balance brand pet food products, which Castleberry’s co-packs for Natural Balance, are being recalled. These include:
Consumers with questions about the food recall should contact the Castleberry's Food Company Consumer Hotline at (800) 203-4412 or (888) 203-8446. Published by: # # # |
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