Published: July 27, 2007 10:20 am            

FOOD SAFETY ALERT: State officials warn consumers to avoid canned products involved in botulism recall

List of recalled products at www.castleberrys.com

ST. PAUL — Minnesota Department of Agriculture and Minnesota Department of Health officials are warning consumers to avoid

canned food products and pet food products included in a nationwide recall prompted by the discovery of clostridium botulinum contamination in products produced by Georgia-based Castleberry’s Food Co.

Castleberry’s Food Co. has issued a voluntary recall of more than 100 different canned products manufactured at its plant in Augusta, Ga. The affected products were packaged and distributed under a variety of brand names. A complete list of recalled products is available at www.castleberrys.com. Click on the “Expanded Voluntary Recall” link to access the list.

Consumers are advised to discard any and all products on the list, regardless of the “best by” date listed on the product. The U.S. Department of Agriculture is advising consumers to double bag the discarded products in tightly closed plastic bags and make sure they are disposed of with non-recyclable trash.

The MDA has issued an advisory to retailers in Minnesota directing them to remove the affected products from sale. In addition, MDA inspectors are checking retail outlets and food shelves across the state to see whether they have removed the recalled products from their shelves.

The nationwide recall was issued after four people — two in Texas and two in Indiana — had developed botulism after eating the company’s Hot Dog Chili Sauce product. In addition, the toxin that causes botulism was found in samples of products produced at the Augusta plant. To date, there have been no Minnesota illnesses associated with this recall.

Botulism is a serious paralytic disease caused by consuming food contaminated with botulinum toxin, a nerve toxin produced by the bacterium clostridium botulinum. People who have consumed one of the recalled products should see a doctor immediately if they develop symptoms of botulism. Botulism symptoms can include double vision or blurred vision, drooping eyelids, slurred speech, difficulty swallowing and muscle weakness. Symptoms generally appear 18 to 36 hours after consuming a contaminated food item, but can occur in as little as six hours, or as long as 10 days. If not treated, the illness can spread throughout the body, with paralysis of the face, arms, breathing muscles, trunk and legs.

        

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