Castleberry's Food Company, an establishment owned by Bumble Bee Foods, LLC, has voluntarily recalled approximately 721,389 pounds of canned meat products that may contain Clostridium botulinum as a result of an equipment malfunction.
The canned meat products were produced between April 30 and May 22, 2007 and were distributed to retail establishments in 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. Two people in Texas and two others in Indiana remain seriously ill and hospitalized with botulism poisoning associated with eating Castleberry's Hot Dog Chili Sauce.
The recall has been expanded to include 80 types of stew, chili, and other products and involves tens of millions of cans. The products subject to recall include cans Castleberry's Bunker Hill, Original Chili No Beans, Castleberry's Chili with Beans, Castleberry's Hickory Smoked, Oven Roasted, with Skins, Barbecue Pork in Barbecue Sauce, Cattle Drive Chili with Beans, Meijer Corned Beef Hash, Morton House Corned Beef Hash, and Southern Home Corned Beef Hash.
Botulism is a rare but serious paralytic illness caused by a nerve toxin. 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.
Castleberry's Canned Meat Articles
Castleberry's RecallThe Castleberry canned foods recall was announced on July 19 and expanded on July 21 after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the U.S. Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) found that processing malfunctions at the Castleberry plant existed longer than originally thought. The malfunctions occurred during the canning process and prevented spores of Clostridium botulinum from being killed during canning. This allowed the spores to grow and produce the toxin.
Castleberry's Recall Includes Dog Food
While many people are removing Castleberry products from their kitchen shelves in light of the recent recall due to botulism contamination, they may not realize that the recall also includes several varieties of dog food.
Castleberry Cans Bursting Due to Botulism Toxin
Castleberry's Foods: A Modern-Day Botulism Scare
Castleberry's Recalled Chili Sauces Linked to Seven Cases of Botulism Poisoning
Castleberry's Canned Meat in the News
AUG-09-07: A concern about the recall of Castleberry's canned meat products is that it is occurring during the summer months, which is the season for picnics and family gatherings. Many folks may have stockpiled the items and might not realize that a recall has been announced. [ASSOCIATED CONTENT: CASTLEBERRY'S CANNED MEAT]AUG-08-07: Since the recall of Castleberry's canned meat was announced, public health officials have been visiting stores to ensure the recalled products have been removed from store shelves. Food banks, churches and care facilities have also received notification of the recall. [BIZ JOURNAL: CASTLEBERRY CANNED MEAT]
AUG-07-07: The recent recall of Castleberry's canned food will cost its parent company around $35 million. Four cases of botulism linked to the company's hot dog chili were reported in Texas and Indiana. [CHRONICLE: CASTLEBERRY'S CANNED MEAT]
AUG-01-07: A New Mexico man is paralyzed with botulism poisoning and is only able to wiggle his toes. Officials are working to determine whether or not the man ate Castleberry's Food products. [FORBES: CASTLEBERRY'S FOOD]
JUL-31-07: Health officials in a number of states are investigating possible cases of botulism related to a recall of Castleberry's canned meat products. Botulism can cause paralysis of the arms, breathing muscles and legs. [STAR: CASTLEBERRY'S CANNED MEAT]
JUL-30-07: A Hawaiian man who ate a Castleberry's canned meat product has been released from hospital after he was admitted with symptoms of botulism. US FDA officials believe Castleberry's did not properly cook some products, allowing the botulism bacteria to survive the canning process. [KPUA: CASTLEBERRY'S]
JUL-25-07: North Carolina inspectors are focusing on 100 food items to ensure they are removed from store shelves. The products were recalled by Castleberry's because they may contain a toxin that causes botulism, a serious illness that can cause paralysis. [WIS: CASTLEBERRY'S]
JUL-24-07: The recall of Castleberry's canned foods includes food for humans and food for dogs. The recall was recently expanded. [FORBES: CASTLEBERRY'S RECALL]
JUL-24-07: Castleberry's Food Co. is expanding its recall of hot dog chili sauce and canned meat products to 88 human products and four canned dog food products due to the threat of botulism. [CNN MONEY: CANNED MEAT RECALL]
