If you’ve recently purchased canned tuna at Trader Joe’s, H-E-B, Costco or Walmart, you may want to throw it out.
That’s because a manufacturer of canned tuna products recently issued a nationwide recall of its products over a design concern that could potentially cause botulism.
Tri-Union Seafoods initiated the recall on Feb. 7, according to a Food and Drug Administration (FDA) press release. The recall impacts canned tuna products sold under the Genova, Van Camp’s, H-E-B and Trader Joe’s brand names.
The brands of the recalled products, as well as the states and stores they were sold in, are listed below:
- H-E-B label: Texas
- Trader Joe’s label: Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Washington, DC, and Wisconsin
- Genova 7 oz.: Costco in Florida and Georgia
- Genova 5 oz.: Harris Teeter, Publix, H-E-B, Kroger, Safeway, Walmart, and independent retailers in Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, New Jersey, North Carolina, Tennessee and Texas
- Van Camp’s label: Walmart and independent retailers in Florida, New Jersey and Pennsylvania
The manufacturer said the recall was “out of an abundance of caution” after it was alerted to a defect in its cans.
“This voluntary recall is out of an abundance of caution following the notification from our supplier that the ‘easy open’ pull tab can lid on limited products encountered a manufacturing defect that may compromise the integrity of the product seal (especially over time), causing it to leak, or worse, be contaminated with clostridium botulinum, a potentially fatal form of food poisoning,” the press release detailed.
“Consumers are warned not to use the product even if it does not look or smell spoiled.”
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), botulism can result in difficulty breathing, muscle paralysis, and — in the most severe cases — death.
“When people eat these foods [contaminated with Clostridium botulinum], they can become seriously ill, or even die, if they don’t get proper medical treatment quickly,” the CDC’s website notes.
Tri-Union Seafoods advised consumers to immediately seek medical attention if they feel unwell after eating one of the affected products — though no such case has been reported so far.
“If you have a recalled tuna can, please return it to the retailer for a full refund, throw it away, or contact Tri-Union Seafoods directly for a retrieval kit and a coupon for a replacement product,” the statement concluded. “Consumers can contact Tri-Union Seafoods at support@thaiunionhelp.zendesk.com or 833-374-0171, if they have any questions or to request replacement product.”
Tri-Union Seafoods did not immediately respond to FOX Business’ request for comment.