Tri-Union Seafoods, a subsidiary of food company Thai Union Group, is recalling several tuna products over the risk of botulism.
The El Segundo, California, U.S.A.-based company voluntarily recalled select canned tuna products under Genova, Van Camp’s, H-E-B, and Trader Joe’s brands “out of an abundance of caution.”
Tri-Union said its supplier of the affected products notified the company that the “easy-open” pull tab lid had 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.”
“Consumers are warned not to use the product even if it does not look or smell spoiled,” Tri-Union said. “No illnesses associated with the recalled products have been reported, and the recall is being conducted to ensure consumer safety.”
The recalled products were distributed to retail stores in numerous Trader Joe’s stores in Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Washington, D.C., and Wisconsin, along with H-E-B stores in Texas.
The affected Genova cans were distributed to Costco stores in Florida and Georgia, along with Harris Teeter, Publix, H-E-B, Kroger, Safeway, Walmart, and independent retailers in Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, New Jersey, Tennessee, and Texas. The Van Camp's cans were distributed to Walmart and independent retailers in Pennsylvania, Florida, and New Jersey.
Tri-Union is advising consumers to return the impacted products to the retailer at which they purchased the tuna for a full refund, throw it away, or contact the company directly for a retrieval kit and a coupon for a replacement product.
The recall does not impact any other Tri-Union Seafoods products, and the company said it is “committed to upholding the highest safety and quality standards.”
