Hundreds of people get sick every year from foods that are recalled. Many times you hear that the Food and Drug Administration recalled certain foods, but usually that’s not the case. Only rarely does the FDA do a recall. Usually it’s the company on its own that does the recall. Sometimes a food recall is done because health authorities know that that food has gotten someone sick. Other times it’s done because an inspector at a plant has noticed that something wasn’t done quite right and they want to prevent people from getting sick. When a food has been recalled, you can just throw it out or you can take it back to the place where you bought it and they should give you a refund. If you’re wondering if a food in your kitchen has been recalled, the FDA has a list on its website. If you’re worried that you found out about a recall after you ate the food, don’t panic. Often recalls are done just as precautionary measures.
At the end of last month, Bumble Bee Foods, H-E-B, and Tri-Union Seafoods announced voluntary recalls of canned light tuna chunks because they suspect potential health hazards. The sterilization process for these cans of tuna may not have been performed properly, possibly resulting in contamination. The tuna may spoil or contain pathogens, both of which have the potential to cause serious illness if consumed. While no reported illnesses exist at this time, the companies are being diligent to prevent sickness in customers.
Recalled Bumblebee cans will have UPC codes 8660000736, 8660000020, or 8660000021 and would have been produced in February. 31,579 cases are affected nationally.
H-E-B recalled its Hill Country Fare brand light tuna chunks in oil that were sold from February 24 through March 16 in Texas. There is one UPC code on these recalled cans: 0 4122065335 5.
Tri-Union Seafoods cans are Chicken of the Sea brand and were produced from February 10 and March 16. The affected cans have UPC codes of 0 4800000195 5 or 0 4800000245 7. 2,745 cases are affected.
If you have one of these recalled cans of tuna in your kitchen, remove it immediately. You can return it to the retail store where you originally purchased it for an exchange or refund.