Castleberry's Food expands recall of hot dog chili sauce, canned meat products

Botulism :: Castleberry's Food expands recall of hot dog chili sauce, canned meat products

Castleberry's Food Company announced that it is taking extra steps to ensure public safety by voluntarily expanding its recall originally announced on July18 due to the risk of botulinum toxin, a bacterium which can cause botulism.

The recall originally announced on July18 affected only 10 products with ?best by? dates from APR30 2009 through MAY22 2009. The extended recall now includes more canned products in different sizes.

Consumers should not use these products even if they do not look or smell spoiled. Consumers with these products should dispose of them by double bagging in plastic bags that are tightly closed before being placed in a trash receptacle for non-recyclable trash outside of the home, according to the Food and Drug Administration.

?There is nothing more important to us than the health of those who use our products every day,? said Steve Mavity, SVP Technical Services/Quality Assurance for Castleberry?s. ?We are taking every step necessary, and are working hand in hand with health officials around the clock to ensure the safety of consumers.?

Mavity said, ?We believe we have isolated the issue to a situation of under-processing on one line of our production facility. As an extra precaution to the recall we announced on Wednesday, we have shut down this line altogether and are recalling all products produced on it.?

Castleberry?s is working with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to investigate possible contamination of these products.

Castleberry?s was notified by the FDA of two confirmed botulism cases and two potential botulism cases involving individuals who ate Hot Dog Chili Sauce products. No new cases have been reported since the recall was announced on July18.

Botulism can cause the following symptoms: general weakness, dizziness, double-vision and trouble with speaking or swallowing. Difficulty in breathing, weakness of other muscles, abdominal distension and constipation may also be common symptoms. People experiencing these problems should seek immediate medical attention.