Bumble Bee and Chicken of the Sea Canned Tuna Recall
Fans of tuna fish -- sometime called chicken of the sea -- may want to consider temporarily switching to just plain old chicken for sandwiches and salads, as two national canned tuna producers have issued a recall on tens of thousands of cans. At the very least check the brands for Bumble Bee and Chicken of the Sea tuna cans, as this small measure could save you a big headache ... or rather, stomachache.
Sterilization Process
Bumble Bee Tuna and Chicken of the Sea, made by Tri-Union Seafood, announced that an issue with the process in a plant in Georgia may have caused their tuna to be undercooked. Contamination from undercooked fish can be dangerous to people, but there have been no reported injuries stemming from the known issues at this plant.
Bumble Bee says it is recalling its cans out of an abundance of caution, based on Tri-Union's findings during its quality control process at the plant both companies use. Bumble Bee instructed customers to throw away any cans of Tuna with the following characteristics and UPC numbers:
- 5oz Bumble Bee Chunk Light Tuna in Water UPC 8660000020.
- 5oz Bumble Bee Chunk Light Tuna in Oil UPC 8660000021
- 4 Pack of 5oz Bumble Bee Chunk Light Tuna in Water UPC 8660000736
Chicken of the Sea Facility
All of the recalled products were canned in the same Chicken of the Sea facility in Lyons, Ga., Chicken of the Sea said. The Los Angeles Times is reporting that the recalls are related to "deviation in the commercial sterilization process and could result in contamination by spoilage organisms or pathogens."
Tri-Union Seafoods manages the Chicken of the Sea plant for both of the tuna canning companies, reportedly, and the deviations in the process could result in undercooked fish being canned and distributed. Tri-Union President Shue Wing Chan issued a statement regarding the recall, saying, ""The health and safety of our consumers is our No. 1 priority. As soon as we discovered the issue, we took immediate steps to initiate this voluntary recall, alerting our retail customers that received the product and instructing them to remove it from store shelves." See this site for affected Tri-Union products.
Related Resources:
- Top 10 Food Recalls of 2015 (FindLaw's Common Law)
- FDA Recall Types (FindLaw's Learn About the Law)
- Food Poisoning: A Legal FAQ (FindLaw's Learn About the Law)
- Food Poisoning and the Law (FindLaw's Learn About the Law)