Tuesday, July 24, 2007

Food Safety This Tuesday: Beware the Botox Chili


Vegetarians face plenty of food-contamination problems too, of course, but news like this makes me worry about my carnivorous friends and their families (emphasis mine):

WASHINGTON --Millions of cans of chili sauce, corned-beef hash and beef stew produced by a Georgia food company are being recalled in the largest botulism scare involving commercially canned goods in more than 30 years.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Monday directed stores and consumers nationwide to immediately discard more than 80 brands of canned meat made at Castleberry's Food Company's plant in Augusta, Ga., because they could be contaminated with the deadly bacteria.

Several types of pet food, which Castleberry's packages for Natural Balance, are also being recalled.

''They should throw them away immediately,'' said Dr. Robert Bracket, director of the FDA's Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition.

The recommended method of removal dramatized officials' concern: Consumers were asked to remove the 10-, 12- and 15-ounce products from their homes by placing the items in sealed double plastic bags before placing them in trash receptacles.

So far, two people have been hospitalized with botulism in Indiana and in Texas after eating Castleberry's hot dog chili sauce, authorities said. The tainted sauce was produced on May 7 and May 8, but the recall applies to products manufactured up to two years ago. The plant has been shut down as the investigation continues.


For more information about which products are affected, visit Castleberry's Website.

Also at Shakesville.

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