If you're about to make yourself a tuna salad sandwich, you better make sure that can of tuna isn't a part of this major recall.
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00:00Wait! If you're about to make yourself a tuna salad sandwich,
00:03you better make sure that can of tuna isn't part of this major recall.
00:08Breaking! The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has issued a notice about a voluntary recall
00:12of canned tuna fish sold at several grocers. The recalled tuna is made by Tri-Union Seafoods
00:18and is sold under the Genova, Van Kamps, HEB, and Trader Joe's brand names.
00:23What went wrong? The manufacturer discovered defective pool tablets,
00:28which led to the recall. Best-case scenario is your canned lake's tuna water all over your
00:32cupboards. Worst case? Botulism. This isn't the first time botulism has been a concern
00:38for canned foods, and it probably won't be the last. The bacteria that causes botulism,
00:43Clostridium botulinum, thrives in wet, low-oxygen environments, which is pretty much handed to them
00:49on a silver platter with something like canned tuna. It spreads via spores like mushrooms,
00:54and while the spores themselves aren't dangerous, once they find a suitable spot to start growing,
00:58bad things start happening. These spores are all around us normally, but due to all the oxygen that
01:04keeps us chugging along, they don't normally have a chance to gain a foothold in any place
01:08we might mistake for food. A defective pool tab is just the kind of thing that can let the
01:16microscopic spores enter the can and start producing the botulism toxins you always hear
01:21about. And they're no joke. Botulism affects the nervous system and can shut down your
01:25respiratory system and cause muscle paralysis. It's not a pleasant way to go, that's for sure.
01:32Geek can destroy botulism toxins, but it's not the safest route to go and particularly
01:37dangerous with canned tuna. After all, most people don't cook their tuna sandwiches.
01:42This recall affects tuna sold in a total of 27 states at various grocery stores.
01:48Fortunately, the exact stores and states that are affected, product names and codes,
01:52and use-by dates are all listed on the FDA's recall notice. Texas is the only state relevant
01:58to the HEB label, while Walmarts in Florida, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey will be removing
02:03some varieties of their Van Camps brand tuna. Various sizes of Genova are affected at Costco's
02:09in Florida and Georgia, as well as Harris Teeter, Publix, HEB, Kroger, Safeway, Walmart,
02:15and independent retailers in 10 states. Meanwhile, the recall on the Trader Joe's label
02:20covers 18 states as well as Washington, D.C. So now the question is what do you do if you
02:25have a can of the recall tuna? First of all, check FDA.gov to see if your can's UPC,
02:31can code, and use-by date are included in the recall. If you get a match, the good news is
02:36you can get your money back. Just return it to the store where you bought it for a full refund.
02:41Otherwise, toss it out. Additionally, Tri-Union Seafoods can be contacted directly for a retrieval
02:47kit via the information provided on the FDA website. Whatever you do, don't eat it. While
02:53the risk of botulism is just that — a risk, not a guarantee — it's not a gamble worth making.
02:59Sometimes, events that lead to botulism can occur long after the food has left the
03:03manufacturing plant. For instance, cans that have been dented in transit or in the store itself.
03:09Dented cans should always be discarded or brought to the attention of the store manager
03:13to avoid the risk of food poisoning. They're almost never worth the pennies you might save
03:18buying them in the discount aisle.
03:21Dented cans at half price. Microsoft went down three points. We gotta save some money."
03:25Botulism is the same toxin that affected Snapchill canned coffee in 2024,
03:30which also led to a voluntary nationwide recall.
03:34Voluntary recalls are a way for manufacturers to be proactive when a food item has a
03:38chance of being contaminated, avoiding serious illness for consumers and,
03:43most importantly, lawsuits for the company.