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DEL.ICIO.USAre dangerous foods lurking in your pantry?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
A spot check Thursday afternoon of several convenience stores in northwest Atlanta found two out of three still stocking canned foods recalled in a botulism outbreak linked to an Augusta food plant. That’s scary, but it’s not unusual.
Often, by the time a food is recalled because it’s been linked to illness, there’s not much left to round up. The food has been eaten, or, if it’s a perishable product, has either spoiled or been frozen. Many consumers never hear about food recalls, and stores and restaurants also may not be aware of it. Just a small percentage of recalled food ever makes it back to a manufacturer.
With the Castleberry’s recall (see castleberrys.com for a complete list), there are tens of millions of cans, with a shelf life of two years or longer, that have been recalled. The company’s hot dog chili sauce has been linked to four cases of botulism, a serious food borne illness that, if not treated quickly, can lead to paralysis and death. Nearly 90 different canned foods, under more than two dozen brand names, have been recalled as the investigation continues into a processing failure at the plant.
Do you think food manufacturers, supermarkets and the government do enough to make consumers aware of recalls? Are you aware of this one? Have you seen any of the recalled products still on store shelves, and if so, did you try to talk to store managers about it?
Permalink | Comments (16) | Post your comment | Categories: Food safety
Comments
By Noelle
July 27, 2007 10:11 AM | Link to this
Stories like this one make me glad I rarely eat processed foods any more. I know there have also been outbreaks in fresh foods (E. coli in spinach), but the more processing a food product goes through, the more likely it is that contamination will make its way in.
I think manufacturers and the government are doing a fine job of announcing recalls, but supermarkets aren’t doing enough. I haven’t seen any recalled products on store shelves, but it’s rare to see a warning posted about recalled products, either. Far too many people don’t read, listen to, or watch news of any kind, so signs at the point of sale and other forms of warning are needed.
Of course, some people are going to ignore warnings anyway. I know a lot of stores and restaurants got arguments from customers when they pulled spinach from the shelves. People apparently would rather risk getting E. coli than go without spinach for a few weeks!
By Meg
July 27, 2007 10:24 AM | Link to this
There’s an article in Forbes, the cans are starting to burst and you can get botulism by inhaling, or through your eyes or skin. http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2007/07/26/ap3958554.html
By Meg
July 27, 2007 10:26 AM | Link to this
There’s an article in Forbes, the cans are starting to burst and you can get botulism by inhaling, or through your eyes or skin. http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2007/07/26/ap3958554.html
By Anonymous
July 27, 2007 11:29 AM | Link to this
The major chain grocery stores do a good job. In our litigious society, they have to, deep pockets you know. Apu’s Kwik-E-Mart, not so much.
By Bushwacker
July 27, 2007 11:50 AM | Link to this
I was actually about to but a can of the hot dog chili sauce at Publix but the registewr would not let it ring up and that’s when the cashier told me about the recall, I asked him why they still had 50 cans on the shelf, he asked me if I still wanted it and was going to sell it to me.
I did eat a can of it the week before on some hot dogs, don’t know if Publix knew about the recall then yet or not, but I been blowing some of the loudest and smelliest farts of my life ever since..stay tuned!
By HOT DOG PAUL-AKA SLICK - SLOAN CHES AREA
July 27, 2007 11:55 AM | Link to this
I HAVE A CAN OF HOT DOG CHILI AND CANNOT DETERMINE IF IT IS GOOD OR NOT.ON CAN READS: CA1155 - 2MO0CM3. WILL TAKE BIDS
By Darryl
July 27, 2007 12:09 PM | Link to this
To Bushwacker, LOL!!!!! You are crazy!!!
Another concern, the food pantries that feed the poor, as often these items are very old. There should some organized effort to monitor for recalled food.
By me again
July 27, 2007 12:21 PM | Link to this
Bushwacker,
Not sure if you are serious or not, but my bro-in-law is experiencing the exact same thing. He LOVES Castleberry’s chili on hot dogs, and ate some about 2 days before the recall.
He said that he STAYS in the bathroom, but won’t go see a doctor. He thinks it’s funny. lol
By Homer
July 27, 2007 12:24 PM | Link to this
Any thing my wife cooks is dangerous.
By bosh
July 27, 2007 12:47 PM | Link to this
What the heck is HOTDOG SAUCE. The sound of that alone makes me queasy
By Stacey
July 27, 2007 12:49 PM | Link to this
I think the major grocery stores are quick to pull recalled products (that they know of) and posting signs on the shelves alerting customers. The scary part to me is when they come back and expand the recall to include store brands or additional products that weren’t included in the initial recall. As someone else pointed out, I’m not so sure that some of the “mom and pop” stores are as vigilant about removing the recalls.
The only time I have ever (potentially) had recalled food was one of the ground beef recalls. I had purchased a couple of the 5 lb rolls of ground chuck at Kroger about a week before the recall. I had split the meat up into meal size portions and put it in the freezer and had thrown the wrappers (with dates and product codes) in the trash. I took the frozen meat and my receipt back to Kroger and they gave me a full refund, no questions asked.
By Beka
July 27, 2007 12:58 PM | Link to this
Publix is terrible about leaving outdated merchandise on their shelves. I personally know of two Publix stores in McDonough where I have experienced outdated items on the shelves, one was several months outdated. I found several packages of ready cooked bacon where the date had already expired and rather than remove it from the shelves when I brought it to his attention, the meat guy wanted to sell it to me on a 2 for 1 special. No thanks!
By southbeach deb
July 27, 2007 1:26 PM | Link to this
Just when i’ve almost finished off the Sara Lee Delightful bread they now have a recall ON THAT!!
By fer
July 27, 2007 2:33 PM | Link to this
Homer: Ever tho’t of cooking yourself? It’s not rocket science.
By BuffyLou
July 31, 2007 9:26 AM | Link to this
I never heard of this recall. Never have eaten this stuff. I have a can that was given to me and now I wonder if it is safe to eat. One thing, it will not be eaten by anyone if I have any thing to say about it.
This is atrocious. I read, go online, watch the news… and heard not one word of this recall.
The news, the governmemt, the stores, the manufacturer don’t do anything enough to get this info out to us, the public… to keep us safe from harm.
By Elizabeth Lee
July 31, 2007 10:07 AM | Link to this
BuffyLou, there is a complete list of recalled items posted on the Castleberry’s Web site, at www.castleberrys.com. Please go online and check if you have questions about whether a product is part of the recall.
If you have any doubts, throw it out. It’s not worth the risk.