Multiple brands of canned tuna sold in stores like H-E-B, Trader Joe’s, Publix, and Costco have been recalled due to the potential for botulism, which can be a fatal form of food poisoning.
Last week, Tri-Union Seafoods announced a voluntary recall on several of its canned tuna products sold across multiple states, citing a manufacturing defect in the cans’ “easy open” pull tab feature as the issue. The cans were packaged under Trader Joe’s and H-E-B brand names, along with the Genova and Van Camp brands.
According to the announcement, the affected products were delivered to the following states under these labels:
- H-E-B label: H-E-B stores in Texas
- Trader Joe’s label: Trader Joe’s retailers in Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Washington D.C. and Wisconsin
- Genova 7 oz. label: Costco stores in Florida and Georgia
- Genova 5 oz. label: Harris Teeter, Publix, H-E-B, Kroger, Safeway, Walmart, and independent retailers in Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, New Jersey, Tennessee, and Texas
- Van Camp’s label: Walmart and independent stores in Pennsylvania, Florida and New Jersey
If you suspect you purchased one of the products, check the universal product code, or UPC, and best-by date on the can and cross reference them with the impacted list on the Food and Drug Administration’s website.
No illnesses have been reported so far. That said, consumers should not use the affected products, even if they don’t seem spoiled. The tuna was recalled out of an “abundance of caution following the notification from our supplier,” the company said. The notification stated that the products “encountered a manufacturing defect that may compromise the integrity of the product seal (especially over time), causing it to leak, or worse, be contaminated with clostridium botulinum,” according to the company.
