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State
health director warns consumers of food-borne illness
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Expanded
recall now includes almost 100 varieties of canned goods
[July 24, 2007]
SPRINGFIELD -- Dr. Eric E. Whitaker, state
public health director, warned consumers again Monday not to eat
certain canned products. Castleberry's Food Company, owned by Bumble
Bee Foods, LLC, voluntarily expanded its recall from last week due
to possible botulism contamination.
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 "To date there are no cases of botulism in Illinois linked to this
recall; however, local health departments have found some [of] these
canned goods on store shelves, so I want to remind all Illinois
residents to be on the lookout for these products -- not only on
store shelves but in your pantries and cupboards as well," Whitaker
said.Canned goods on the expanded recall list include almost 100
varieties of chili, beef stew, corned beef hash, barbecue pork, hot
dog chili sauces, sausage-gravy and dog food. Each can label or can
end bears the establishment number "EST. 195" inside the USDA seal
of inspection. The expanded recall includes canned goods regardless
of the "best buy" date stamped on the bottom of the can.
For a list of recalled products regulated by the Food and Drug
Administration, check
www.fda.gov.
For a list of recalled products regulated by the U.S. Department
of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service, check
www.fsis.usda.gov.
Or you can check the Illinois Department of Public Health's
online site at
www.idph.state.il.us/public/
press07/7.23.RecalledProducts.pdf. [To download Adobe Acrobat Reader for
the PDF file, click
here.]
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Consumers who have any of these products or any foods made with
these products should throw them away immediately. Double-bag the
cans in plastic bags that are tightly closed; then place them in a
trash receptacle for non-recyclable trash outside of the home.
Additional instructions for safe disposal can be found at
www.cdc.gov/botulism/botulism_faq.htm.
The Illinois Department of Public Health has sent a health
advisory to local health departments, hospitals and other health
care professionals alerting them of the severity of this illness and
the seriousness of the outbreak.
Signs and symptoms of botulism include double vision, blurred
vision, drooping eyelids, slurred speech, difficulty swallowing, dry
mouth and muscle weakness. If untreated, the illness may progress
from head to toe, with paralysis of the face, arms, breathing
muscles, trunk and legs. Paralysis of the breathing muscles can lead
to death unless prompt medical care is sought. Symptoms generally
begin 18 to 36 hours after eating a contaminated food but can occur
as early as six hours or as late as 10 days.
Anyone who suspects a case of botulism should contact their
physician and notify the local health department as soon as
possible.
[Text from
Illinois
Department of Public Health news release received from the
Illinois Office of Communication and Information]
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