Tuna canners recall 34,000 cases for possible contamination

Canned tuna producers Bumble Bee Foods LLC and Tri-Union Seafoods LLC have issued separate voluntary recalls for thousands of cases of canned chunk light tuna that could be contaminated.

San Diego-based Bumble Bee is recalling 31,579 cases of canned chunk light tuna with three specific UPC codes that were produced in February and distributed nationally. Tri-Union Seafoods’ recall involves 2,745 cases, or 107,280 cans, of Chicken of the Sea 5 oz. canned chunk light tuna in oil and 5 oz. canned chunk light tuna in water that was sold nationwide between February and March.

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FOR THE RECORD
3:17 p.m.: The headline on an earlier version of this article incorrectly said 138,000 cases of tuna are being recalled. About 34,000 cases are being recalled.
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All of the recalled products were canned in the same Chicken of the Sea facility in Lyons, Ga., Chicken of the Sea said.

Both companies said the recalls are related to “deviations” in the commercial sterilization process, and could result in contamination by “spoilage organisms or pathogens,” according to the recall notices. Specifically, Tri-Union Seafoods said it initiated its recall because the tuna may have been undercooked because of equipment malfunction.

“The health and safety of our consumers is our No. 1 priority,” Tri-Union Seafoods President Shue Wing Chan said in a statement. “As soon as we discovered the issue, we took immediate steps to initiate this voluntary recall, alerting our retail customers that received the product and instructing them to remove it from store shelves.”

Bumble Bee said it issued the recall “out of an abundance of caution due to the possible under-processing of the affected products discovered by the co-packer during its routine quality audit.” The company said it was working closely with the Food and Drug Administration, as well as the contract packing facility to quickly remove the product from shelves.

Bumble Bee said customers who bought its recalled products should throw them away, but keep the label or other proof of purchase for a refund. Tri-Union Seafoods said customers can return the canned tuna to the store where they purchased it for a full refund.

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