Bad news for lovers of the "chicken of the sea." Bumble Bee Foods has issued a voluntary recall of three of its canned tuna products: 5-ounce cans of chunk light tuna, both in water and in oil, and four-packs of chunk light tuna in water. The company announced in a press release today that it's working with the FDA to remove these products from shelves.
Problems during the required sterilization process at a co-packing facility (which is not under Bumble Bee's management) prompted concerns around possible spoilage due to contamination. If eaten, the affected tuna could possibly cause life-threatening illnesses, though so far no one has reported getting sick from the products.
The specific cans to watch out for were produced in February and distributed nationally. The affected cans are marked with a 10-character code that starts with the letter "T," and stamped with the following expiration dates: 02/10/2019, 02/16/2019, 02/17/2019, 02/18/2019, 02/22/2019, 02/23/2019, 02/25/2019 for the chunk light tuna in water, 02/23/2019 for the chunk light tuna in oil, and 02/9/2019, 02/10/2019, 02/22/2019, 02/29/2019 for the four-pack of chunk light tuna in water.
You can find more specific information, including the exact can codes to look for, here.
All in all, the recall accounts for 31,579 cases of product in total. All other Bumble Bee products are unaffected at this time.
If you believe you've contracted a food-borne illness, be sure to see a doctor if symptoms like vomiting or diarrhea persist longer than a few days. Lots of fluids can help, but you may need antibiotics.
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