If you thought food recalls would be coming to an end now that 2018 is almost over, you'd be wrong. Del Monte has announced they're recalling over 64,000 cans of their Fiesta Corn, which is seasoned with red and green peppers.
According to the company, these cans could contain "contamination by spoilage organisms or pathogens, which could lead to life-threatening illness if consumed." In other words, the bacteria that causes botulism, botulinum, is possibly present in this product.
"These deviations were part of the commercial sterilization process and could result in contamination by spoilage organisms or pathogens, which could lead to life-threatening illness if consumed," the recall read in part.
Botulism can be fatal, and symptoms can take as long as 10 days to present themselves. Symptoms can include muscle weakness, paralysis, blurred vision, drooping eyelids, difficulty breathing, dry mouth, or feeling like your tongue is extremely sick. As of right now, no cases of illness have been reported due as a result of eating the Fiesta Corn. The recall is a preemptive measure.
The recalled products are 15.25-ounce cans with the UPC number of 24000 or 02770 printed on the label. They have "Best if Used by" dates of the following dates in 2021: Aug. 14, 2021; Aug. 15, 2021; Sept. 3, 2021; Sept. 4, 2021; Sept. 5, 2021; Sept. 6, 2021; Sept. 22, 2021; and Sept. 23, 2021.
The affected cans were sold at multiple retailers in 25 states, including Alaska, Alabama, California, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, New Jersey, New York, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Texas, Vermont, Virginia, Washington and Wisconsin, along with 12 international locations.
If you think there have been a higher-than-normal number of recalls this year, you're not incorrect. But according to the FDA, the issue isn't so much to do with how our food is being prepared, but rather a comment on how far technology has come.
FDA Commissioner Dr. Scott Gottlieb told CNN last month:
I think that the issue isn't that there's more unsafe food. I think what's happening is that we have better technology than ever before to link outbreaks of human illness to a common pathogen. I think food is more safe now than it's ever been. We have much more resources and additional tools to do effective surveillance.
If you have one of these potentially contaminated cans on your shelf, you're encouraged to throw it out. You can also contact Del Monte with questions by calling the toll-free hotline at 1-800-779-7035, Monday-Friday, 9:00 am "“ 5:00 pm Eastern Time.
