UPDATE: Bumble Bee, Chicken Of The Sea Tuna Recalled Because Cans Shouldn’t Be Spoiled Before You Buy Them

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UPDATE: Hours after Bumble Bee announced the recall of thousands of cases of canned tuna, another popular brand of canned tuna has been recalled for the same reason.

Tri-Union Seafoods, which operates the plant in which the recalled tuna was packaged, announced the voluntary recall of more than 107,000 cans of its own Chicken of the Sea brand tuna Thursday afternoon.

A rep for the company confirmed to Consumerist that the recalled Chicken of the Sea cans were packaged at the same facility in Lyons, GA, responsible for the recalled Bumble Bee tuna.

— ORIGINIAL POST —

It’s nice to have a few cans of tuna on hand for times when you need to make a quick, tasty lunch. You know what’s not tasty? Spoiled tuna that could make you sick. In an effort to make sure that doesn’t happen to customers, Bumble Bee Foods is recalling several types of its canned fish that might be contaminated with unwelcome pathogens. 

Bumble Bee issued the recall of 31,579 cases of Bumble Bee Chunk Light Tuna in Water, and Bumble Bee Chunk Light Tuna in Oil after discovering an issue with the sterilization process for the products.

According to a notice filed with the Food and Drug Administration, Bumble Bee Foods says a deviation in the commercial sterilization process occurred in a contract packer facility that may have resulted in contamination by spoilage organisms or pathogens.

If consumed, Bumble Bee says the products, which were sold nationwide at major retailers, could lead to life-threatening illnesses.

So far, the company has received no reports of illness related to the consumption of the products.

“The recall is being initiated 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 says. “Bumble Bee is working closely with the co-packer and the FDA to expedite the removal of products from commerce.”

In all, the recall covers three Chunk Light tuna products: 5-ounce Bumble Bee Chunk Light Tuna in Water, 5-ounce Bumble Bee Chunk Light Tuna in Oil, and four packs of 5-ounce Bumble Bee Chunk Light Tuna in Water.

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The products can be identified by the following UPC codes and “best by” dates:

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Customers who have purchased the products should throw them away. For reimbursement, consumers should retain the label from the can or have other proof of purchase and contact Bumble Bee’s Consumer Affairs team at (888)-820-1947 between the hours of 9 a.m. and 6 p.m. EDT.

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