Manufacturing defect found on some canned tuna sold at Texas H-E-B’s could lead to deadly illness

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) says a manufacturing defect found on some cans of tuna sold at H-E-B, Kroger, and Walmart in Texas could lead to a deadly foodborne illness.

The FDA announced Tri-Union Seafoods has made the decision to voluntarily recall select lots of canned tuna products sold under the Genova®, Van Camp’s®, H-E-B and Trader Joe’s brand names.

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“This voluntary recall is out of an abundance of caution following the notification from our supplier that the “easy open” pull tab can lid on limited products encountered a manufacturing defect that may compromise the integrity of the product seal (especially over time), causing it to leak, or worse, be contaminated with clostridium botulinum, a potentially fatal form of food poisoning,” the announcement said.

The impacted products were distributed to retail stores as follows:

• H-E-B label - Texas
• Trader Joe’s label – Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Washington D.C., and Wisconsin
• Genova 7 oz. - Costco in Florida and Georgia
• Genova 5 oz. - Harris Teeter, Publix, H-E-B, Kroger, Safeway, Walmart, and independent retailers in Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, New Jersey, Tennessee, and Texas
• Van Camp’s label – Walmart and independent retailers in Pennsylvania, Florida and New Jersey

The FDA says no illnesses associated with the recalled products have been reported and the recall is being conducted to ensure consumer safety. Consumers are warned not to use the product even if it does not look or smell spoiled. Consumers feeling unwell should seek immediate medical attention.

The full list of recalled products and UPC codes can be found at this link.

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If you have a recalled tuna can, please return it to the retailer for a full refund, throw it away, or contact Tri-Union Seafoods directly for a retrieval kit and a coupon for a replacement product. Consumers can contact Tri-Union Seafoods at support@thaiunionhelp.zendesk.com or 833-374-0171.