Tuna Recall: 'Life-Threatening' Contamination Forces Bumble Bee, Chicken of the Sea into Recall

Written by TOM DAVIS (Patch Staff)

The nationwide tuna recall has been expanded.

Chicken of the Sea has followed Bumble Bee in announcing a recall of tens of thousands of tuna cans because of potential "life-threatening" contamination, according to the FDA.

The companies announced Thursday that it is voluntarily recalling three specific UPC codes of canned Chunk Light tuna because of deviations that occurred in a co-pack facility not owned or operated by Bumble Bee.

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," according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

There have been no reports of illness associated with these products to date. No other production codes or products are affected by this recall, according to an FDA release.

There are a total of 31,579 cases that are included in the Bumble Bee recall, which were produced in February 2016 and distributed nationally, including to Pennsylvania.

Chicken of the Sea has recalled 107,280 cans.

In an email to Patch, Steve Mavity and Bumble Bee Seafoods, said "All retailers subject to the recall have been notified and Bumble Bee is working closely with them and the FDA to expedite the removal of products from commerce.

Consumers can contact Bumble Bee directly at 888-820-1947.

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The Bumble Bee products subject to this recall are marked with a can code that starts with a "T" (example: TOA2BSCAFB) and have the following "best by" dates:

5oz Bumble Bee Chunk Light Tuna in Water, Best by Dates: 02/10/2019, 02/16/2019, 02/17/2019, 02/18/2019,

02/22/2019, 02/23/2019, 02/25/2019

5oz Bumble Bee Chunk Light Tuna in Oil, Best by Dates: 02/23/2019

Pack of 5oz Bumble Bee Chunk Light Tuna in Water, Best by Dates: 02/9/2019, 02/10/2019, 02/22/2019, 02/29/2019

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The Chicken of the Sea products recalled include:

Chicken of the Sea 5 Oz. Canned Chunk Light Tuna in Oil sold in single cans between Feb. 10, 2016 and March 16, 2016. The UPC code is 0 4800000195 5 and the Best By date is 2/10/19

Chicken of the Sea 5 Oz. Canned Chunk Light Tuna in Water sold at retailers nationwide in single cans between Feb. 18, 2016 and March 16, 2016. The UPC code is 0 4800000245 7.

The Best By dates are:

• 2/18/19
• 2/22/19
• 2/23/19
• 2/25/19
• 3/2/19
• 3/3/19