Stores continue to sell recalled canned chili, stew, hash and other foods potentially contaminated with poisonous bacteria even after repeated warnings reports the New York Times.
Thousands of cans are being removed from shelves as quickly as investigators find them, more than a week after Castleberry’s Food began recalling more than 90 potentially contaminated products over fears of botulism.
The recall now covers two years’ and tens of millions of cans from a factory in Augusta, Ga. Spot checks by the Food and Drug Administration and state officials continue to find recalled products for sale in convenience stores, gasoline stations and family-run groceries, from Florida to Alaska. The agency has found the items in 250 of the more than 3,700 stores visited, according to figures the agency gave to The Associated Press.
In states like North Carolina, more than one in three stores checked by state officials in recent days continued selling recalled products. Officials there pulled 5,500 cans.
“We’re not going to quit,” said Joe Reardon, who oversees food protection for the state’s Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. “These numbers are too high.”
Four people have become ill and were hospitalized because of the contaminated food, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. California health officials are investigating whether botulism confirmed in a San Diego County woman was linked to the recall. The woman reported eating a Castleberry’s product before falling sick this month.
“Frankly, the fact we have had only four illnesses in this situation has people saying, ‘Well, what is the big deal?’ ”said Dr. David Acheson, the food agency’s lead food safety expert, said before the news of the possible California case. “The deal is this is something that can land you in the I.C.U., not being able to breathe, for weeks.”
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