Botulism Lawyer & Attorney : Marler Clark Law Firm : Botulism Blog

The first botulism outbreak caused by commercial canning in 33 years was due to both mechanical and management problems at Castleberry's Chili, USA Today reports.

The newspaper said a U.S. Food & Drug Administration obtained from a congressional committee says Castleberry's had two 10-foot-tall cookers may not have heated cans enough to kill all bacteria, including those leading to botulism toxin.

According to the report, the cookers had broken alarms, a leaky valve and an inaccurate temperature device.  The cookers in the Augusta, Ga., plant showed "poor maintenance," and management failed to "correct ongoing deficiencies" in the plant, the report said.

"Failure in management was ultimately the reason for the … botulism toxin in the cans," according to the report. 

The story by USA Today's Julie Schmit said FDA stepped up its inspections of canning facilities after the Castleberry's outbreak.   She writes:

In late November, the FDA began inspecting the New Era Canning plant in Michigan, where it discovered botulism spores, a precursor to the toxin, in cans of green and garbanzo beans. No illnesses were reported. New Era recalled 1.2 million cans of vegetables because of the risk.

The recalls worried FDA and industry officials. Botulism toxin — so deadly that it's feared as a bio-terror weapon — had been virtually eradicated in the canning industry for decades through time-tested manufacturing processes. The FDA feared some plants had slipped into lax practices that led to botulism-prevention regulations in 1973. On Dec. 21, the day of New Era's recall, the FDA sent a letter warning canneries to "not become complacent."

Donald Zink, a senior FDA food scientist, says a refocus on good manufacturing practices is needed.  "Probably, we've suffered from being too successful," he said in an interview. "Maybe some have gotten a little sloppy."

Sounds to us like FDA management shares in that responsibility.   See what you think by reading the rest of the story here.

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Four-month old Nicholas Jameson of Minneapolis is going to continue growing up thanks to his quick-acting Mom, Samantha, and expert medical care.  Botulism nearly took his young life.

Over Memorial Day, Nicholas was having trouble breathing and Samantha took him immediately to Children's Hospital in Minneapolis for apparent respiratory failure.   The next day, however, doctors at Children's diagnosed Nicholas with botulism.

Fox9, the Fox TV affiliate in the Twin Cities told the happy-ending story:

A week later, Nicholas had made a miraculous recovery. Dr. Ken Maslonka, the head of the Pediatric Intensive Care Unity at Children’s, was surprised. "He came off the ventilator much faster than any of us thought he would for sure."

The family is still trying to figure out where Nicholas could have caught the bacteria. The only explanation seems to be the backyard where the family had been gardening days before. Botulism spores can live in soil.

Samantha is unsure how it may have happened, because Nicholas wasn’t playing in the dirt. But she theorizes that the bacteria may have become airborne while she was digging and Nicholas may have ingested it.

Doctors say the family’s fast reaction is what saved Nicholas’ life.

You can find the Fox9 story here.

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Consumers in upstate New York are being warned not to eat "Smoked Kuta Fish and Boney Fish (Herring)" sold by the African Carribean Market at 1415 N. Clinton Ave., Rochester, because the organs were not removed from the product.

The "Smoked Kuta Fish and Boney Fish (Herring)" was sold in the Rochester and Syracuse areas of New York State, and was offered for sale refrigerated, in un-coded, unlabeled polybags.

Uneviscerated (organs not removed) fish is prohibited under state Department of Agriculture and Markets' regulations because Clostridium botulinum spores are more likely to be concentrated in the organs than any other portion of the fish. Uneviscerated fish has been linked to outbreaks of Botulism poisoning.

More can be found here.

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Evanger's Dog & Cat Food Company needs to get an emergency permit before it can send its products across state lines, the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) says.

FDA recently found problems in Evanger's processes that it said could result in under-processed pet foods, which can allow the survival and growth of Clostridium botulinum, a bacterium that causes botulism in some animals and humans.

Government inspectors found  "significant deviations from prescribed documentation of processes, equipment, and record-keeping in the production of the company's thermally processed low acid canned food products."

Evanger's is based in the Chicago area.  It was founded in 1935, and claims to produce "a wide array of human-grade dog and cat food dinners and supplements." 

Yum.

Evanger's customer service department can be reached at 1-800-288-6796.

The UPI story  is here.

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Two coastal counties, Brunswick and Horry, in North Carolina are experiencing one horse death after another and botulism is being blamed.

WECT 6 in Wilmington, NC is reporting that tainted food is suspected.   WECT says:

John Vogt is relieved and surprised his 22 year old horse, Buckshot, is still alive.  Another of his horses was sick like Buckshot and died.

Both horses lived a farm in Shallotte.

When Buckshot got sick, he was rushed to N.C. State's Vet Hospital, and treated for botulism..

An autopsy performed on the dead horse in inconclusive, but the pathologist said it is likely it died from botulism.

When Vogt's horses got sick, he started looking for a common denominator, and all signs pointed to the food.

"They were fed last in the feed group. They were fed out of a separate bag," said Vogt.

That food was Country Acres Horse feed by Purina.

The complete WECT story can be found here.

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Dried fish from China that were sold in New York State are being recalled because of possible botulism contamination.   The U.S. Food & Drug Administration today (2/26/08) issued this press release from the importer:

Summit Import Corp. 100 Summit Place, Jersey City, NJ 07305 is recalling all packages of Sum Cheong Lung brand Dried Fish discovered by New York State Dept. of Agriculture and Markets Food Inspectors during a routine inspection and subsequent analysis of the product by Food Laboratory personnel confirming that the fish had not been eviscerated prior to processing.

This product may be contaminated with Clostridium botulinum spores, which can cause Botulism, a serious and potentially fatal food-borne illness.

The sale of this type of fish is prohibited under New York State Agriculture and Markets regulations because Clostridium botulinum spores are more likely to be concentrated in the viscera than any other portion of the fish. Uneviscerated fish has been linked to outbreaks of botulism poisoning. Symptoms of botulism include blurred or double vision, general weakness, poor reflexes, difficulty swallowing and respiratory paralysis.

The recalled Sum Cheong Lung brand Dried Fish comes in an uncoded 12 oz. plastic bag and is a product of China. Dried Fish was sold in New York State.

No illnesses have been reported to date in connection with this problem. Consumers who have Sun Cheong Lung brand Dried Fish are advised not to eat it, but should return it to the place of purchase. Consumers with questions may contact the company at 201-839-2882.

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Beans, blackeyed peas,  and asparagus are among the vegetables canned under various labels by the New Era Canning Company, whicch is based in Michigan.  Oh, and they just may include some very deadly botulism in each can.

New Era's recall has expanded and expanded again and again since this all began.   It now stretches back to include all its product back five years.   Its sufficiently complicated that the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) sponsors a website to keep track of it all.

FDA's New Era website can be found here.  If you buy your veggies in large cans, you better be checking the site and the long, long list of what's on the recall.

For as much as this has to be costing New Era, so far the company has been very, very lucky as there have been no reports of anyone getting sick from its botulism-tainted cans.  FDA says:

C. botulinum produces the toxin that causes botulism and can cause life-threatening illness or death. The affected New Era products are large institutional-sized cans, weighing between six and seven pounds, of various types of beans, blackeye peas, and asparagus.

To date, no illnesses have been reported to the FDA. However, consumers should not consume these products, even if they appear to be normal, because of the potential serious risk to health. Consumers who have the affected products, or who have used them in recipes, should immediately throw the cans and food away.

The potentially contaminated products are marketed under ten different brand names:

1. Classic Sysco
2. Code
3. Frosty Acres Restaurant’s Pride Preferred
4. GFS
5. Kitchen Essentials
6. Monarch Heritage
7. Necco
8. New Era
9. Nugget
10. Reliance Sysco

Processors other than New Era may be packing these brands. Only products packed by New Era are subject to the recall, so individuals must check the lot numbers on the bottom of the cans to determine if the product is affected by the recall. 

Like we said, you better check the website.

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Olivier brand Parmesan & Asiago Dip with Garlic & Basil was recently recalled by Olivier Olive Oil Products, Inc. of Saint Helena, California, for potential contamination with Clostridium botulinum, the bacterium that causes botulism.  The dip was distributed to Williams-Sonoma stores nationwide and to Olivier Napa Valley retail stores located in Truckee and St. Helena, California.

Recalled dip lot codes include:

* OPA 34171
* OPA 23471
* OAP 17271
* OAP 17671
* OAP 36061
* OAP 36161
* OPA 33961

The lot code appears on the side of the 11.76 ounce glass jar.

In its warning to consumers, the California Department of Health Services (CDHS) noted that Clostridium botulinum does not make the product smell or look different, and consumers are urged to throw out any dip in their possession.  In addition, CDHS stated:

Clostridium botulinum is a bacterium which can cause life-threatening illness or death. Symptoms of botulism include: general weakness, dizziness, double-vision and trouble with speaking or swallowing. Difficulty in breathing, weakness of other muscles, abdominal distension and constipation may also be common symptoms. People experiencing these problems should seek immediate medical attention.

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