Del Monte Foods Inc. issued a recall of some of its canned corn this week.
Del Monte’s fiesta corn seasoned with red and green peppers is under-processed and could result in, “contamination by spoilage organisms or pathogens, which could lead to life-threatening illness if consumed,” the company said.
Although it is more of a concern in home-canned food, the bacteria that causes botulism can be found in store-bought canned food that has not been properly preserved, canned or fermented, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Consuming food that is contaminated with botulinum toxin can cause botulism, which can be fatal. Symptoms of botulism can begin six hours to 10 days after consuming the toxin, which causes muscle weakness and paralysis. The paralysis can lead to blurred vision, double vision, drooping eyelids, trouble breathing and swallowing and feelings of dry mouth and thick tongue. According to the CDC, there were 29 cases of foodborne botulism in the US in 2016.
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No illnesses associated with the recalled corn have been reported, according to Del Monte.
The recall is for 64,242 cases that were distributed to 25 US states and in 12 countries – Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bermuda, El Salvador, Haiti, Guyana, Uruguay, Aruba, Panama, Saint Lucia and Suriname.
All of the recalled corn was sold in 15.25 ounce cans with the UPC number 24000 02770. They have “best buy” dates marked on the can of: August 14, 2021; August 15, 2021; August 16, 2021; Sept. 3, 2021; Sept. 4, 2021; Sept. 5, 2021; Sept. 6, 2021; Sept. 22, 2021; Sept. 23, 2021.
Consumers can return the recalled corn to the place of purchase or contact Del Monte for a refund, but should not consume it.