Bumble Bee, Chicken of the Sea tuna cans recalled over contamination worries

Bumble Bee Foods issued a voluntary recall on March 6 for specific codes of 5-Ounce Chunk White Albacore and Chunk Light tuna products due to loose seals. Tri-Union Seafoods LLC also announced a recall of lots of its Chicken of the Sea cans the same day. / FDA/Flickr

Two major tuna brands are recalling certain lots of their cans because problems with seals on the products may lead to spoilage and other contamination.

Bumble Bee Foods is recalling multiple varieties of its popular tuna products because the seals, or seams, on the cans may be loosened and dangerous organisms may get in.

The recall, announced March 6, involves 5-ounce cans of Chunk White Albacore and Chunk Light Tuna products that were distributed for retail sale around the United States between January 17, 2013 and February 28, 2013.

"The recall has been issued because the products do not meet the company's standards for seal tightness," according to a company statement on the Food and Drug Administration website.

Loose seals could cause the food to spoil or could result in contamination by pathogens that lead to illness if eaten. There have been no illnesses reported to date from this recall.

Affected products are:

Consumers should visit the FDA's website for a complete list of can lot codes and can best by dates for the affected products.

"Due to can integrity concerns, our top priority at this time is to remove these recalled products from distribution as soon as possible. We are working closely with our sales team and with retailers to help expedite the recall," Steve Mavity, Bumble Bee Foods SVP of technical services and corporate quality assurance, said in a statement.

Consumers who have purchased the recalled products should throw them out in the garbage and contact Bumble Bee Consumer Affairs 24 hours a day at 1-800-800-8572 for reimbursement or any questions.

Also on March 6th, Tri-Union Seafoods LLC announced a recall of lots of its Chicken of the Sea brand 5-ounce cans of chunk white albacore in water because of problems with the cans.

"The seams on the lids of the cans do not meet the standard for seam quality," the company said in a statement on the FDA's website.

The UPC code -- or bar code -- is 0 48000 03355 0 and is located on the label of the product. The Best By date, of 01/18/17, is printed on the bottom of the can.

A full list of affected codes can be found on the FDA's website.

No illnesses have yet to be reported but like Bumble Bee, the company fears the seam problems can result in product contamination with pathogens and spoilage.

"The health and safety of our consumers is paramount. As soon as we discovered the issue, we took immediate steps to issue this voluntary recall by alerting our customers who received the product and by asking them to remove it from store shelves," Shue Wing Chan, President of Tri-Union Seafoods said in a statement.

Consumers looking for additional information can call Tri-Union Seafoods at their 24-hour recall information line at 1-800-597-5898.

[BludApfel]

They should worry more that the tuna usually comes from China - who cares about the cans when the product is already dangerous to begin with.

[signseeker1717]

US canned tuna is albacore caught off the Pacific coast, in Hawaiian waters, and some from the Atlantic - NOT China.

[BludApfel]

Read your labels. Mine say "Product of China."

[oldoc44]

We're not even sure if it's actually all tuna, are we??

[signseeker1717]

To be LEGALLY sold as canned tuna in the US, it must be albacore or skipjack.

[BludApfel]

And the survery says - STRIKE TWO.

To be legally sold as "white meat tuna" it has to be albacore.

There is no requirement that tuna must albacore or skipjack, and, no requirement that any tuna be caught in the Americas.

[bobnjersey]

[Bumble Bee, Chicken of the Sea tuna cans recalled over contamination worries]
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curious that both companies have the same problem at the same time.

maybe it's not really two companies.

[signseeker1717]

Or MAYBE they use the same canning facilities.

[baileycccc]

Sloppy lids, who would have thought? When I first saw this article I thought it was over excess mercury in the tuna.

[Aussie_convict]

Tastes like chicken smells like fish, you all know where Im heading with this.

[cntrygirl3]

Bumble Bee is pretty nasty it has an oily sheen and a lot of bone at least the regular does. Chicken of the sea isn't a great sight better. My favorite is Harris Teeter store brand, bigger chunks and very fresh tasting.

[addict42]

I love canned tuna and it's healthy for the most part. If you want to drop weight eat tuna and fruit...perfecto!

[Bojax39]

"Bumble Bee, Chicken of the Sea tuna cans recalled over contamination worries"

I'm not surprised. Many consider Bumblebee to be about 1 step up from cat food.

[BIGPISTOLA]

My cat won't eat it - he likes StarKist.