Tuna recalled from Costco, Trader Joe’s, Walmart and more retailers because of potential for botulism poisoning

Tri-Union Seafoods recalling select lots of canned tuna products sold under the Genova, Van Camp’s, H-E-B and Trader Joe’s brand names because they may become contaminated with botulism. 

This voluntary recall comes after the supplier of the tuna reported that the pull tab can lid on limited products have a manufacturing defect that may compromise the integrity of the product seal, causing it to leak, or worse, be contaminated with clostridium botulinum, a potentially fatal form of food poisoning.

Consumers are warned not to use the product even if it does not look or smell spoiled. Consumers feeling unwell should seek immediate medical attention. No illnesses associated with the recalled products had been reported as of Feb. 7.

The impacted products were distributed to retail stores as follows:

• H-E-B label – Texas
• Trader Joe’s label – Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Washington D.C., and Wisconsin
• Genova 7 oz. – Costco in Florida and Georgia
• Genova 5 oz. – Harris Teeter, Publix, H-E-B, Kroger, Safeway, Walmart, and independent retailers in Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, New Jersey, Tennessee, and Texas
• Van Camp’s label – Walmart and independent retailers in Pennsylvania, Florida and New Jersey

Recalled products include specific can codes and Best if Used By dates indicated on the bottom of the cans, and UPC numbers.

For a complete list of the products included in this recall, click here.

If you have a recalled tuna can, please return it to the retailer for a full refund, throw it away, or contact Tri-Union Seafoods directly for a retrieval kit and a coupon for a replacement product. 

Consumers can contact Tri-Union Seafoods at support@thaiunionhelp.zendesk.com or 833-374-0171, if they have any questions or to request replacement product.

About botulism
While a variety of illnesses can result from eating under-processed food, one of the most dangerous is botulism poisoning. Untreated, botulism can paralyze the muscles needed for breathing, resulting in sudden death.

Anyone who has eaten any recalled products and developed signs of botulism poisoning should immediately seek medical attention. 

In foodborne botulism, symptoms generally begin 18 to 36 hours after eating contaminated food. However, symptoms can begin as soon as 6 hours after or up to 10 days later.

The symptoms of botulism may include some of all of the following: double vision, blurred vision, drooping eyelids, slurred speech, difficulty swallowing, difficulty breathing, a thick-feeling tongue, dry mouth, and muscle weakness. People with botulism poisoning may not show all of these symptoms at once.

These symptoms result from muscle paralysis caused by the toxin. If untreated, the disease may progress, and symptoms may worsen to cause paralysis of specific muscles, including those used in breathing and those in the arms, legs, and the body from the neck to the pelvis area.

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Source: https://www.foodsafetynews.com/2025/02/tuna-recalled-from-costco-trader-joes-walmart-and-more-retailers-because-of-potential-for-botulism-poisoning/