FDA Recall Roundup and bird flu basics (2/10/2025)

What has been recalled? What does H5N1 mean?

It appears that the communications pause is mostly lifted, but by request I will continue these updates for now.

Food and Drug Recall summary

Tri-Union Seafoods Issues Recall of Select Genova®, Van Camp’s®, H-E-B and Trader Joe’s® Tuna Cans Due to Clostridium Botulinum Risk

Tri-Union Seafoods has made the decision to voluntarily recall select lots of canned tuna products sold under the Genova®, Van Camp’s®, H-E-B and Trader Joe’s brand names. This voluntary recall is out of an abundance of caution following the notification from our supplier that the “easy open” pull tab can lid on limited products encountered a manufacturing defect that may compromise the integrity of the product seal (especially over time), 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 have been reported and the recall is being conducted to ensure consumer safety.

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 listed below.

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. The toll-free number hours are Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. EST.

This recall does not impact any other Tri-Union Seafoods products, as no other product packaging was impacted by this potential defect. Tri-Union Seafoods is committed to upholding the highest safety and quality standards.

For media inquiries, contact Media.Inquiries@thaiunion.com.

Tri-Union Seafoods advises that consumers in possession of any product with the below Lot Codes should dispose of the product. Below is a list of specific Lots impacted:

What does H5N1 mean?

I have been talking a lot lately about bird flu and have said the term “H5N1” many times, but I want to make sure all of my subscribers are on the same page with what that means, so the remainder of this post is dedicated to giving you some basic information regarding virology.

There are four types of influenza viruses: A, B, C, and D. Influenza A and B are known to cause the majority of influenza-related illness in humans with A being responsible for previous global pandemics. A pandemic may occur when there is a new and different influenza A virus that can spread quickly amongst people who have little to no immunity against the virus.

Influenza A virus is divided into subtypes based on two proteins that sit on the surface of influenza - hemagglutinin (H) and neuraminidase (N). There are 18 different hemagglutinin subtypes (number H1-H18) and 11 different neuraminidase subtypes (numbered N1-N11). Hemagglutinin is a protein that is involved in causing the virus to infect cells whereas neuraminidase is involved in viral replication by helping release new viruses from infected cells. Many of the cases of influenza are currently due to H1N1 and H3N2. Another avian influenza that was recently discovered in the United States was H5N9 in ducks at a farm in California. Nearly 119,000 birds have been culled there.

I do not understand why the CDC website currently calls avian influenza “H5 bird flu.” Using consistent terminology is important for people to communicate with each other effectively. I hope that this mini primer gives an effective overview.

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