California Department of Public Health (CDPH) director Dr. Ron Chapman warned consumers on Thursday not to eat Taste of Roux, LLC jarred vegetarian soups because they may have been improperly produced, making them susceptible to contamination with Clostridium Botulinum.

No illnesses have been linked to any of the affected products at this time.

Ingestion of botulism toxin from improperly processed jarred and canned foods may lead to serious illness and death. 

Taste of Roux, LLC of Valley Village, California is recalling its Lentil, Black Bean, Tomato, Carrot Ginger, Vegetarian Chili, and Detox jarred soups.  The soups were sold under the Taste of Roux label and packaged in quart and pint glass jars with screw-on metal lids.  The product labels do not include any coding or use-by dates.

The recalled soups were sold only at:

– Malibu Farmers Market, 23555 Civic Center Way, Malibu, CA 90265, Sundays, beginning on November 20, 2011

– Autry Farmers Market, 4700 Western Heritage Way, Los Angeles, CA 90027, Saturdays, beginning on May 5, 2012. 

Photographs of the recalled soups can be found here.

 

Consumers who have these recalled soups should discard them in the trash, California public health officials advise. Botulism toxin is odorless and colorless; cooking the soup will not inactivate any toxin that is present. 

Botulism is a rare but serious paralytic illness caused by a nerve toxin that is produced by the bacterium Clostridium botulinum. The initial symptoms frequently experienced are double or blurred vision, drooping eyelids, and dry or sore throat. Progressive descending paralysis, usually symmetrical, may follow.

Additional symptoms may include slurred speech, difficulty swallowing, inability of the neck muscles to support the head; paralysis of the extremities and respiratory muscles may occur. Infants with botulism appear lethargic, feed poorly, are constipated, have a weak cry, and poor muscle tone.

Consumers with any of these symptoms should contact their health care provider.