ucm491109Bumble Bee Foods LLC announced today that it is voluntarily recalling three specific UPC codes of canned chunk light tuna because of “process deviations” that occurred in a co-pack facility not owned or operated by Bumble Bee. The deviations were part of the commercial sterilization process and could result in contamination by spoilage organisms or pathogens, which could lead to life-threatening illness if consumed.  No other production codes or products are affected by this recall. There are a total of 31,579 cases included in the recall. They were produced in February and distributed nationally. The products subject to this recall are marked with a can code that starts with a “T” (example: TOA2BSCAFB) and have the following “best by” dates:

Label UPC Product “Best By” Dates”
8660000020 5oz Bumble Bee Chunk Light Tuna in Water 02/10/2019, 02/16/2019, 02/17/2019, 02/18/2019, 02/22/2019, 02/23/2019, 02/25/2019
8660000021 5oz Bumble Bee Chunk Light Tuna in Oil 02/23/2019
8660000736 4 Pack of 5oz Bumble Bee Chunk Light Tuna in Water 02/9/2019, 02/10/2019, 02/22/2019, 02/29/2019

The recall is being initiated out of an abundance of caution due to the possible under-processing of the affected products discovered by the co-packer during its routine quality audit. Bumble Bee is working closely with the co-packer and the FDA to expedite the removal of products from commerce.   (To sign up for a free subscription to Food Safety News, click here.)