The latest recall needs to be taken seriously. Botulism is an extremely potent nerve toxin that can cause paralysis and death, and the pathogen may be present in tens of million of cans of products on store and consumer shelves.

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has linked Castleberry Hot Dog Chili Sauces to at least five cases of botulism poisoning in Texas, California and Indiana. The chili sauce is sold in 10 ounce cans under the brand names Castleberry’s, Kroger and Austex’s. Botulism is a rare disease, with fewer than 30 cases reported each year. Nearly all of these cases are related to home canning. The Castleberry outbreak is the first to be linked to commercial canning in more than 40 years.

Consumers should check pantrys for the various Castleberry's chili, stew, hash products and dog foods subject to the massive recall underway, and discard them. Some of these foods bear a variety of brand names, including various supermarket labels, including Austex, Big Y, Kroger's, Piggly Wiggly, and others. Specific brands and products are listed on the web sites of the Food and Drug Administration and USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service.

The initial recall affected products were produced between April 30 and May 22, 2007, but since its investigation, the FDA has recalled all products produced in the last two years. To guard against the formation of botulism toxin, canned foods are heated during processing to kill the bacteria. The cooker at the Castleberry factory was dropping cans into cool water while they were still hot which is reported to be the cause of the botulism bacteria surviving the canning process

The lack of proper processing is a large factor in this and many other recent food contamination issues. Proper processing in addition to regular sampling and testing will eliminate unwanted and dangerous bacteria viruses or other harmful contaminants.

Unfortunately this recall came after consumers began getting sick. If you show any signs of illness after eating any canned food, seek medical attention immediately for confirmation and treatment. It's better to be safe than sorry in these cases.

Contact us immediately as you could be granted monetary compensation for your medical bills, lost wages and pain and suffering

Botulism is caused by neurotoxins (antigenic types A, B, E and F cause human disease) produced by groups I or II of Clostridium botulinum, an anaerobic, spore-forming bacillus. There are three forms of the illness: food-borne botulism from ingestion of preformed toxin; wound botulism; and botulism from intestinal colonization, usually, but not universally, in infants.