Health Officials Concerned About Contaminated Castleberry Food Items

Consumers Urged to Closely Examine What Sits on Their Shelves

Castleberry, a low-priced producer of canned foods, has issued a recall. Many of the items on their list happen to be among the most popular foods consumed by local folks here in the mountains of western North Carolina. Low-priced items such as corned beef hash, chili, and beef stew are considered staples around these parts. Certain flavors of dog food were among the recalled items as well. All this has local officials concerned. Are consumers getting the news about the recall? Are they actually checking their pantry shelves or simply consuming what they already own? It's a recall to be taken very seriously since there may be possible contamination with the botulism toxin.

There are more than 80 products on the recall list. Some are under names other than Castleberry. There's a complete list available on line at www.fsis.usda.gov, and officials hope people will do their homework and help their neighbors as well. What is especially problematic is that this recall is occurringnow, during the summer months. This is the height of the season for picnics, sports outings, and family gatherings. Many folks tend to buy items in advance, perhaps during a sale, and stock pile them. While markets have been instructed to pull all the recalled items from their shelves, one wonders if the word has reached those little family-owned storefronts, flea markets, and food banks in some of the backwoods areas spread throughout these dense mountain regions.

Botulism is to be taken extremely seriously. It is a nerve toxin that can cause paralysis or death in its most severe form. So far, no cases of severe illness or even fatalities related to the recall have been reported, according to the local Transylvania Times newspaper. Officials hope to keep it that way. Shoppers have been urged to report any sightings of the recalled items to the local health department, and any items they may already have purchased should be returned to the store from which they were bought.