Botulism Risk from Canned Green Beans

August 2007

A special alert – check your cupboards for yet another dangerous canned item that may cause deadly food poisoning. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has announced that the dangerous botulism toxin may be present canned french cut green beans sold under a variety of brand names. The FDA has alerted customers that the manufacturer, Lakeside Foods, may not have properly processed the canned green beans to eliminate the presence of botulism.

This news comes a day after the New Mexico disclosed that a 52-year-old resident contracted botulism and is almost completely paralyzed. He currently only has the ability to wiggle his toes, as paralysis grips the rest of his body. The source of his botulism poisoning hasn't been identified, although it is suspected to be connected to the major recall of meat products canned by Castleberry’s.

The affected green beans come in 14.5 ounce cans sold under the following labels:

Numbers from the top line of the can code may also be used to identify tainted items: